Hey Trippers,

I was perusing, in an amusing way, an interesting article on the CNN.com website.  The headline:

“Kissing, chewing – the ‘germiest’ tourist attractions”

The provocative headline made me smile.  I clicked on it and then all the unsanitary tourist attraction horrors I’ve seen came to mind.  They listed the top five (in their minds) as The Blarney Stone in Ireland, Market Theatre Gum Wall in Seattle, St. Marks’ Square in Venice, Italy, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California, and Oscar Wilde’s Tomb in Paris.

I’ve been to three of them (Oscar Wilde’s Tomb, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, and St. Mark’s Square) but I could think of dozens more that are just as creepy.  When given an opportunity to go to The Blarney Stone in Ireland.  I dismissed it in kind because I couldn’t imagine kissing something hundred’s of thousands of people have kissed, nuzzled, sneezed-on, or licked before me – let alone have someone hold on to me as I hang over backwards while doing it.

I’ve been to the Pike Place Market in Seattle where the Gum Wall is hundreds of times and I have never heard of the “Gum Wall” – not even once.  I’ll have seen it by week’s end just as a curiosity.

St. Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco) is truly one of the top 20 squares in the world and honestly, during all of my dozens of visits I CRINGED at tourists who sprinkle food on themselves, allow the pigeons to perch on them, peck at the food, leave behind their poop, all while flapping their feather mites all over the tourist.

At first, I was very impressed by Oscar Wilde’s Tomb because of the Egyptian motif, but secondly, I was not expecting it to be covered in lipstick kisses.  It was truly an oddity!  Good luck or not, I wasn’t going to attach my lips anywhere on the tomb (besides, I forgot my lipstick).

Back when I lived in LA, I would take family and friends on “The Tour” of which Grauman’s Chinese Theatre was always a stop.  As we all fit our hands on top of the star’s imprints, it never crossed our minds that there had been many before us who probably scratched a scabie or two first.

When in Munich last May, I watched with fascination, people from all walks of life, as they detoured (far away) from their daily activities to rub the Lions Statues at the entrance of The Residenz (Royal Palace).  At least, two dozens strokers in the 15 minutes I watched.

Then, there was the sculpture of Everard ’t Serclaes in Brussels’ Grand Place that was worn shiny from the stroking of multiple parts and all the statues and plaques on Prague’s Charles Bridge.

On my flight back from Montreal this month, the gentleman behind me coughed and hacked his way through the 4 ½ hour flight . . . . . no wonder how the Swine Flu finds its way around the world so quickly.  Just pack your hand sanitizer, a good immune system, and here’s hoping that all the traveling you’re doing is actually inoculating you against all the germs . . . .

Happy Tripping,

Carter

Hey Trippers,

Here’s the itinerary of my latest trip to Europe in May.  It was an intense and focused affair (99% of trips are) because I was gathering info for the Know Your Trip Website.

My itinerary was as follows:

Day 1: Fly into London, UK – drove to Birmingham
Day 2: Drove to Liverpool
Day 3: Drove to Birmingham
Day 4: Drove to Stratford-Upon-Avon – Drove to London (gave up car)
Day 5: London (public transport)
Day 6: London (public transport)
Day 7: London (public transport)
Day 8: London – Munich – (picked up car) drove to Salzburg, Austria
Day 9: Salzburg, Austria –  drove to Trieste, Italy (parked car)
Day 10: Trieste, Italy (public transport)
Day 11: Trieste, Italy – drove to Venice, Italy (parked car for entire Venice stay)
Day 12: Venice, Italy (public transport)
Day 13: Venice, Italy (public transport)
Day 14: Venice, Italy (public transport)
Day 15: Venice, Italy (public transport)
Day 16: Venice, Italy (public transport) –  drove to Verona, Italy
Day 17: Verona, Italy – drove to Lake Garda – drove to Innsbruck, Austria
Day 18: Innsbruck, Austria – drove to Munich, Germany (gave up car)
Day 19: Munich, Germany (public transport)
Day 20: Munich, Germany (public transport) – flew to Frankfurt, Germany (public transport)
Day 21: Frankfurt, Germany – flew to Seattle, USA

I’m printing this because I want to assure everyone that I gather virtually all my information.  I use other experienced travelers and on-the-ground research whose opinions I trust for any gaps.

When I hand out travel advice and suggestions, it is based on personal experience.  I live what I preach because meaningful, enjoyable travel can be done on a BUDGET.  Sometimes I do splurge because I want to experience that particular part of a trip or destination.  Sometimes I regret it but most of the time I don’t.

When I endorse an attraction or business, I pay my way and get nothing for free (unless its free for you too).

I rent cars and/or use public transport.  I use air miles and/or pay fares.  I pay for accommodation and/or use points.  I pay when I dine everywhere.  No freebees there.  Nothing is really free.

There are many destinations that won’t make it on to the Know Your Trip website for quite sometime because I don’t believe they can be done on a BUDGET, are over-touristed, too dangerous, or Trippers just won’t find the place very enjoyable.

My subsequent blog posts will break down parts of the above trip to show you where I found savings and where I could have done better.  Traveling is not only a passion for me but I learning experience – every trip.  My last blog post was a segment of that trip.  I’ll start the flow of information and experiences tomorrow . . . .

