Thursday, 7 April 2016
Wednesday, 6 April 2016
Day 21.2 - Dubai Airport, KL Airport... Next stop, Melbourne
Italy long behind us we have landed safely in Dubai where our connecting flight to Melbourne awaits. We are a little tired but in good spirits.
Even after finding out that we are having a fuelling stopover in Kuala Lumpur, spirits remained high.
A landing in KL that woke us all told is that we were almost home. We're getting sick of moving in and out of planes, but we're almost there and that's keeping our spirits high. These guys continue to impress with their positive attitude.
All that's left to do now is board Flight EK408 for Melbourne.
Even after finding out that we are having a fuelling stopover in Kuala Lumpur, spirits remained high.
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| Dubai Airport |
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| Kuala Lumpur Airport |
Day 21 - Arrividerci Venezia & arrividerci Italia!
Our last day in Venice was a hurried affair. Breakfast, then last minute packing and check of the rooms before winding our way through the Venice streets one last time. We boarded the last vaporetto of the trip, a crowded ride that took us down the Grand Canal and to Piazzale Roma, the only carpark in Venice.
Venice is like a dream, and like all dreams, one that has to come to an end. When we stepped off the vaporetto and saw buses and cars, the dreamy city of snaking canals, twisted streets and spindly bridges faded like rain on hot rocks. We were back in reality. So much so, that on the bus the boys who had been begging for just one more day in Venice suddenly said, "I'm ready to go home."
And the long journey home had started.
The bus took us along the bridge that crosses the lagoon of Venice and connects it to the mainland. We drove through the ordinariness of the town of Mestre bound for Marco Polo International Airport.
At the airport we started the interminable waiting associated with travel, eating lunch, lounging around and doing some last minute shopping.
As I write they have just called for boarding for EK136, the flight to Dubai, starting the next phase of the journey home.
Arrividerci, Italia!
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| Leaving the hotel |
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| On the vaporetto bound for Piazzale Roma |
Venice is like a dream, and like all dreams, one that has to come to an end. When we stepped off the vaporetto and saw buses and cars, the dreamy city of snaking canals, twisted streets and spindly bridges faded like rain on hot rocks. We were back in reality. So much so, that on the bus the boys who had been begging for just one more day in Venice suddenly said, "I'm ready to go home."
And the long journey home had started.
The bus took us along the bridge that crosses the lagoon of Venice and connects it to the mainland. We drove through the ordinariness of the town of Mestre bound for Marco Polo International Airport.
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| The bus ride begins. Jai sleeping. Again. |
At the airport we started the interminable waiting associated with travel, eating lunch, lounging around and doing some last minute shopping.
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| Checking in at Marco Polo International Airport |
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| Waiting to board Emirates Flight EK136 to Dubai |
As I write they have just called for boarding for EK136, the flight to Dubai, starting the next phase of the journey home.
Arrividerci, Italia!
Tuesday, 5 April 2016
Day 20 - Venice: Murano & Burano
Today was our last full day in Venice and we were determined to fill the entire day. We decided to visit a couple of the outer islands of Venice - Murano and Burano.
We started by boarding a vaporetto bound for Murano near St Mark's Square. After some negotiating with the official on duty, we were moved to the front of a long line. While that made us unpopular with the other passengers ("Sorry, he told us to come here"), we were able to secure seats at the front of the vaporetto, seats that ensured a good view of the lagoon.
We crossed the lagoon, seeing Venice from a distance, just as visitors in centuries past would have seen her as their ships entered the lagoon. We also passed several other islands of Venice, such as the resort island of Lido and the cemetery island of San Michele. After around half an hour, we landed at Murano.
Once an independent island, Murano was quickly swallowed up by the rising Venetian Empire. When, in the 13th Century all glass making in Venice was decreed dangerous and banned (much of the city and its bridges were still timber then), the industry moved to the island of Murano where it has existed ever since. It became a vital industry and for centuries the glassblowers of Murano jealously guarded their techniques to give Venice a monopoly on glass making.
Like Venice proper, Murano has its own little network of canals traversed by bridges and all travel is by water. It is like a less showy, less crowded version of Venice.
