Anne is eager to visit the Dolomites, so we will travel to Venice and take a one-day tour from that city. Venice should be nice to visit anyway; we were there more than 20 years ago.
Chung Shu will be joining us. He will extend his trip to include a visit to Amsterdam.
In front of Deutsche Oper Berlin for the conclusion of Wagner's Ring Cycle.
Wednesday 5/20/2026. May is too early for a thunderstorm, but that's what we encountered today. As with my last major delay, the day started off nice enough, but it was warm enough that weather became problematic just as we were ready to board. Actually we boarded, and were asked to deplane. We boarded again at around 8:30 pm, and then waited, and waited, and waited. The plane started moving at 11 pm, and somehow managed to move pretty fast as wheels up was 11:35 pm. A five hour delay, so didn't quite break my previous record. One good thing was that the pilot tried to keep the passengers posted.
Oh, our initial delay (from a 6:35 pm departure to a 7 pm departure) was due to a maintenance issue. United substituted another plane, but that plane wouldn't be available until past the scheduled departure time. I wonder if we would have gotten ahead of the thunderstorm if that first delay had not happened.
Our seats were in coach, so we didn't get much sleep on the way to Venice.
It started innocently enough. But UA170 didn't take off until 11:35 pm.
Thursday 5/21/2026. Since our scheduled arrival was going to be early Thursday morning, we were making plans as to what we could do as hotel probably wouldn't let us check in early. The delay meant we wouldn't have that problem any more.
Transportation seems very expensive in the Venice area. A car ride from the airport to the hotel takes less than 20 minutes, but costs 72 euros. (There is no X option, our Uber Black was a Tesla Y.) Our hotel is located on Tronchetto, a man-made island acting as gateway to Venice. It turns out to be quite convenient, and comfortable. One could opt for a hotel in the city itself, but the logistics would be more complicated. Since there are no cars on the main islands, one will have to haul luggage, possibly across multiple bridges.
The water ferry (called Vaporetto) terminal is a short walk from our hotel. A 7-day ticket costs 65 euros, so we opted for that. Since a single ride costs 9.5 euros, it's not a difficult decision to make.
Our first stop on the Vaporetto was at Rialto. The Rialto bridge, first built in 1173, is the oldest of the four bridges that span the Grand Canal. Naturally it's been rebuilt and modified multiple times since then. We decided to do the tourist thing and ate at one of the restaurants next to the Grand Canal. (Restaurant named Caffe Saraceno.) We didn't realize it at the time, most pasta dishes are seafood, predominantly shrimp, clams, and mussels. And food prices are generally quite reasonable. Even at a tourist trap, the bill for 3 people came to around 150 euros.
After dinner we continued on the Vaporetto to San Marco Square and walked around a bit. To our horror Line 2 stopped running. We bought tickets for another boat company, but the boat(s) never showed up. When we asked the ferries that showed up where we were waiting, the crew kept saying they were getting off work, and the next boat would be the right one. That unhelpful attitude would end up being quite common during our stay. We have been to a few other Italian cities before, but never felt this level of hostility (just a slight exaggeration) from people in those cities.
We eventually walked back to Rialto and took the ferry there to go back to the hotel. We walked through some narrow alleys, and it was a pleasant experience.
After a couple of days we decided we just didn't know how to read the schedule properly. At major stops there are different terminals, and different lines would stop at different directions. Line 2 stops being a "loop" after 8 pm, but we could have caught another boat to Rialto and connect to Tronchetto from there. At least that's what we think.
My back has been acting up for a while now. So we have to be strategic about our forays so I don't end up standing still for too long. Anne also tried to get a seat for me on these ferries. They do reserve seats to the handicapped and those over 70 years old.
Note: we were planning on taking a gondola ride, but decided we don't need that perspective after having ridden so many Vaporetto trips.
A website we use displays a schedule like this. It seems straightforward enough to read, but we had considerable trouble until I started using the CheBateo APP advertised in the hotel.
We rode the Vaporetto everywhere. A gondola ride probably wouldn't provide a better view, so we skipped it.
A case could be made that some houses along the canal (Grand Canal in this photo) are slightly tilted. One sees tilted houses along Amsterdam's canals also.
In front of the Rialto Bridge.
