Weekly Wednesday Pickmeup

This week we are focusing on being positive, happy people. This list should turn your frown upside down on the double! And if you are already feeling happy then it will just help keep you on top of the world today! Come on get happy!

Travel Guide: Venice

 Venice is one of the most unique cities I have visited. How many cities float on log pillars after all? A major city that does not have a single car or street is just hard to fathom for those who have never been to this Italian locale.

(Canal view taken from a gondola)

I have spent more time completely lost in Venice than I wish to admit. Upon my first visit I spent over an hour looking for my hotel which ended up being just a block away from where I had first started out. I must have asked at least 10 locals to point me in the right direction. I'm not sure if they honestly did not know or if they got a kick out of sending me on a wild goose chase but, each of them pointed me in a different direction.  I challenge you to be prepared when you arrive and come with detailed directions to your accommodations.

As there are only narrow cobble stone passageways for streets, I highly recommend that you leave large rolling luggage at home. You will have a great deal of trouble rolling that luggage to your hotel. Then, once at the hotel you will be hard pressed to find an elevator. If they do have one, it will likely be the type of thing that is only large enough for you OR your bag, not both.

 (View from Rialto Bridge)

The first hour or so in Venice is a bit of a headache. You are overwhelmed by the beauty and the distinctive character of the city. However, you will have a bit of a fish out of water feeling as you have never had to navigate in a place such as this before. Every time I have been in Venice I have noticed this feeling amongst my travel companions. Once you find your hotel,  leave your bags and get out and start exploring, the anxiety is over and you will find yourself on cloud 9!

DIY Tour Guide:  

I am famous for traveling with a guide book. Yes I stick out like a sore thumb as a tourist but I am a well informed one! There is no need to guess at the age of a statue or wonder where the best coffee shop is located; all of the most important information is in your hand and has been vetted by travel pros! You will not need to pay for the audio guides in museums or guided tours of historical monuments - you have the book and it has all of the information you would get from a guide. I spend the first day or so in a new place exploring the must see, most visited, obvious places as listed in the guide book.

 

(Reading the gondolier a bit of shocking information about some famous Venetians from the guidebook)

Fodors, Rick Steve's, Lonely Planet, Eyewitness Travel - all are great and will do the trick. I usually check out everything the library has on the city I am visiting. I then scan over them and take just one or two on the actual trip. Once I hit the highlights from the book I have likely also found my bearings and will be able to get around the city more easily.  At that point I ditch the book and can spend the remainder of my time getting lost in shops, museums, side streets and restaurants I happen upon.

In Venice these books are indispensable. The maps in the books will save you time as you figure out how to navigate the maze of corridors and canals that is Venice. They will also save you money as you will not need to hire a guide.

While you are at the library (or book store) pick up a pocket Italian language guide. Make sure it includes information about food and wine. Everyone can order spaghetti and pizza but Italy has SO much more to offer! To get a real flavor for the local cuisine you may need to understand a little Italiano!

Getting Around:

The single most important thing to understand about Venice before you arrive is the Vaporetto system. The Vaporetto are public transportation boats that can move you around the city for a minimal cost. The Vaporetto is the equivalent of the subway or bus system in any other major city. Venice is a city of eighteen islands connected by 354 bridges and, again, they have no streets so no buses. You can buy a 1 day, 3 day or week pass for the Vaporetto. These are good for infinite rides within the time frame you have paid for. I was able to explore the main islands of Venice as well as outliers like Lido and Murano with my Vaporetto pass. Check out prices, schedules and routes online before you travel.

(A vaporetto boat docked at a stop near the Rialto Bridge)

Most any way you travel to Venice you will need to get from the main land into the city. The trains drop you off across the open water from the main part of the city. If you drive you will need to park your vehicle in a lot (I recommend the Tronchetto Parking area) and find water transportation into the city.

