World Italy Veneto Verona

Askew summer 2011

Verona – Romeo and Juliet Aug 3, 2011

“Romeo, Romeo, where for art thou Romeo?” In Verona it would seem. We told Jacquelyn about this trip at the conclusion of her favorite movie, Letters to Juliet, as she watched it for at least the eighth time. She said, “Oh, I hope one day I can go to Italy and see Juliet’s wall.” (What a perfect setup) We responded, “How would this summer be?” First she thought we were joking, of course, and then shocked, ultimately excited beyond words. That is the way this entire trip has been. From true bliss, an occasional shock and truly excited beyond words. We took the train out of Venice this morning to Verona. It was a very comfortable 50 minute trip. The city of Verona is much larger than expected, but filled with plenty of tourist. We visited all the hot spots, and wrote our name on the wall at Juliet’s entryway. And of course saw the infamous balcony. The castle here was astounding, we had a great time viewing it, walking around inside and out, seeing the expanse of what formerly were the moats surrounding it, and taking in the views of the town from high above. After returning to Venice we had a dinner we will never forget. The restaurant was high-end and the dining areas divided in three sections. They seated us in one and then moved us to another. We later realized what two of the three sections were. The one in the back (the largest) is strictly for tourist. The one in the middle which is beautifully decorated is for the locals (prestigious locals it would seem) who don’t pay and who’s service is outstanding (four waitstaff at one time). We had dressed up tonight and this is the room they moved us to. We sat amongst these locals who clearly knew everyone. (Dan thinks the guy at the table next to us must have been a food critic based on the service they were getting). This was quite the entertainment with dinner. After a wonderful meal, when the bill came, we realized why the tables next to us didn’t pay … they gave us their bill. Not really, but the size of the bill would make that seem so. Let's just say there were several surprises tonight. Venice is very expensive to say the very least. Sitting outside for three cappuccinos $36 a moderately priced two glasses of wine is at least $60. You pay for the scenery and then some, we suppose; but the scenery is wonderful and the experience grand.

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