At the top of the Rialto Bridge.
Dining by the Grand Canal. Seafood (different kinds) pasta is popular in Venice.
After dinner we took the Vaporetto to stroll around San Marco Piazza for a few minutes.
Indeed things look quite different at night.
Accommodations. Hampton by Hilton on Tronchetto. (4 nights)
Friday 5/22/2026. Today was Dolomites day. Anne visited this area when she was a teenager, and really wanted to take another look. The proper way to "see" the Dolomites is to spend a few days in the area, experiencing the mountains, lakes, hike a few trails, and perhaps take a gondola into the mountains. (People also bike, but not us :) What we did instead was to do one of the many day-trips from Venice.
For the 10-hour trip (8 am to 6 pm, roughly) we would visit three places: Cortina d'Ampezzo, Lake Misurina, and Lago di Santa Caterina. Well, we would also stop by a rest stop (twice) from where we could get a good view of the mountains.
Cortina will be one of the cities that host the upcoming Winter Olympics. It's a 2 1/2 hour drive from Venice. The city offers great views of the mountains that surround the valley, and looks like a well-tended to small town. Lake Misurina is one of the many better-known lakes in the region (at least it's popular for tour groups); it is surprisingly small, and very quiet, probably because the summer season is not in full swing yet. The third stop, Lago di Auronzo (di Santa Caterina on Google Maps), is a bit puzzling. It doesn't offer particularly spectacular views. The lake is dammed at one end with a water cascade running down one end.
Perhaps one should not expect to see much of the Dolomites in one day, especially since it takes a while to get from one place to the other; nonetheless, it was somewhat of a disappointment. I blame this on expectations and lack of full disclosure. The tour, run by Bea Vita Tours, and booked through Viator, is titled "From Venice: The Best of the Dolomites Mountains Day Trip." A bit of an oversell, perhaps. Also, it was suggested that we have lunch at Lake Misurina, which was fine, but that would mean we only had time to do a 15-minute walk along the lake. I would have made a different choice had I been warned that it's either lunch or scenery.
For dinner we walked to the B&B Hotel next to the Hampton. It has a good view of the sunset. After dinner Anne and I decided to take in more night views of the city.
This area has a heavy German flavor to it. This house reminds me of ones seen in Bavaria.
Basilica Minore dei Santi Filippo e Giacomo.
Lake Misurina with Sorapiss Massif in the background. There is a story regarding the father/daughter for whom the mountain and the lake are named; it has something to do with Misurina's death and her father Sorapiss's tears forming the lake.
We didn't have much time after having lunch at Mira Lago (Lake View).
Tre Cime (? only two peaks can be seen in this photo).
Lake Santa Caterina in town of Auronzo.
The tour bus stopped at this shop at the beginning and the end of the trip. I had a scoop of hazelnut ice cream on the way back to Venice.
Fish & Chips and pizza at the B&B Hotel.
Ponte della Costituzione is a pedestrian bridge.
Still quite a few people out and about at 9:45 pm.
The Doge Palace was first built in 810, rebuilt in 1340, modified and extended over the centuries. It became a museum in 1923. Doges governed Venice for 1100 years (697 to 1797AD). Since there were 120 in all, each governed for less than 10 years on average. Except for the last one, doges served for life. A prison was built across a canal (Rio di Palazzo) from the Palace in 1600, and a bridge links the two places. People condemned to prison were taken from the Palace to the prison over a bridge named the "Bridge of Sighs." We walked over to the prison and saw some of the prison cells. The cells looked spacious, but I can imagine the conditions when many prisoners were housed together.
The current basilica was consecrated in 1094, the third church to be built on the site. The first impression as one walks in would be dark, and lots of gold - paint and mosaics. The nave is surprising small (well, it started as someone's private chapel). Inside there are these four horses brought back from Constantinople by the Venetian crusaders in 1204. They may date back to the period 4th century BC to 2nd century AD, and are made of nearly pure copper (not bronze); at some point they were on top of the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel Quadriga (not that Arc de Triomphe) in Paris after Napoleon's conquest of Venice. For a 2000-year old piece of art they are in remarkably good shape.
The other noteworthy exhibit inside the basilica is the Golden Panel. People were crowding around it to look at details and to take pictures, so I managed only to take a couple of photos from some distance. It also has a story dating back to 976 (Byzantine period).