You can take the extremely pricy water taxis but I would suggest the public transportation.  You will most likely be approached by boat owners who want to offer to be your guide. That is always an option but, you never know who you are getting on a boat with and how much it will end up costing. The city is relatively easy to navigate by vaporetto especially if you have a good map and a travel guide book with you.

When traveling on public transportation in any part of Italy it is imperative that you validate your ticket before you ride. You will see small yellow or red boxes by the subway, vaporetto, train or bus stops. Slide your ticket into that box and it will time stamp your ticket. If you neglect to do this and you are stopped by authorities you will be subject to a steep fine! If you're confused, just watch the locals and do what they do (unless they jump off a bridge... I would not recommend doing that :) ).

Must See: 

• Piazza San Marco - This is the main square in town and is one of the vaporetto stops. There is a massive church with all sorts of historical relics and significance. Your guide book will be able to fill you in on all of the details.  Make sure to inquire about the large horses outside and inside! 

(Views of San Marco)

• Rialto Bridge - You can not miss it. Again, check the guide book for historical information. I highly recommend taking the vaporetto down the grand canal in both directions at various times during the day (sunrise, sunset, mid day, after dark...) as the light changes  on the Rialto Bridge and makes for unforgettable views and photo ops.
• Glass Blowing on the Island of Murano - Venice is famous for its blown glass figurines. The island of Murano is where all of this originated. Go early in the day and you will be able to see Venetian artisans blowing the glass. Be aware that they stop working around 3pm. While you can still visit the shops on this island, after 3pm you will not be able to view the artists at work.
• Lido island - Have you ever been on a cruise and joined in on a conga line on the lido deck? Well, this island is to blame for the famously named pool deck. It is the family friendly beach/party island. If you have a spare day, go out to Lido and enjoy the beach. Grab a cone of gelato and have a fantastic and relaxing day on the beach!
• Fish Market - Each morning there is a fish market starting around sunrise. Get up early, get an Itallian coffee and pastry before heading out to the fish market. You will peruse the days catch with local restauranteurs.  Ask the fishermen what is in season and order it later that night for dinner!
• Drinks - Venice is located in the Veneto wine region. The crown jewel of this region is Amarone. It can be expensive but it is an amazing wine and must be tasted while you are in the area. Another alcoholic beverage that can not be missed is the Belini. This blend of prosecco (sparkling white wine/Italian champagne)  and peach puree is a Venetian tradition!
• Gondola ride - You kind of have to... The cost of a 45 minute ride starts around 90 euros in the off season and goes up from there and you have to pay extra to get the gondolier to sing.  If you are trying to save some money, pair up with another couple or family and share a ride. The gondolas can hold 6 to 8 people and you can just divide the cost amongst yourselves. Also, I suggest taking a bottle of wine with you and enjoying it on your ride (I do turn into a bit of a lush as soon as I hit the Italian border so, you can disregard that suggestion if you do not share my love of Italian wines #PurpleTeeth).

(Canal view from the bow of a gondola)

There is so much to be written about this fantastic destination. However, the best advice I can give you is to get out and explore it on your own. You will find some little cafe or resturant that will make your trip memorable and uniquely yours.  My friends and I wound up at a James Taylor concert in the middle of a public piazza in the pouring rain. "Oh I've seen fire and I've seen rain..." has never been more moving! We then stopped in for a drink at a random bar near our hotel and found that it was the after work hang out for the gondoliers. We were the only ones in there not in striped shirts and straw hats. I hope your time in Venice is just as exciting and memorable!

Credit vs. Debit: The Hotel Edition

As a relatively experienced traveler and hospitality industry pro, I feel it is my duty to make sure everyone is on the same page about the use of debit cards.  You may have noticed the debit card policy at a hotel where you have recently stayed. Most places post their policy and others just assume you know because it is the industry standard.  However, as common as it is, many people seem very confused about these policies.

