Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.” Eleanor Roosevelt

 

Unless you’ve walked in our shoes, or should I clarify, lived aboard a boat, it would be difficult to imagine our life. I try to share the reality of it all, the good, the bad, the beauty, and the horrors. I’m often inundated with waves of emotions, sometimes positive, sometimes negative. There are moments I’m overwhelmed by the magnificence of our surroundings, and moments when I’m missing my family so much, I find myself in tears.

It’s the times I’m feeling sorry for myself and dwelling on what I’m missing back at home that I think about the wise words spoken by Eleanor Roosevelt. I remind myself that every day on our boat is a gift. We do get to visit our family once or twice a year. I remember when I was my children’s age, I only saw my parents a couple of times a year.

I have to remind myself that the adventures we are having are experiences many people will only dream about. People often tell me they are living vicariously and so enjoy our stories and photos. It takes just one trip on public transportation to make me realize how fortunate we really are. Despite my range of emotions, the fact that we are able to undertake a journey of this magnitude is truly a gift.

 

Back in Lisbon

 

When we arrived back at our boat from our side trip to Venice, our new inverter had arrived – one of the many recent part breakages that I wrote about in my last blog post, Sailing Equus – The Next Adventure. Since we left the harbor of Cascais and moved the boat to the safety of a marina in Lisbon while we were away, we had to travel back to Cascais to pick the inverter.

Of course, it’s never easy using public transportation to travel between two cities. I swear public transportation systems are evil. They never take you from point A to point B in an easy, direct route. This is not a statement about travel in Portugal. Just wait until further in this story when I describe what we had to do to get to our boat in Venice!

To return to Cascais, we had to walk into Lisbon to the bus station. From the bus, we had to walk to the train station to transfer to a train. The train station was at least a mile from the marina where we had to walk to pick up the inverter. It was a lengthy and convoluted route of walking, bussing, and training.

The inverter weighs about 50 pounds. Dan brilliantly thought to take a duffle bag with rollers and pull handle so we wouldn’t have to carry the inverter miles by foot and lug it back onto a bus and train.

The trip there was a breeze. However, we were down to the wire as we arrived in Cascais with less than 30 minutes until the store closed for Siesta from 1 to 3. We practically ran the mile to get there. We arrived breathless but made it in time. We picked up our wonderful new inverter with a mental victory dance and joy in our hearts.

It took both of us to heft the heavy, huge box into the duffle. There was a moment of panic when it seemed not to fit, but with some tugging, we managed to slide the box into the bag with no room to spare.

We thanked the salesperson and began our return trip, leisurely strolling down the street, inverter in tow, light-hearted, and feeling good about life. Then, one of those moments happened that you really can’t make up. I can laugh about it now, the irony, but at the moment it occurred, laughter was not an option.

Me: “I can’t believe how many times we have used this $10 rolling duffel I bought at that thrift store in Charleston.”

(We bought it to transport parts back to the boat as checked luggage after one of our visits to the US.)

Dan: “I know. I almost got rid of it but I decided to keep it because we have room to pack a duffel bag. If this was a suitcase, we wouldn’t have had the space to store it. It has been a lifesaver.”

Me: “Can you imagine trying to carry this thing back? I had no idea it weighed this much.”

Dan: “Me neither!”

Not ten seconds later, one of the tires on the rolling duffle broke. I heard the bag dragging on the pavement and Dan yelling a curse word… it’s like the bag heard us and responded, “What now mutha effers? I’ll give you a reason to almost get rid of me!” I guess there was some resentment about having to carry 50 lbs. of inverter on wheels probably designed to carry 10 lbs. Guess we didn’t think that through.

Plan B. The duffle was still useful in that it had handles on each side of the bag. We divvied up the weight be each grabbing a side. We hefted the bag back through town toward the train station. The tricky part was navigating through the busy streets. Foot traffic is heavy on Sunday. We often had to stop and alter course to fit two abreast with a large bag in between us, down the crowded sidewalk. The bag was heavy enough we had to take several rest stops and switch sides because our hands were cramping from the weight.

Planning ahead, I had packed a picnic lunch in my backpack. When we reached the beach off the harbor where we had been anchored for three weeks, we ate our sandwich by the beach and reminisced about living aboard our boat in the gorgeous harbor of Cascais. The sun was hot, the breeze cool. It felt so good to relax for a few minutes.