My back pain prevented me from spending too much time studying and viewing the exhibits. One could also argue all churches have their specific features, and not getting them would be okay since that would mean remembering too many details. I do wish I had looked for the relics of St. Mark, though.
Between the Palace and Basilica visits we had lunch at a nearby restaurant.
I had to rest in the afternoon. For dinner Anne and I took the ferry to Ferrovia and ate at an Asian restaurant.
Chung Shu, meanwhile, visited Accademia. He had to walk back to the hotel, and some seagull stole his slice of pizza along the way.
View of San Marco from the south. One can see the domes (5) of the basilica. The large structure in front is the Doge's Palace, and the building to its right is the prison. The two are connected by the Bridge of Sighs. Notice the Moorish influence in the design of the buildings, including the Doge's Palace.
Ponte dei Sospiri. One gets only a limited view of the outside from inside the enclosed bridge.
View from Bridge of Sighs. Looking towards the Giudecca Canal.
Courtyard.
The (self-guided) tour takes the visitor through the many different functions rooms of the palace. This is the Grand Council Hall, where up to 2000 people gathered.
St. Mark and John the Baptist with Madonna and Child. Of course John the Baptist was born about 6 months before Jesus. And Doge Leonardo Loredan somehow managed to insert himself into the painting.
A lot of gold.
These (Gregorian?) chants are on large sheets so they can be shared among those singing.
This quadriga was taken from the Hippodrome (Constantinople) by the Crusaders.
Replicas of the horses guard the entrance to the basilica.
The crowd around the Golden Panel made it difficult to study closely.
For dinner we went to Oppa Ristorante by the train station. It served reasonable Asian Food.
Sunday 5/24/2026. It's only after we got to Venice that we found out about this annual Vogalonga regatta. About 2300 boats participate, with over 8000 rowers involved. If we had known about it earlier we might have planned our trip differently (exactly how? not sure) to take in the competition (which is completely "non-competitive"). As it was, it only meant we had to plan our day around the event as different parts of the waterway would be closed to Vaporetto traffic during the day.
We had designated this "Burano Day." The CheBateo APP I downloaded basically said we could start our trip a little after noon. When we got to the Tronchetto terminal to start our journey, our "friendly" ambassador told us Line 2 would not go all the way to San Zaccaria, she suggested another route but couldn't name one specifically. So we decided to ignore her advice and instead follow what the APP told us to do. And voila, Line 2 went all the way to S Zaccaria, and we caught Line 14 for the 65 minute journey to Burano. When we had questions about ferry routing, staff was generally unhelpful or - in many cases - wrong. The one fact this "ambassador" told us (that Line 2 wouldn't get to S Zaccaria) was wrong. The rest she simply didn't know.
So we got to the small island of Burano. We did the few major touristy things. The houses along the several canals we walked along were painted quite brightly; however, there is a Potemkin feel to that as houses that don't line the canal often have dulled and even flaky paint. The "tre-ponti" are two bridges linking up a canal T-intersection. The two bridges were quite primitive, but offer nice views of the canals and the boats moored along their two banks. Due to its weight, and that it was built in a lagoon, a tower next to a church started to lean soon after it was finished, today it is about 6 feet off center. When seen up close the slant is quite noticeable. We popped into the church Chiesa Parrocchiale di San Martino Vescovo to take a look.
The boats to Burano are relatively new, and we appreciated the people respected the seats reserved for those in need (including those over 70). And we saw some boats that might have been involved with the regatta, including shells and dragon boats. Some might just be people who showed up join in the fun.
It was about 6 pm that we got back to the hotel. Dinner was again at the B&B Hotel next doors.
These boats, probably part of the Vogalonga event, were photographed near San Marco.
The Vogalonga route is 30 km in length. Burano is at the top (northeast) end of the route.
Typical scenes on Burano.
This church tower has tilted about 6 ft since it was built.
Inside of Chiesa di San Martino.
Sunset view from Cafe in B&B Hotel.
