The trek is as important as the destination

In the last post, I mentioned that getting to Split, Croatia turned out to be more of an adventure then we had originally anticipated.  Below is an account of that very adventure! :)

Once there was a family trying to get from Venice to Split during the winter.  What looked like a stone's throw away from Venice was actually a 3 day trip on plane, train, and ferry.  

Because the family had become so accustomed to traveling (said in a sarcastic tone), they had a lackadaisical approach concerning booking the transportation and accommodations needed for travel in between Venice and Split.  Using an amazing little tool that provides travel options with prices (http://www.rome2rio.com/), it was determined that the cheapest way for the family of four to travel would be to take a train to Ancona, Italy followed by an overnight ferry to Split.  Being a day away from needing to travel to the next stop, the family proceeded to the train station to buy the train tickets.  They expected to have a full range of options for train departures headed to Ancona.  

You can imagine how surprised they were to find out that most of the options leaving Venice were all booked. Why? Oh, due to the National Holiday, All Saints Day, in which schools and businesses close leaving freedom for a long weekend holiday.  The best option was to leave Venice on the 6:30 a.m. train on October 31st.  They were highly disappointed as the early morning departure would cut into their slotted Venice time, but they quickly recovered from the disappointment and were thankful to have a cheap way out of town allowing to make the ferry connection on time. 

None of the members of the family enjoy early morning commitments.  Leaving so early (5 am) in the morning provided the unique experience of seeing a quiet side of Venice.  The Venetians were happy to see the family leave town, especially when one of the members got sick on the water bus leaving town.  The train ride to Ancona was uneventful as sleeping and playing on the iPad consumed the four hour ride. 

The family arrived in Ancona around noon on October 31st.  Wanting to be free from their luggage, they quickly hired a taxi and headed to the bed and breakfast.  Much to their surprise, the bed and breakfast was located in the hills overlooking the city and the sea (aka:  remote location).  Not having a car left them stranded without much to do or places to eat.  The saving grace was the view as well as a zoo a couple feet away.  The zoo was equipped with both entertainment and a restaurant.  

The 32 hours spent in Ancona were relaxing and enjoyable.  The lack of a central city location was compensated by the amazing hospitality of the hosts.  A couple in their 70's were the perfect match for the young family.  They were treated as family by doting on the children, providing delicious drinks and home-made snacks, and good conversation.  The family enjoyed this time with their hosts as well as frequenting the zoo, and resting in the countryside.  The hosts went the extra mile by taking the family to the ferry port for their evening departure.  Knowing the port a little too well, the hosts dropped the family off right at the boat itself.  After hugs and kisses, the family said good-bye and headed to board the ferry.  

Little did they know that they had been dropped off without checking in properly.  Little did they know that they could not walk to check in properly, but would have to wait for a bus...that only came every 20 minutes.  Little did they know that the line to check in was growing ever so long.  The family rose to the challenge of making sure they embarked on their boat.  They raced to the bus station, waited in the long line, checked in properly, waited more at the bus station, and felt like with about 30 minutes to spare they would be okay.  And then it happened.  The realization that the two most important bags of our entire trip were not currently with them.  The children's bags filled with essential stuffed animals and beloved toys were left in the host's car.  Seeing the panic on their faces, a Croatian couple offered the use of their cell phone.  A desperate call for help was made to the host to return with the bags.  How far away was he?  Could he make it back to the port for us in 20 minutes before the boat departed?  The adrenaline started running strong again.  With minutes to spare, the family separated...mom and kids boarded the boat while dad waited for the bags.  The captain of the boat was informed of the predicament and asked not to leave until all had made it on board.  

The father was a hero.  Not only did he make it with the bags, he grabbed dinner (pizza slices) as well. As soon as he stepped on board, the ropes were released and the boat was off.  The family had to breathe and regain their composure for a second.

Being on board a large ferry was a fun adventure for all family members,  young and old.  It was a new experience for everyone.  Exploring the deck, talking with Canadian college students, and getting the bunks settled took about an hour.  Afterwards, it was lights out until the call for breakfast at 6 a.m.  

At 7 a.m. the family arrived well-rested to their destination, Split Croatia.  The journey had been longer than anticipated.  There had been bumps and detours along the way.  In the end, the experience would never be forgotten and remembered fondly.

Venice for Halloween

In order to get to our last stop, Croatia, we had to cut through Italy.  When we originally started planning our stops, we were not aware of how difficult it would be to get from Venice to Split in the off season.  If you look at a map you can see that the two countries are very close to one another.  We found a cheap flight months ago with Ryan Air from Barcelona to Venice.  However, we did not finish our traveling plans to get from Venice to Split, Croatia until a couple of days before arriving in Croatia.  We were both surprised by our lackadaisical attitude in finalizing this portion of our journey.  In the end, it did turn into being more of an adventure than we had original anticipated, but it all worked out.  This just reinforced not stressing about it beforehand.

The plane ride was nice as this was the first time that we have flown with post 2-years-old Liam (aka:  he got his own seat).  However, we will (probably) never fly Ryan Air again.  If you are ever considering whether to use them, please contact me and I will give you a thousand reasons as to why it will not save you money in the end.  I will spare those of you who are not interested in the details.  

We arrived in Venice around noon.  We took the Vaporetti, the public transportation down the Grand Canal, to the apartment.  The location of the apartment was perfect as it was in between the Rialto Bridge and St. Mark's Square.  It was very spacious, decorated with Murano Glass fixtures, and made us feel like sophisticated Venetians.  We had considered staying at a bed and breakfast, but decided that we would all be much more comfortable having our own space.  I can be overly concerned about others that I often hurt the feelings of my children trying to get them to be quiet and what not.  To spare us all from the stress, we opted for the apartment.  For families considering traveling, I highly suggest searching websites like VRBO (vacation rentals by owner), Airbnb.com, and more to find good prices on entire spaces.