(Image via LifeHacker)

When checking into a hotel you will be expected to put a credit card on file. Each day the computer system used by that hotel will place a pending charge on your credit card account for the amount you owe for that day. If your card is declined, they immediately know you do not have enough funds available. If the card is not declined, the hotel can rest assured that they will be paid at the end of your stay. The funds are then held aside for that hotel for 5-7 days. The funds are not able to be accessed by the card holder because the hotel has, more or less, asked the bank to reserve that money for them. Conversely, the hotel has not been paid. When you go to check-out at the end of your stay, the front desk clerk will finalize your payment and close out the pending charges. At this point the funds that had been set aside by the credit card company are then transferred to the hotel. Easy.

Most credit cards come with a fairly high limit. Let's say the credit limit is $8,000. If you are staying 3 nights in a hotel that costs $125/night you will receive a pending charge of $125 each night of your stay. So, now your credit card company is holding $375 from your account to pay Hilton or Marriott or Holiday Inn or wherever you are. Let's say at checkout you decide to pay in cash instead of closing out the final amount on your credit card (you must have won big in the casino last night and have cash on hand - go you!). In this case, you will still have a $375 pending charge on your credit card statement even though you have paid up in cash. At some point in the next 5-7 days the credit card company will release this pending charge. You don't care though because you have this fairly high, $8,000 credit limit and didn't even notice that some of that money had been set aside and was therefore untouchable for a week or so. With a credit card, there is rarely an issue but if you are using a debit card, it can get a little more difficult.

First, you must know that the way a bank treats a debit card is exactly the same as the way they treat a credit card. However credit card and debit card accounts do not react the same way. Yes both types of cards look the same, can be swiped by a customer service representative and will transfer your money to someone else electronically however, that is where the similarities stop.  With credit cards you are dealing with credit - imaginary money that the credit card company assumes you are able to pay back to them. You are borrowing money; you don't already have it.  With a debit card, you are strictly using the funding that is currently in the account the card is tied to. If you only have $500 in your account and we run though the above mentioned scenario, you might run into some financial problems. With the debit account when the $375 is being held in a pending charge you cannot access it meaning you now only have $225 available in your account.  Let's pretend that you had held your room stay on your debit card, at check out you paid cash. You leave the hotel and walk next door to the rental car company and try to rent a car to drive home. The cost of the car is going to be $250. You try to put that car rental on your debit card. It is declined. You only have $225 available because you currently have $375 in pending charges that will not be released for at least 5 days. You call the hotel to explain the situation and they offer you no help - they can honestly do nothing about it at this point. It is up to the financial institution to release the charges.

The moral of the story is that it is important to understand how your different accounts work. You may get lucky and have a front desk agent who points out the policy for you but do not count on it.  Many people do not have credit cards - this is one instance when it may be very helpful to have one! The hotel will allow you to pay up front but you still have to have a credit or debit card on file for incidentals and may still end up with pending charges. Be sure to clarify first thing! 

The Weekly Wednesday Pickmeup

This week is a bit of a marathon for me and I totally neglected to put together a playlist. I could use a bit of musical encouragement to push through and maybe you can too. This week I am sharing my gym/workout/running playlist. This is a bit of a cop-out but, as I mentioned, it is a marathon of a week. And though I am not literally running a marathon this week, if I were this is what I would listen to in order to keep going.

Admittedly, I am a bit of a slacker in the cardio department. I am known to find plenty of excuses to slow it down, take a break, change machines and generally fail to commit to the task at hand.  Just about the only thing that keeps me going is a solid series of tunes with surging rhythms, motivating lyrics and a ridiculous number of beats per minute.  This playlist is a massive compilation of songs to be listened to on random. Some tracks you will recognize, some you have not heard in years, some might make your ears bleed (sorry I'm not sorry) and others will be totally new to you. Have fun and let's make it to the finish line this week, whadda ya say?