Upon landing we visited a traditional glass making foundry where we saw three objects being made by the glassblowers. It was fascinating to watch as red hot liquid sand was transformed into an object of art. We spent the next hour or so wandering through Murano, some of us buying some quite lovely pieces as gifts. Hopefully some come your way.
Next we took the vaporetto to Burano.
Smaller than Murano, Burano lies a little further in the lagoon. Like Murano, and Venice itself, Burano is a collection of small islands linked by canals and bridges. Burano is an old centre of lace making, with the art making it quite famous in the 19th Century. Lace is made all by hand in the traditional manner, but most of the items we saw looked made by modern means.
As you would expect, the boys were fascinated by the lace.
Also known for its colourful houses and compact layout, Burano is a lovely place to spend a lacy afternoon. We had lunch at Bar Sport and wandered across the island until it was time to board the vaporetto back to Venice. Around an hour later we were back in our hotel.
We used the time until dinner to pack for our upcoming departure and to wander around Piazza San Marco and environs.
To celebrate our last night in Venice we had dinner at Riva Del Vin, a restaurant alongside the Grand Canal, enjoying a Venetian meal in the open air. We swapped our favourite stories about the trip as we ate and had a lot of laughs before weaving our way through the streets of Venice and back to our hotel.
A couple of days ago we discussed two views of Venice: Capote's view that it was like eating a whole box of chocolates and Zafra's that Venice wakes something up inside us. Seeing the boys on this last night, watching them navigate the maze-like streets, getting lost and then finding their way back, discovering that there is more than one way to live, more than one map to follow, I like to think that Zafra was maybe a little more right than Capote.
We started by boarding a vaporetto bound for Murano near St Mark's Square. After some negotiating with the official on duty, we were moved to the front of a long line. While that made us unpopular with the other passengers ("Sorry, he told us to come here"), we were able to secure seats at the front of the vaporetto, seats that ensured a good view of the lagoon.
We crossed the lagoon, seeing Venice from a distance, just as visitors in centuries past would have seen her as their ships entered the lagoon. We also passed several other islands of Venice, such as the resort island of Lido and the cemetery island of San Michele. After around half an hour, we landed at Murano.
Once an independent island, Murano was quickly swallowed up by the rising Venetian Empire. When, in the 13th Century all glass making in Venice was decreed dangerous and banned (much of the city and its bridges were still timber then), the industry moved to the island of Murano where it has existed ever since. It became a vital industry and for centuries the glassblowers of Murano jealously guarded their techniques to give Venice a monopoly on glass making.
Like Venice proper, Murano has its own little network of canals traversed by bridges and all travel is by water. It is like a less showy, less crowded version of Venice.
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| The main canal of Murano |
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| Bridge over canal of Murano |
Upon landing we visited a traditional glass making foundry where we saw three objects being made by the glassblowers. It was fascinating to watch as red hot liquid sand was transformed into an object of art. We spent the next hour or so wandering through Murano, some of us buying some quite lovely pieces as gifts. Hopefully some come your way.
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| Glassmakers performing their art |
Next we took the vaporetto to Burano.
Smaller than Murano, Burano lies a little further in the lagoon. Like Murano, and Venice itself, Burano is a collection of small islands linked by canals and bridges. Burano is an old centre of lace making, with the art making it quite famous in the 19th Century. Lace is made all by hand in the traditional manner, but most of the items we saw looked made by modern means.
As you would expect, the boys were fascinated by the lace.
Also known for its colourful houses and compact layout, Burano is a lovely place to spend a lacy afternoon. We had lunch at Bar Sport and wandered across the island until it was time to board the vaporetto back to Venice. Around an hour later we were back in our hotel.
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| Aboard a crowded vaporetto |
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| Shopping for glass and lace is a little too much for two of the boys. |
We used the time until dinner to pack for our upcoming departure and to wander around Piazza San Marco and environs.
To celebrate our last night in Venice we had dinner at Riva Del Vin, a restaurant alongside the Grand Canal, enjoying a Venetian meal in the open air. We swapped our favourite stories about the trip as we ate and had a lot of laughs before weaving our way through the streets of Venice and back to our hotel.
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| Our last dinner in Venice |
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| Ordering up |
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| Dinnertime conversation |
A couple of days ago we discussed two views of Venice: Capote's view that it was like eating a whole box of chocolates and Zafra's that Venice wakes something up inside us. Seeing the boys on this last night, watching them navigate the maze-like streets, getting lost and then finding their way back, discovering that there is more than one way to live, more than one map to follow, I like to think that Zafra was maybe a little more right than Capote.