We filled our empty bellies. Dan enjoyed a beach bar beer and we prepared for the train ride, bus, and final walk back to the marina. All was good, minus the small hitch in inverter transportation. This was nothing to two seasoned sailors adept at dealing with surprise adversities.

 

Feeling Fortunate

 

It was on the path home that the truth of our fortune really hit me. I watched a man walking toward the beach, struggling with every step he took because of the deformed leg that didn’t work. I noticed the hunched-back old lady begging for coins on the streets of Cascais. I saw the misery in a young woman’s face as she pushed the wheelchair of her mentally and physically disabled child onto the train. On the bus, I watched the meltdown of a mentally ill man as he ranted in Portuguese at some unseen demon.

Had we been in the shoes of any of these people, it wouldn’t have been possible for us to undertake this journey. Our bodies and minds are healthy, our children independent and thriving. All of our hardships are self-inflicted as we have chosen to give up the safety and comfort of a land home. This makes every day on our boat a gift, and every day we are still afloat a present.

 

Vacation in Venice

 

We had booked our boat to tour Venice almost 2 years prior. Finally, it was time. Thanks to Covid, we were not given a refund because of travel restrictions. In fact, we were charged extra fees to reschedule the trip. Thankfully, we were able to get cheap airfare from Lisbon to Venice. With our boat safe in a marina, we were free to explore Venice by boat with our travel buddies from s/v Whatever She Wants, Maryann and Gary Yocum, and Maryann’s sister Cathy.

We arrived at the Venice airport a day before our departure as it was no easy task getting to the island to pick up our chartered motorboat. This was our first experience in Venice and we were in for quite a surprise. I didn’t know that the iconic Venice Canals were on an island. I didn’t know that Venice is comprised of a whole series of islands. Taking a bus ride to see the city’s heart and the iconic canals, we found the bus near our air B&B and traveled into the city over a bridge linking it to the mainland of Italy. My heart was racing with excitement.

The moment we stepped off the bus and I saw the bridge spanning over the canal and into the city, I began to tear up. It was so magical. I couldn’t believe I was actually seeing the city of Venice, the historic canals, the incredible sights of this amazing icon. Two years of waiting had dampened my enthusiasm. Now that the moment had arrived, I was ecstatic. Nothing can prepare you for the sights and the palpable intrigue of this incredible city. It instantly mesmerized me.

Dan could barely keep up with me as I dashed over the first bridge, snapping photos as quickly as my camera would take them. I flew down the alleys. We wound our way through the heart of the city, along canals big and small, and over a myriad of bridges. I didn’t know where to look – there was so much to see that I couldn’t take it all in. I was clearly on sensory overload.

A few hours later, we were hopelessly lost. It was difficult to find a phone signal amidst the towering, narrow alleys. We did our best to backtrack. Thanks to Dan’s expert navigational skills, we finally untangled ourselves from the labyrinth and found our way back to the bus stations. I looked at my step counter on my phone and discovered we had walked 10 miles through Venice.

The Route to Chioggia

 

The next morning, we had to get to Chioggia and pick up our boat at 3 PM. Our boat buddies would meet us there. I mentioned earlier how public transportation never made it easy to get from point A to point B. Add traveling over water and the journey becomes even more complicated.

Dan researched our transportation options. Unless we wanted to spend hundreds of dollars on a private water taxi, we had to follow the trail of public transport. We left our B&B on the bus to the main Venice Island. From there, we had to find where to purchase tickets for a water bus. We took the standing-room-only water bus to a nearby island. From that island, we hopped on the next leg, another bus.

This is where the freaky part came in. Dan was looking at his Google maps. It appeared there was a stretch where the bus went over the water to the next island. He figured there must be a bridge. Nope.

Our bus pulled up to the end of the island and waited in line with a few cars to enter a ferry. We pulled onto the ferry, the bus doors hissed open, and we became passengers on this common commute. We took in the sights. As we neared the next island, everyone climbed back on board the bus. The doors hissed shut. In moments, we were traveling down the roads of a very thin island. You could see the water on both sides of the road.