Monday 5/25/2026. Today we say goodbye to Venice. But we had one more site to visit: the San Marco Bell Tower. We bought tickets for 9:30 am entry (earliest). We got there at around 9 am, but had to find a washroom, which took a while (turns out there was one near the Piazza). The single elevator accommodates about 10 to 12 passengers at a time, so we didn't get to the top until about 9:50 am. Anne and I didn't spend much time; we left early enough to catch the 10:13 am ferry to get back to the hotel. CS stayed a little longer, he took the 10:25 am ferry.
Uber to the airport cost around 80 euros, a ride that lasts less than 20 minutes. The Uber APP also would not let us input the hotel location, so we had to walk a few minutes to the designated pickup point. (Meanwhile, the driver texted to ask "which hotel," but I didn't notice his incoming message.) We did online check-in for our flight, but had to stop to drop luggage off - a rather simple process with Star Alliance Gold status. Indeed CS piggy-backed on our extra luggage allowance to save time waiting in line. (He paid for luggage in his ticket, but doesn't have the required status.)
We had quite a bit of time to while away, and ended up spending it in the Marco Polo Lounge. Relatively busy, but we managed to find a place to sit. LH327 VCE-FRA was a few minutes late. I was somewhat surprised that police were at the disembarkation gate asking to see passports. I don't know if they do this routinely, or just to certain flights and certain suspiciously looking passengers. There were no other immigration or security steps to get on LH200. We stopped by a Lufthansa Business Lounge, the receptionist suggested the Senator Lounge instead. Indeed it was quieter, with a better selection of food.
LH327 was packed, but LH200 FRA-BER had a light load. It was always a relief when we saw our luggage on the luggage belt. It wasn't difficult to buy a train tickets to the hotel, at a cost of 5 euros each.
Another view of the Bridge of Tears.
No, this bell tower isn't slanted.
Photo taken from San Marco Bell Tower. In the distance is the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore.
View of Grand Canal from the San Marco Tower. Doge's Palace in the foreground.
LH200 FRA-BER had a light load today.
Accommodation: Berlin Marriott (6 days).
Tuesday 5/26/2026. We decided to do a hop on/hop off tour of Berlin. There are (at least) four different bus companies that offer such tours, we got on the City Circle Berlin line (per credit card). Our intention was to see the "highlights" of the city, and perhaps pick a few to visit. Today was a nice day, a little on the warm side, so the ride was pleasant (we were in the rear of the upper deck, with shade provided by the retractable roof). Because of my back pain, we ended up not visiting too many of these landmarks. Which ones did we visit? Read on.
We did get off at the Brandenburg Gate stop, walked around a bit, had a quick lunch, before catching the bus again back to the hotel.
For dinner we supplemented the hot snack provided at the Marriott Lounge with instant noodles Anne bought from a nearby Asian market.
It was then off to see Das Rheingold.
The Berlin Wall ran right through Potsdamer Platz. These panels were about a block from our hotel.
Checkpoint Charlie. Or rather, a replica of it.
Humboldt Forum is a museum "dedicated to human history, art, and culture" (per Wikipedia). We didn't get a chance to visit during this trip.
Anne remembers that it was raining when we were here in 2018 (she is correct).
Gehry-designed atrium of the DZ Bank Building next to the Brandenburg Gate.
St. Nicholas Church is the oldest church in Berlin. It was first completed in the 13th century. It has been deconsecrated. Marienkirche is now the oldest "working" church in Berlin.
A visit to Reichstag is free, but tickets are required.
The Cube next to the Central Station is exactly that: a cube. The cuts in the design make for interesting reflections.
The Berlin Victory Column used to be in front of the Reichstag. It was moved to its present location in Tiergarten in 1939. The goddess Victoria commemorates Prussian military victories.
Interesting entrance to the Zoological Gardens.
Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.
The Weltkugelbrunnen (World Globe Fountain). The best AI could do is to describe it as having a theme of interconnected cultures.
Banner in front of Deutsche Oper Berlin announcing Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen. For tonight it is Das Rheingold.
We traveled from the United States to see this set?
Wednesday 5/27/2026. Our original thinking was to visit three museums in Berlin, and Potsdam and Wittenberg. This ended up being too ambitious. But today we visited the Neues Museum. We also had lunch at the museum cafe. We last visited in 2019.
The opera Die Walkure started at 5 pm. There were two long breaks (around 45 minutes each) which gave us time to buy a sandwich from the REWE store across the street. Here an egg-salad sandwich costs 2 euros.