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| "...the sleeping parts of myself that Venice has shocked into wakefulness" |
Monday, 4 April 2016
Day 19 - Venezia!
Before going to bed last night, I offered the boys an invitation to join me for a morning walk. Venice is wonderful in the mornings: the cruise ship tourists have long sailed away with the next batch yet to arrive; the daytrippers won't arrive until around 9 am; and most of the tourists sleeping in Venice overnight are still abed. The city is quiet, clean and empty. A great opportunity for photos. I arranged for anyone interested to meet me in the hotel foyer at 7 am - of the students, only two were there.
We walked to Piazza San Marco and realised only then how excellent the location of our hotel is. The walk took us all of two minutes. We wandered the empty piazza, had an uninterrupted look at the Basilica of San Marco and spent some time at the lagoon and the Bridge of Sighs. Those who were there took some excellent photographs.
Breakfast at the hotel was generous and tasty. We had a full itinerary today and we wanted an early start, so were were in the Piazza by 8.15. We started by talking about the history of Venice: its origins as a sanctuary away from the barbarian hoards tearing their way through Italy on their way to the sacking of Rome; its subsequent development into a permanent settlement, and then an economic and naval power of the middle ages before it reached its pinnacle as a sea and land empire; and, of course, its eventual decline and, for the first time in its 1000 year history, its defeat by Napoleon in 1799.
We took in the motley mix of cultures and styles evident in the Piazza and its buildings, marvelling at the arrogance and ingenuity of the Venetians in 'acquiring' treasures and absorbing them into their own culture. In one place, often in one building, was the arabesque, the Byzantine, the classical, the Gothic and the Renaissance.
We studied the mosaics on the outside of the Basilica of San Marco before making our way into the Doge's Palace, seat of Venetian power when it was an unassailable sea power and home to the Doge of Venice.
The Doge was the ruler of Venice, elected for life from among the elite families of Venice. The character of the Doge could have enormous impacts on Venetian life, sometimes committing the state to war, at other times ushering in eras of prosperity.
We entered the Doge's Palace as a visitor back then would have, starting at the Scala dei Giganti, a staircase watched over by giant statues of Neptune and Mercury, gods of the sea and commerce respectively, then entering the palace itself and confronted with the opulence and self-promotion of this old empire. Incredible art work from Venetian painters such as Tintoretto, Carpaccio and Veronese adorn the walls of every one of the government chambers.
We then moved to the courts where Venetian justice was coldly dispensed, and, where once found guilty, offenders were taken to the dungeons. Often mistaken as a place of romance, the Bridge of Sighs was not a bridge that inspired the sighs of lovers; it was the pathway from the palace to the dungeons, and it was the last view of the lagoon Venetian prisoners had before entering those dungeons, hence the sighs. We crossed the Bridge of Sighs into the dungeons.
Dark, damp and claustrophobic, the dungeons were a frightening and intimidating place. Some parts were actually located below ground level, at times we could almost feel the weight of the stone and marble above us, and that of the centuries, and it was a relief to be out of them.
Following this tour we started what would become a top to bottom walking tour of Venice. We walked to the church of St Rocco, a grand church with an even grander confraternity building attached to it, but for once we weren't there for paintings or statues or anything like that. We were there for pizza. And gelati. The Gelateria Millefoglie da Tarcisio is just outside the fence of San Rocco, an unassuming hole-in-the wall pizza and gelati joint that sells some of the best pizza and gelati in Venice at an affordable price, with its fondant gelato recently winning an international award. The owner always gives us a good deal and today was no different - the boys enjoyed a huge slice of pizza, drink and gelato.
Refuelled, we continued our walking tour of Venice, crossing the Rialto Bridge and coming to the station.
We walked then to the Church of Santa Lucia that gives the district, and the train station, its name. Dedicated to the early Christian martyr St Lucy, the Church of Santa Lucia contains the embalmed corpse of the saint. It was a confronting thing for a lot of us there to see the desiccated hands and feet of this saint so easily displayed.
The next two hours were spent shopping. The boys, armed with Italian mobile phones and tickets for the vaporetto, made their way back to the hotel.
