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Schielke's European Vacation

Schielke

By Schielke
in Italy: Dining

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Schielke

Schielke

Posted
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Posted (edited)

Well it was bound to happen sooner or later, but disaster has stuck.

I woke up yesterday to find my new digicam in a pool of water on the table next to a knocked over vase. The cats were looking at me as if they never even set foot on the table. I thought it was ok at the time though since I could power the camera on and take a picture. I let it dry out all day.

When I came home, the camera would not turn on and continues to be stubborn and not play nice. It looks as if I am going to have to replace it in the next couple days. :wacko:

Ben

Edited by Schielke (log)

Gimme what cha got for a pork chop!

-Freakmaster

I have two words for America... Meat Crust.

-Mario

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hollywood

hollywood

Posted
Posted
Well it was bound to happen sooner or later, but disaster has stuck.

I woke up yesterday to find my new digicam in a pool of water on the table next to a knocked over vase. The cats were looking at me as if they never even set foot on the table. I thought it was ok at the time though since I could power the camera on and take a picture. I let it dry out all day.

When I came home, the camera would not turn on and continues to be stubborn and not play nice. It looks as if I am going to have to replace it in the next couple days. :wacko:

Ben

Far better to have had this happen at home than in the middle of your trip. BTW, on the subject of cameras, you might want to pack some extra batteries--they seem to die in the most inconvenient places. I seem to recall unsuccessfully scouring San Gimignano for a battery for a dead camera.

I'm hollywood and I approve this message.

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Schielke

Schielke

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Yeah, I am at least glad it happened when we had time to fix it; albeit expensively. Battery-wise, I have two batteries for this camera and a power transformer so I can use the charger over there. I suppose if I get another camera, I will have three batteries now!

Ben

Gimme what cha got for a pork chop!

-Freakmaster

I have two words for America... Meat Crust.

-Mario

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hathor

hathor

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The hotel in Milano can hold our bags for you after check out until you are ready to go to Malpensa.

Try going for a drink at the new Park Hyatt hotel, its in the Galleria by the Duomo. We were just there and it was lovely.

Have a great wedding! Have a fabulous honeymoon! And a wonderful life together!

Auguri!

-Judith Klinger
World-Eats.org

Aroma Cucina's Cooking Simply: The Italian Way

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theakston

theakston

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Yeah, I am at least glad it happened when we had time to fix it; albeit expensively.  Battery-wise, I have two batteries for this camera and a power transformer so I can use the charger over there.  I suppose if I get another camera, I will have three batteries now!

Ben

You don't need the transformer (for the camera at least). I never use it for charging batteries for my digital camera - It just charges faster at a higher voltage. You will of course need an adapter (to fit the square plugs into the round holes).

Here's a good resource about electrical supplies worldwide

Have a wonderful trip.

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hollywood

hollywood

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I thought I could get Traveller's Cheques in Euro, though.  If that was the case, you would think that it would be accepted like cash, just like they are in the U.S., no?

That is my understanding, but I have not used them in many years.

Me either. The only thing I remember about traveller's checks is that you get a slightly better exchange rate on them--at least in an office of the issuing company. Is it worth running across town for the difference? No.

I'm hollywood and I approve this message.

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Sentiamo

Sentiamo

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Tanti Auguri Ben and soon to be wife!! :smile:

I am pretty new here and am interested to read of your planned honeymoon. The advice given has been excellent, and I am late with my input but.....

Hubster and I were in Milan early January and had decided beforehand to get a Hotel when we arrived via train from St Moritz.( staying with family, I cant afford THAT place!) It paid off!! So, unless there are some big fashion type shows etc going on, I can assure you that April is still out of season in Milan, nasty grey place that it is. :wacko: ( I only ever visited to collect friends/relations from airport!!) We ended up staying at the Gallia, directly opposite the main Railway Station. Cost E300.00 ( normally E450.00.) and we were upgraded to the Honeymoon Suite also. Great bargain and a beautiful, historic Hotel to boot.