The bus dumped us off at the end of that island. Our last leg was one more water bus to arrive in Chioggia. We didn’t wait long before the water bus slammed into the dock (the drivers are not very concerned with rough landings) and we climbed aboard. Fortunately, one bus or water bus ticket allows you to travel for 70 minutes so we didn’t have to keep buying tickets.

It took us three hours, 2 busses, a ferry, and 2 water busses, to arrive in Chioggia.

Vacationing in Venice by Boat

 

Dan checked us into Nautal, our boat rental company. We had a brief tour of the boat and a lesson on the basic functions. Since Dan was a Merchant Marine and held a license for unlimited tonnage on any ocean, I felt he was qualified to captain our boat. This was a moot point as the company will rent a boat to even unlicensed captains.

Dan had to prove his competence with a check-out drive of the boat supervised by an employee. We got a lesson on how to read the channel markers, a complex system surrounding the waters of Venice. Then, Dan had to re-dock the boat using the bow thrusters and back into a narrow slip to prove he could dock competently. He passed with flying colors.

Next was the fun part. We got the chart for Venice. The lady from Nautal sat with us for about an hour. She highlighted all the islands where we could travel. Natual had many slips available for free where we could dock the boat overnight. She exed out the places we weren’t allowed to go and put green arrows on the canals we could travel. We sat in amazement realizing we had two weeks’ worth of places we could travel to but had to see them in 5 days.

Boat Buddies Arrive

 

It was a great reunion. We love our compatriots and had hoped to be sailing the world together. Fate had other plans. At least we had this trip together. The girls went off to provision as the boys popped open their first beer and celebrated.

We spent the first night (as required) at the dock. The boat was roomy and comfortable with three staterooms and three heads (bathrooms). The kitchen was more than adequate for me to perform my resident chef duties. And cook I did.

The next morning, we set off with wanderlust. The first big item on everyone’s list was to motor down the Grand Canal of Venice. We all agreed that even if we didn’t get to go anywhere else, this would make the trip. We weren’t wrong.

Words or pictures can’t describe the emotions we all felt, the indescribable joy of taking in the sights of St. Marc’s Square from the viewpoint of the boat. We simply floated slowly down the canal. The ferries, water taxis, gondolas, weaved past us while we simply took it all in. We owned the moment, the views, the scenery. We watched the crowds bustling through the busy streets, and shove for good views from the bridges. Our view was the best and we basked in the moment.

After an hour or so, I said, “Ok, we can return the boat now. I couldn’t be any happier.”

I was so wrong. There were so many more wonderful sights to see. Here is a brief version of some of the highlights.

Sant’ Erasmo

 

Each island we visited was totally unique. The interesting part for us was how the majority of the islands were very remote, even though they were a stone’s throw from the bustling and jam-packed main Venice island.

The first island we visited was dubbed Grocery Island. It had a very small store where we could buy a few provisions. We walked along the island’s roads and saw maybe two cars pass. There were fields of grapes as a small winery was located here. Small modest homes were surrounded by small canals, fields, and gorgeous gardens. It was apparent that most people raised their own produce here and probably didn’t have much occasion to ever leave the island.

We docked overnight in a small canal of the nearby Vignole Island and enjoyed a bbq on our Lido deck surrounded by the quiet serenity of the quiet and desolate little island.

Burano Island (AKA Colorful Island)

Burano was so adorable we spent two nights there. There was rain in the forecast so we thought we could walk through town in the rain and not travel in the bad weather. Turns out, the weather gods favored our trip. We got a little rain overnight, had a few rainy moments, but had two very nice days in Burano.

What made Burano so unique was that it had the spectacular maze of canals running through it, but not the crowds or commercialism of the main island of Venice. The buildings on this island are famously vibrant. We walked down the streets and were amazed at the beautiful sights along the canals. It was a mini-Venice, just as beautiful, but much easier to navigate.

There was a larger grocery store here, many shops and restaurants. I took a meal off from cooking and we ate out at our first authentic Venice restaurant. The meal was lovely, but the view was the best. We were alone at the café. Venice in general is only at 50% capacity because of Covid, and we were traveling in the off-season, making life much easier without the chaos of crowds.