That afternoon, it was gondola time!
One of the most romantic things one can do in Venice, a gondola loses quite a bit of its romance when it has five teenage boys in it. Nonetheless it is still an essential Venetian experience, one that opens up the hidden canals of Venice, exposing its charm and places of solitude. The experience lasted for around forty minutes, the traditional gondoliers expertly navigating the narrowest of canals using everything from their oars to their feet to get us around the tightest corners.
They didn't serenade us though; disappointing.
The gondolas took us through the Grand Canal within sight of the Rialto Bridge and back into the twisting maze of narrow canals before depositing us where we first boarded. What an unforgettable experience.
The belltower of St Mark's, the Campanile di San Marco was the next part of Venice to be conquered by the boys of St Joseph's. They prepared themselves for an arduous climb, lined up with the other tourists and found... an elevator. Bonus.
Venice was laid out like a blanket. Every aspect of the city was visible, with the lagoon and San Marco on show in a spectacular fashion. Here was one of the great empires of the Renaissance period, and one of the most intriguing cities in the world today, and they were looking over it.
Amazing stuff.
We went then to another tower, well, house really, but it looks like a tower due to its unique staircase. The Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo is not well known, and it is really hard to find as one has to go down a street about as wide as two people, but it is a fascinating testament to the grandeur and ostentation of Venice. Built by a member of the pre-eminent Contarini family, the family that gave Venice eight of its ruling doges, this house has a staircase that the owner used to use to ride his horse up. Preferring not to use the stairs, this noble Venetian would ride his horse up to the top story where a stable hand would take it from him; when he needed to leave, he would find the stable hand had brought the horse to him. Of course, the stable hand walked up and down the stairs.
After a rest in the hotel, we went to dinner. Breaking a long tradition of the trip, we went to the same restaurant twice. So nice was the meal from the night before, the boys were keen to try different dishes. Kiro did not disappoint. Our bellies full, we returned to the hotel and to bed.
We walked to Piazza San Marco and realised only then how excellent the location of our hotel is. The walk took us all of two minutes. We wandered the empty piazza, had an uninterrupted look at the Basilica of San Marco and spent some time at the lagoon and the Bridge of Sighs. Those who were there took some excellent photographs.
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| Only two students took up the offer of an early morning visit to St Mark's Square |
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| The Bridge of Sighs, uninterrupted by tourists. Well, by other tourists |
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| Early morning walks allow for arty photos. iPhone filters do wonders. |
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| Arty photo. See above. |
We took in the motley mix of cultures and styles evident in the Piazza and its buildings, marvelling at the arrogance and ingenuity of the Venetians in 'acquiring' treasures and absorbing them into their own culture. In one place, often in one building, was the arabesque, the Byzantine, the classical, the Gothic and the Renaissance.
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| The boys, with the Basilica of San Marco in the background |
The Doge was the ruler of Venice, elected for life from among the elite families of Venice. The character of the Doge could have enormous impacts on Venetian life, sometimes committing the state to war, at other times ushering in eras of prosperity.
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| The intimidating Scala dei Giganti (the Giants' Staircase), the original entry to the Doge's Palace |
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| As beautiful and prosperous as Venice was, it was still run by an empire that had no wish to lose power. One of the ways it maintained its power was through a brutal and efficient secret police. The use of secret letter boxes such as these where citizens could anonymously report enemies of the state was one way it held its grip. |
We then moved to the courts where Venetian justice was coldly dispensed, and, where once found guilty, offenders were taken to the dungeons. Often mistaken as a place of romance, the Bridge of Sighs was not a bridge that inspired the sighs of lovers; it was the pathway from the palace to the dungeons, and it was the last view of the lagoon Venetian prisoners had before entering those dungeons, hence the sighs. We crossed the Bridge of Sighs into the dungeons.
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| One last look at the beauty of Venice ('sigh') before crossing to the dungeons. |
Following this tour we started what would become a top to bottom walking tour of Venice. We walked to the church of St Rocco, a grand church with an even grander confraternity building attached to it, but for once we weren't there for paintings or statues or anything like that. We were there for pizza. And gelati. The Gelateria Millefoglie da Tarcisio is just outside the fence of San Rocco, an unassuming hole-in-the wall pizza and gelati joint that sells some of the best pizza and gelati in Venice at an affordable price, with its fondant gelato recently winning an international award. The owner always gives us a good deal and today was no different - the boys enjoyed a huge slice of pizza, drink and gelato.