My point is, to any future visitors, out of season travellers can get some real good deals if you are willing to NOT book before you leave. Obviously you find out if there is a huge event happening in the city you are visiting. Also, cheaper Hotels ( and they abound) will do the same type of discounts if you just turn up, and you are good at bargaining!

Not, however, recommended after a long International flight!! :wink:

I agree also about using ATM's, and am so delighted that the $NZ is on a par with the Euro. :raz:

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Pan

Pan

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I always get Traveller's Cheques at my bank's local branch, so I don't have to make a special trip to get them.

But you may need to make a special trip to the bank to cash them. I wouldn't assume that travellers' checks in Euros are accepted just like cash. Maybe they are, but I'm far from sure. (Does anyone reading this thread actually know?)

As for cash, I never change money; I just use the ATM at the airport.

But the main thing is Buon Viaggio e Buon Divertimento!

Michael aka "Pan"

 

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theakston

theakston

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I abolutely agree. I take a few travellers checks (in dollars) as a back up. I've had them for about 5 years now and I never use them ATMs are everywhere, you get the best rates of exchange and they are much easier to use. You can always check sites such as these in advance to scope out ATMs before you go:

PLUS ATMs: http://www.visaeu.com/personal/atm_locator/main.html]

Cirrus ATMs: Cirrus ATMs

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  • 3 weeks later...
Schielke

Schielke

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I'm Back!

There is definitely more to come. I am trying to decide how I want to deal with all the pics I took since it is exhausting to upload them all. :smile:

Needless to say I had a great time and am sad to be back at work. :wacko:

Overall, I think the best meal was Boccondivino.

Ben

Gimme what cha got for a pork chop!

-Freakmaster

I have two words for America... Meat Crust.

-Mario

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Schielke

Schielke

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Milan, Is there another? Are they related?

It seems like this happens alot in the Milan area. Our Hotel reservation for Milan was screwed up by Travelocity because there is another Hotel De La Ville in Monza that is completely unrelated to the one in Milan. It all worked out though, but was a huge headache.

Gimme what cha got for a pork chop!

-Freakmaster

I have two words for America... Meat Crust.

-Mario

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Schielke

Schielke

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I think I will just start from the top of my trip and worry about pics when I have more time later. Our condo looks like a Bed Bath and Beyond bomb went off.

Venice

We arrived in Venice around noon and took the Water bus into town. It is painfully slow, but so is the bus I hear. I have a theory that travel to and from airports in Italy is a manufactured industry.

We found our Hotel after looking around for a while and asking some locals for help. Katie and I were pretty pooped from 14 hrs of travel so I just grabbed some take out pizza and brought it back to the Hotel. It hit the spot, but was not anything special.

The next day we grabbed a few items from the hotel breakfast and then hit a local Cafe that served well made espresso. Throughout my trip I loved the abundance of cute little cafes. The coffee quality was all over the board, but consistently highter than the average Seattle place. None of the espresso I had, however, was better than the top end espresso places in Seattle.

After breakfast, we toured around town to check out the major sights. I had fun getting covered in pigeons while feeding them. :smile: We grabbed some fantastic white chocolate gelato at Mille Voglie near the church of Dei Frari. After some more wandering, we had lunch at La Zucca.

La Zucca turned out to be really great. We shared a caprese salad with the best tomatoes I had the whole trip. Katie then had pasta with tomatoes, ricotta, and basil. I had pasta with cuttlefish and tomatoes. Both used really great ingredients and turned out very nice. I also ordered their asparagus with pecorino, which was also very good. I would highly reccommend La Zucca for a great casual meal.

That evening we found Trattoria Pizzeria San Toma. I would have liked to have a high end seafood dinner in Venice, but the reccommended places were all closed on Monday. :sad: The pizza turned out to be very nice though. I had Gorgonzola and Katie had one with sausage, olives and tomatoes I think.

The next day we did breakfast at the same place and then grabbed a picnic lunch from the local deli. I got some fantastic cheese, salumi, and bread for our train ride to Florence.

More on Florence Later!

Ben

Gimme what cha got for a pork chop!

-Freakmaster

I have two words for America... Meat Crust.

-Mario

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