#CraftySaturday

I spent my Saturday afternoon completing a few projects I've had on my mind for a while. I re-covered the seat of my desk chair by changing the fabric from an overly floral pattern to a new minimal cream on cream geometric pattern. I successfully attempted to make the tassels out of tissue paper that have achieved fame on Pinterest as of late (details on those at the bottom of this post). And, the project I'm most proud of, I strung up some handmade stars to fill the empty wall space over my bed (and added the tassels for now).

The stars themselves actually have a pretty interesting story. A family friend had made a couple of these stars as a gift for my mother. Mom thought they were very cute but did not look too closely at them. She had mentioned them to me before but I had not seen them until recently. When I took a look I noticed that Mrs. Wanda (the family friend) had carefully chosen maps of locations my parents had previously lived to make the stars from. How thoughtful!! The one pictured here is Washington D.C. where my parents lived for a stint and, by chance, one of my favorite US cities!

I immediately thought of the maps I have been collecting from my travels and wondered if they too could be used to make these cute 3D stars. Mrs. Wanda so kindly turned my travel treasures into displayable art! Maps from Turkey, Russia, the Czech Republic and the USA now adorn my wall. I used two cup hooks, craft wire and some of the wire used on the back of large picture frames or mirrors to finish the project. A few simple snips and wire twists and the project was complete. Now, as I sleep beneath the stars I am reminded of some of my favorite adventures! Plus, they look pretty stinking cute and make a great conversation piece.

Interested in making tassels for whatever project you have on your plate? I used the instructions found on on this blog, "Visual Vocabulary". I modified the project by being much less precise and extremely lazy. They do not take nearly as much time as suggested if you are not being particularly detailed - it is arts and crafts, have fun with it!

 

Weekly Wednesday Pickmeup

The midweek playlist is ready for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!

Why Do We Rush Off of Planes?

Your flight just landed and you're taxing to the gate. Finally, the captain turns off the fasten seat belt sign and in half a second everyone on the plane is standing in the aisle, jammed in like sardines trying to get their carry on luggage out of the overhead bins. The flight crew has not even opened the door yet; What is this? The entire flight process has been this practiced dance of line after line where you wait your turn.  Then all of a sudden you have landed and it is a shameless free for all to get out of there. I don't know when I first observed this phenomenon but since noticing it, I can't seem to let it go.

Some of the people on your flight have about 15 minutes to make their connection. I think they should be allowed to get off of the flight first. You may have been in this situation yourself before and maybe you have even missed a connecting flight completely. You know it is not something you want to inflict upon your worst enemy! So, let's let these people get off first and get a running start to their next gate! They still may not make it but at least we gave them a fighting chance!

Some of your fellow travelers are returning home from some epic journey that is impossible to even fathom.  Perhaps they received the unfortunate call last night that a loved one is deathly ill. Maybe they are military members returning from down-range. Whatever the nature may be of their dire situation,  they should go next!

Then there are the screaming, restless children  - get them out of there!!  Mom is probably traveling with so much stuff that she had to spread it out amongst several overhead bins. It's going to take her a  moment to get it all gathered as she wrangles her herd of rambunctious children. Give them some space. Mom is ready to get home, kids are ready to get off of the plane and all other passengers are ready to be out of earshot of those little punks angels. It's a win/win situation to let them disembark next.

Then the majority of us, the people who are in no particular rush other than the fact that we would appreciate more than 2 square feet of personal space,  maybe then we should get off of the plane.

I believe this rushed debarkation has something to do with "group think"( that psychological phenomenon where people do what everyone else is doing simply because it is what everyone else is doing)! It is mindless following and we are all culprits.   We all stand up hastily after landing because that's what everyone else is doing so surely that's what we should do too.

I vote we reverse the tide! When one or two people calmly stay seated on the plane and wait, more and more people start following suit. Let's be the change we wish to see in the world people! If you don't have to be out of there in a hurry, hold on a minute! I'm not saying stay around all day;  everyone wants out of there and I'm sure the flight crew wants us gone too, but we should all slow down and be mindful of the situations going on around us!