Happy Tripping,

Carter

After writing my latest knowyourtrip.com website destination, I thought I’d share a few observations.  I traveled to Italy on eight different trips.  My last trip to Italy was, a reluctant one, to Venice.  Reluctant you say?  I had heard all the stories: “The canals stink”, “How do they get off charging $12.00 for a cup of coffee”, “the hotels are a rip off and everyone is rude to you”, “the mozzies will eat you alive”, and “it’s so crowded”.  I didn’t want to go, but after the previous seven trips to Italy – that’s pretty much what was left.  So, I listened to the devil on my shoulder and booked a week in January and was ready for the worst . . . .

Venice was one of the – if not THE best trip I’d had to Italy.  It was different.  Venice is like a city turned inside out and in another dimension.  No cars are allowed.  You couldn’t drive while there if you wanted to.  The roads are waterways.  So, getting around is by boat or foot.  Unlike the rest of Italy, there are no scooters.  And no bicycles!

After arriving at Venice’s Marco Polo airport, you have options in how you want to arrive in Venice.  You can take a publicly run Water Bus or a privately run Water Taxi.  I choose the other option, a Land Bus.  You buy your tickets for the bus at the airport kiosk (it’s a tiny airport), board and in 20 minutes you’re dropped off at Piazzale Roma next to the Santa Lucia Train Station. 

Once you arrive at Piazzale Roma, you can walk the maize of pontes (bridges) and fondamentas (canal-side street), board a Water Bus, or hire a Water Taxi to get to your hotel.  I choose to book a hotel within a short walk from Piazzale Roma.  One of my reasons for booking my hotel close to the Piazzale Roma was to be able to easily get on and off the city of islands. I prepaid my hotel to save on the rate.  

I stepped off the bus and it hit me – the smell of pollution – from the oil refinery across the Veneta Lagana (Lagoon) on the mainland and the diesel fueled boat exhaust.  The next thing that hit me was the imposing facade of the 17th century church, San Nicolò da Tolentino across the Rio Nuovo (canal).  What smell? I had left behind anything with wheels (except my luggage) and only heard the low rumble of small boats.

It was a five minute walk to my hotel, Al Sole, a former 14th century Palazzo (palace).I was in a new old world.  The Al Sole was on the Rio del Malcanton (canal), and it was drained and it smelled like rotten eggs and it was during the cold of January.  Imagine the smell the heat and humidity of the summer! HMMMMMMMM

One of the first things I did was walk back to the Piazzale Roma and boarded a Water Bus to cruise the length of the Grand Canal.  The backwards “S” shaped Grand Canal is lined with Palazzo after palazzo and church after church – all designed to impress everyone in the boats – centuries ago – before there was even a thought of cars.  The land based entrances to the palazzos are typically more modest.  

The ride down the Grand Canal was like a renaissance Disney’s “It’s a Small World”, thankfully, without the annoying song.  Only the whirrr of the boats and the ocassional animated conversation is what I heard.  As you navigate around the end of the first wide bend you start seeing the gondolas manned by the famous gondoliers.  Then time to pass under the iconic Ponte Railto (Bridge), round the next bend, and pass under the wooden “temporary for the past 76 years” Ponte Accademia (Bridge).  By the time you pass under the Ponte Accademia, in your sights is the dome of Santa Maria della Salute and it’s baroque exterior.  As the Water Bus exits the Grand Canal, on the left is the Campanile (Bell Tower) San Marco, all 96.8 meters (318 feet) of it.   

The Water Bus stopped at San Marco.  I stepped off into Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square).  With the 15th century light pink colored Palazzo Ducale on the right, the columns of San Marco and San Teodoro rising in front of you, the glistening gold Byzantine domes of the Basilica San Marco (1617AD), the colonnaded Procuratie Vechhie, and the swarming flocks of pigeons- you feel alive.  And the thrill of travel fills your nerve endings.  Without even going into a single building along the Piazza San Marco, you are seeing a square that looks the same today as it has for almost 200 years.  The new old part is the Ala Napoleonica Procuratie Nuovo on the eastern end – built by Napoleon!  If you turn around and leave the square, board the Water Bus, take it back to Piazzale Roma and board the bus back to the airport, and go back home, you will still feel like you had a thrill of a lifetime for years the rest of your life.

But I chose to stay another 6 days and cement the courtship.  Venice in the winter is devoid of tourists and populated by Italians that have taken back their flats.  Dine at a restaurant or stop for an espresso at a bar and listen to only Italian being spoken – that’ll never happen in summer.  There are no lines and there’s no rush.  You can ruminate over every one of Tintoretto’s 50 paintings at the Scuola Grande di San Rocco (1515AD), every piece Peggy Gugenheim’s modern art collection, and sit and count every pigeon in Piazza San Marco while drinking a $12.00 (€8.75) cup of cappuccino at beautiful Cafe Florian (1720AD).  As the sun went down every day and I walked the abandoned narrow alleyways back to the Al Sole, I felt as the Venetians must have felt before the city was discovered by the throngs of tourists.  Venice in the winter belongs on your “must do before I die” list.

Oh, and after two days I didn’t even smell the refinery or the rotten egg smell.  I wonder why . . .

Keep Tripping,

Carter 

Details:

Marco Polo Airport

Land Bus or Water Bus

Water Taxi

Al Sole Hotel

Guggenheim Museum

Basilica San Marco

Cafe Florian