We loved Burano and its iconic leaning tower. The tower tilts much like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Built in the 1500s, great efforts are being made to try and prevent the tower from imminent collapse.

Saint Francis of the Desert

 

Just across the canal from Burano, was one of my favorite islands. It held a monastery build in the 1300s honoring the Saint Francis of Assisi. You could feel the holiness of this place the moment you stepped foot on the sacred ground.

We got a free tour from one of the four monks who currently live at the monastery. We were lucky to get in as we didn’t have a MONKEY! Get it? Monk key? I know, it’s bad. It was a Maryanne joke.

Francis was looking for an island to spend 40 days of prayer. He landed here and was greeted by a noisy flock of birds. He asked for their silence so he could hear his voice, and the birds complied, thus the Miracle of the Birds.

Our private monk gave us the history of all that has transpired on this island. The details were rich with incredible stories. It was one of those experiences you really can’t describe. It affected me on a visceral level, listening to such history from the last vestige of humans dedicating their lives to preserve the sanctity. I felt very privileged to be there and felt a divine presence.

Murano Island

 

You may have heard of the famous glass from Murano. Back when fires were prevalent on the main island from the glass-blowing factories, the factories were moved to Murano. Murano has a renowned history of creating amazing works of art with their glass. It is clearly evident as you walk down the streets and window shop.

There are tours of the factories available. Just strolling down the streets was magical. The town features iconic canals and bridges as well as shops and restaurants. The water taxis zoom in and out with tourists coming to visit this island.

My favorite part of this island was the church that supposedly has the bones of a dragon buried beneath its floor. We have been in literally hundreds of churches around the world, but this one was very unique. The entire floor was a tile mosaic. The layout was different than any church I have ever seen. The columns and windows cast light across the chapel that created an almost surreal effect.

We had a huge Italian Pizza dinner in Murano. The pizza in Italy, well, I have to admit of the all food I did eat on this trip, the pizza was the most amazing of all the food. They really know how to do pizza right in Venice.

Returning to Chioggia

 

Our trip was finally over. It was worth the wait. Our boat buddies cast off a night early to go to a B&B they had rented in the heart of Venice. It used to be a convent and was quite the find. Dan and I would spend one final night in Chioggia and return the boat in the morning, then join our friends for our last night in Venice. We were excited to be staying on the main island as it would give us a chance to walk around the city at night and experience Venice after dark.

Dan and I explored Chioggia. We were amazed at the number of fishing vessels that lined the canals of the city. They numbered in the hundreds. seafood is an important part of Venice. These ships fish the Adriatic Sea and supply the islands with their seafood.

We traveled the back streets and canals and stopped in some of the local fisherman’s favorite places. We didn’t understand what was being said, but we enjoyed people watching, absorbing the experiences, the culture of this unique place. You could see the stories in the weathered faces, read the expressions, and glean the passion through the interactions of these incredible people.

Gale force winds plagued our last night on the boat. Lines broke, we lost a fender, and we got tossed about with not much sleep due to creaking lines and being tied to a rolling dock. The gusts exceeded 50 knots. Despite the rough night, returning the boat went smoothly. We now had to retrace our steps back to the main island of Venice via land and water busses.

Last Night in Venice

 

Our magical trip was coming to an end. We cherished our last evening with our boat buddies. Making our way into the heart of Venice, we walked along the brightly lit canals and past the glowing shop windows. Walking through Venice at night is a totally different experience than the day. It offers an entirely different perspective, sheds the wonders of the city in a new light.

We ate a delicious seafood dinner sitting along a quiet canal. The best part of the evening was when a Venetian musician stopped and played his accordion during our dinner. It was a classic Venice tune. I smiled and truly felt I was experiencing the best of Venice at the moment.

I thought to myself: I’m in Venice, bathed in glowing nights, enjoying delicious Italian food with wonderful people. Right now, I’m the luckiest person in the world.

I wasn’t wrong.

 

 

Hope you enjoyed this story. Let me know in the comments below if you’ve been to Venice or hope to visit someday. May all your travels be as wonderful as our time in Venice. For us, it’s back to boat work and constant maintenance chores. We are casting off for new adventures in a short couple of weeks.

Fair Winds,
Alison and Dan
s/v Equus