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| Pizza. Mmm. |
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| Gelato. Mmm. |
Refuelled, we continued our walking tour of Venice, crossing the Rialto Bridge and coming to the station.
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| Crossing the Rialto Bridge |
The next two hours were spent shopping. The boys, armed with Italian mobile phones and tickets for the vaporetto, made their way back to the hotel.
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| Winson curls a protective arm around Mrs Bamford while shopping |
That afternoon, it was gondola time!
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| Some gondolas |
They didn't serenade us though; disappointing.
The gondolas took us through the Grand Canal within sight of the Rialto Bridge and back into the twisting maze of narrow canals before depositing us where we first boarded. What an unforgettable experience.
The belltower of St Mark's, the Campanile di San Marco was the next part of Venice to be conquered by the boys of St Joseph's. They prepared themselves for an arduous climb, lined up with the other tourists and found... an elevator. Bonus.
Venice was laid out like a blanket. Every aspect of the city was visible, with the lagoon and San Marco on show in a spectacular fashion. Here was one of the great empires of the Renaissance period, and one of the most intriguing cities in the world today, and they were looking over it.
Amazing stuff.
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| View from the top: The old entry to Venice: across the lagoon and into St Mark's |
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| View from the top: The clocktower crowded. |
We went then to another tower, well, house really, but it looks like a tower due to its unique staircase. The Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo is not well known, and it is really hard to find as one has to go down a street about as wide as two people, but it is a fascinating testament to the grandeur and ostentation of Venice. Built by a member of the pre-eminent Contarini family, the family that gave Venice eight of its ruling doges, this house has a staircase that the owner used to use to ride his horse up. Preferring not to use the stairs, this noble Venetian would ride his horse up to the top story where a stable hand would take it from him; when he needed to leave, he would find the stable hand had brought the horse to him. Of course, the stable hand walked up and down the stairs.
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| Laziness. Um, the thought behind the staircase, not the kids. |
After a rest in the hotel, we went to dinner. Breaking a long tradition of the trip, we went to the same restaurant twice. So nice was the meal from the night before, the boys were keen to try different dishes. Kiro did not disappoint. Our bellies full, we returned to the hotel and to bed.
Day 18.2 - Arrival in Venice
American writer Truman Capote wrote that the city of Venice was "like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go", suggesting perhaps that Venice was too much. I prefer travel writer Jessica Zafra's view of Venice, which focusses more on what individuals can take from this magical place: "I cannot write about Venice; I can only write about me, and the sleeping
parts of myself that Venice has shocked into wakefulness."
While I could easily imagine any one of our boys eating a whole box of chocolates, after having spent well over two weeks with them I like to think that they are hungry for experience and knowledge and will thus discover Zafra's Venice rather than Capote's.
We got on our first train at 12.20 and off our last one at 6.40 - over six hours of travel brought us to Santa Lucia station in Venice. After navigating the station we emerged on to the Grand Canal. The mind always takes a few seconds to process that first sight of Venice; it looks for something familiar to hang on to like streets, roads, cars but doesn't find them, instead finding water and boats and trying vainly to substitute them. But it quickly recovers and then has the chance to take in the beauty, spleandour and glorious decay of Venice.
We stood in silence taking this in before organising transport on a vaporetto, the water buses of Venice. The vaporettos (roughly translated as little smoker, from a time when they were steam driven) are the buses of Venice, the most efficient way of getting around Venice other than by feet. Given that our hotel was on Piazza San Marco (St Mark's Square), at the opposite pole of Venice, the vaporetto journey gave us a wonderful first look at the city.
Travelling on the Grand Canal, we were able to see so many of the grand old buildings of Venice, te water splashing at their front doors. We passed under the famous and iconic Rialto Bridge which was unfortunately scaffolded for restoration (something is always being restored in Italy) before heading out into the lagoon. We caught a glimpse of the famous Piazza San Marco, but only a glimpse, before the vaporetto pulled into our stop.