The Berliner Dom.
The Xanten Boy dates to the 1st Century AD. It was discovered in the Rhine River in 1858.
The Nerfertiti Bust is 3400 years old. Discovered in Egypt in 1912.
Curtain Call for Die Walkure.
Thursday 5/28/2026. Today's visit is to Potsdam. A 24-hour Berlin ABC pass would cover travel to Potsdam, via train and then bus. The bus gets one close to Sans Souci, but the rest of the sites would require considerable walking. We did that last time, Anne with her bad hip. Today I simply couldn't hack it. So we just did a quick visit of Sans Souci and then returned to Berlin.
For the evening we had tickets to a concert at the Berlin Philharmonie, with Semyon Bychkov and Vikingur Olafsson.
Dinner was again snack at the Marriott Lounge.
Sans Souci Palace, Potsdam.
Berlin Philharmonie. Olafsson and Bychkov after performance of Beethoven's Emperor Concerto.
Friday 5/29/2026. We decided to take things slowly. Our day's activity was to take a one-hour cruise on the Spree, something we did before.
The opera today was Siegfried. We again had food from REWE during the intermissions.
The Spree River cruise offered up a different view of The Cube.
Curtain Call for Siegfried.
Saturday 5/30/2026. Today was spent on visiting Wittenberg. One can get a Berlin-Brandenburg day pass for up to 5 people for 36.5 euros for all non-ICE travel within this region. Berlin ABC Travel is about 13 euros per person, so it was an easy decision. Taking a regional train from Berlin to Wittenberg takes about 1:30 hours, an ICE trip takes less than 45 minutes. We decided to do the RE (regional express) out and the ICE back. We limited our visit to the Castle Church and the City Church. Lunch in Europe is leisurely (that is, slow), otherwise we could have hit another site.
In our last (and only) visit back in 2018, we didn't go inside the Castle Church. Both Luther and Melanchthon are buried in that church.
Faith, Hope and Love.
In front of the Castle Church in Wittenberg.
We didn't go inside during our 2018 visit.
Despite the statues of Peter and Paul, the church is dedicated to all saints.
Both Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon are buried inside the Castle Church. This is the grave marker for Luther.
Stadtkirche. Luther often preached here.
The inside is much brighter than Castle Church. Note the altar piece by Cranach.
You can have any dish on the menu as long as it's potato-based.
Simone Young and Christian Tetzlaff were the headliners for tonight's concert at Konzerthaus. We were surprised at the number of empty seats. Last time we had to sit behind the stage.
Sunday 5/31/2026. This is our last full day for the trip. My back problems contributed to my not wanting to do too much for the day. We went and visited the Wilhelm Memorial Church. Lunch was at this restaurant that serves Asian Fusion food. We mistakenly thought it served Japanese food as it's named Umami Ku'damm.
The last opera in the Ring cycle is Gotterdammerung. Because of labor issues, there were no special effects for the presentation. The overall experience was great, and the tickets were (relatively) inexpensive.
This is the atrium at Deutsche Oper Berlin. A mock up is used as a set in Gotterdammerung. Perhaps to emphasize the "we are looking at a rehearsal" aspect of the production. Staff shortage led to reduced "mechanical effects," so this particular setup probably lost much of its impact.
This is also Sir Donald Runnicles' last performance as music director of Deutsche Oper Berlin.
REWE closes on Sundays, so we had cake in a nearby cafe during intermission.
We received a message from United Airlines that due to equipment problems, they have to use a different plane for our flight (which comes in from Newark), and there would be a delay of about 3 hours. United's 767-300 planes have an average age of over 30 years, so I suspect there are more maintenance issues compared to newer generation planes. While frustrating, I accept these delays. Nonetheless, for both the trip over and the trip back we experience significant delays.
Monday 6/1/2026. Because of the announced delay, we had time for a leisurely breakfast before heading out to the airport. The posted wait for immigration is 2 - 7 minutes, but the line moved a lot slower. For some unknown reason it seems to be more difficult to leave Europe than to enter it.
Actual wheels up/touch down times for our flight.
Flight was full, we were upgraded to Premium Economy and had a decent meal. We took an Uber to get home.