After settling into the Hotel Casanova, our home for the next three nights, we went for a walk to Piazza San Marco. Even by twilight the enormity of this space was evident. Flanked by the Basilica of San Marco, the mint and the Ducal Palace, and facing the famous Lagoon of Venice, it was easy to see how this was the centre of power for the Venetian Empire of the Renaissance.
We went to dinner soon after, enjoying one of the finest meals we have had in Italy, a three course dinner at Kiro. Another visit to Piazza San Marco, including the sight of the famous Bridge of Sighs was followed by an early night to bed.
While I could easily imagine any one of our boys eating a whole box of chocolates, after having spent well over two weeks with them I like to think that they are hungry for experience and knowledge and will thus discover Zafra's Venice rather than Capote's.
We got on our first train at 12.20 and off our last one at 6.40 - over six hours of travel brought us to Santa Lucia station in Venice. After navigating the station we emerged on to the Grand Canal. The mind always takes a few seconds to process that first sight of Venice; it looks for something familiar to hang on to like streets, roads, cars but doesn't find them, instead finding water and boats and trying vainly to substitute them. But it quickly recovers and then has the chance to take in the beauty, spleandour and glorious decay of Venice.
We stood in silence taking this in before organising transport on a vaporetto, the water buses of Venice. The vaporettos (roughly translated as little smoker, from a time when they were steam driven) are the buses of Venice, the most efficient way of getting around Venice other than by feet. Given that our hotel was on Piazza San Marco (St Mark's Square), at the opposite pole of Venice, the vaporetto journey gave us a wonderful first look at the city.
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| Aboard the vaporetto, Ryan approves of Venice |
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| Winson enjoying the vaporetto ride |
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| Coming up to one of the many bridges of Venice |
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| It's a special kind of bus ride where you see something like this outside your window. |
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| Waiting for our rooms to be assigned at the Hotel Casanova |
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| At the Bridge of Sighs |
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| Yum |
Sunday, 3 April 2016
Day 18.1 - leaving Chieri
The day has finally come. It's time to leave Chieri. With heavy hearts the boys and their families met us at the Chieri train station where we would soon be taking a train to Turin and then transferring to a train bound for Venice and the last stop on our Grand Tour - Venice.
These are always bittersweet times. The boys and their families bond during this time and both experience a melting away of language and cultural barriers to discover their shared humanity. It often catches people off-guard, both boys and families; they go into these arrangements expecting to get to know new people from different cultures, but what they don't expect is the very real affection that forms between them. It sneaks up on them and they are helpless in the face of it.
We saw tears today. We saw hugs. We saw manly efforts to hold back tears that ultimately failed. From boys, from families. More than one home stay mother told me the boy she hosted had quickly become like a son to her, and that she was devastated he was leaving. One messaged Mrs Bamford as we were on the way to Venice and told her she and her family loved the boy they hosted.
Our goodbyes said, the boys looking longingly through the glass, and one mother actually kissing the glass to say goodbye to the boy she hosted, the train pulled out of Chieri and into Torino where we boarded another train. This one would take us to one of the most wonderful places on earth.
Venice.
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| Liam and Ryan's families |
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| Jai's family. Three cool dudes. |
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| Winson and his Italy mamma |
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| Brenton with his home stay mother |
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| Connor and family |
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| Zaine and his Italian family |
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| Jaxon and Sean with their host families |
These are always bittersweet times. The boys and their families bond during this time and both experience a melting away of language and cultural barriers to discover their shared humanity. It often catches people off-guard, both boys and families; they go into these arrangements expecting to get to know new people from different cultures, but what they don't expect is the very real affection that forms between them. It sneaks up on them and they are helpless in the face of it.
We saw tears today. We saw hugs. We saw manly efforts to hold back tears that ultimately failed. From boys, from families. More than one home stay mother told me the boy she hosted had quickly become like a son to her, and that she was devastated he was leaving. One messaged Mrs Bamford as we were on the way to Venice and told her she and her family loved the boy they hosted.
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| Even grandparents came to say goodbye |
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| A hug for an Italian brother |
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| Last words of advice |
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| Arrivederci |
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| Chilling on the train |
Our goodbyes said, the boys looking longingly through the glass, and one mother actually kissing the glass to say goodbye to the boy she hosted, the train pulled out of Chieri and into Torino where we boarded another train. This one would take us to one of the most wonderful places on earth.
Venice.
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