Amelie and Liam's first trip on the Grand Canal.

After meeting our host and dropping off our luggage, we set out to grab lunch and explore.   Amelie and Liam loved exploring the narrow streets with lots of bridges and boats. We found boats that accomplished specific tasks.  For instance, police boat, gondola, mail service, taxi, construction, etc.  We also searched for lion figures (symbol of the city) and old water collecting wells as we walked around the city.  One of the best parts was that we had gelato after every meal except breakfast.  

Since we would not be dressing up for Halloween this year, we picked out masks to wear around the town instead.  It was fun going into the different shops, some really fancy/expensive and others cheap, to look at the masks.  Although we only had 1 full day in Venice, we had a lot of fun!  My one regret is that now after two trips to Venice, I still have never seen the inside of St. Mark's Basilica!  We went after nap time and arrived 30 minutes after they closed...bummer!

Liam learned "gondola" really quickly.  He would call to the gondolier from on top of the bridges as they would pass.  Most would speak to him while waving and smiling.

They enjoyed window shopping and looking at all of the creations made from Murano Glass.

Liam trying to schmooze a gondola ride.

We did take a Gondola ride across the canal.  This is a great, cheap alternative to the pricey private rides.

Eating a picnic pizza lunch.

Can't beat the view of our lunch spot!

Feeding pigeons our pizza crust followed by chasing them around the square.

"Who loves gelato?!"

Liam found a pigeon that would stand still long enough for him to have a conversation with.
Seriously, he was telling the pigeon that he was fine and it was a nice day.  He has already mastered small talk! :)

St. Mark's Tower in the evening. 

Before dinner we happened upon this church, San Zaccaria, and decided to take a peak.  
The interior is packed with paintings, including Bellini.  

Most churches in Venice do not have crypts, but this one does and is usually flooded.  

Yes, Liam stuck his foot in the water and soaked his shoe...too tempting not to, right?!

We had a nice delicious pasta dinner.  Amelie started to not feel well (partly from being tired I am sure), but she is a trooper.

Venice is beautiful.  It was hard not to take pictures constantly.  Was Venice fun with children?  Absolutely!  We had so much fun meandering through the streets on the island.   Although the Walkers love dressing up for Halloween, we chose a perfect place to spend this holiday away from home.

Best Paella near Valencia in El Palmar

On October 5th having the apartment totally clean and all of our belongings packed for our departure the following day, we decided to venture to a city where we had been told you could find the best paella.  El Palmar is the village where the paella rice is grown – even the native Valencians come here to eat delicious paella!  This village is located about 30 minutes by bus outside of Valencia.  Although the city bus does travel to El Palmar, it does not travel frequently throughout the day and especially infrequently on the weekends (which we found out).  We ran about a quarter of a mile to the bus stop where the city bus departing to El Palmar was supposed to be leaving from to find out that it didn't leave for another hour.  Luckily, the bus stop was right by a large mall so we hung out in the H&M to pass the time.  As we waited we also talked to an elderly couple also traveling to El Palmar, and laughed as we tried to communicate across a language barrier.  The grandmother was so tickled by our conversation (and lack of understanding) that at one point she just giggled and giggled hysterically.  It was so cute that we all ended up giggling with her. 

Once we arrived to El Palmar, we walked through the quiet, sleepy village to find a restaurant to serve us delicious paella.  There were a lot of choices, but we finally hunkered down near a canal at Restaurant El Sequer de Tonica.  Because of the way paella is prepared, you have to buy the dishes in at least quantities of 2's.  So, I allowed Bobby to choose what we would be eating (yes, I know that is very brave of me!)  He chose "arroz negro" which is a cooked fish-based broth containing cuttlefish, rice and squid with its natural ink that makes a special taste to the rice.  We also enjoyed appetizers of shredded local fish cooked in orange juice and calamari.  The kids were not as adventuresome and enjoyed eggs, fries, and chicken.  Liam did try the paella and seemed to like it okay.  He had a ring of ink dyed around his lips which made the waiter happy.  He said this is the way children are intended to look when eating paella.  While Bobby and I were finishing our meal, Liam played with a little girl his age around the tables.  The lunch was delicious and the scenery couldn't be beat.  

Albufera park borders El Palmar and is home to the largest lake in Spain.  It is one of the most important wetland areas in the Iberian Peninsula. It is a place of great ecological interest with rare species of wading birds and a rich variety of wildlife. Its waters have been traditionally worked by fishermen and rice growers, supplying ingredients and inspiration for many of the regions most succulent dishes.  After our meal we searched for an opportunity to ride a boat on the lake.  By inquiring around, we found a very cheap teenager who took us on a ride through the canals into the lake and back again.  Because I was taking pictures of the wildlife, he decided to help out by hitting on the metal engine which caused all nearby birds to fly in all directions.   It scared me every time he did this which he probably got a kick of as well.  Amelie and Liam loved the boat ride.

There is an option to travel on a tourist bus to El Palmar which includes a boat ride in the cost.  We did not choose this option and ended up paying less and having a private boat tour.  We passed a boat packed with people taking a tour of the lake.  I was glad we decided to do a little more research and winging it to have the experience that we did.

Liam playing with the shrimp from the paella dish.  He is saying "grrrrr!"

After we finished our boat ride we headed back to the bus stop.  We were slightly alarmed to find out the last city bus for the day had already come and gone.  Bobby inquired of a nearby tourist bus driver about a ride back to Valencia.  He was happy to oblige and gave us a fair rate back into the city.  We had to wait around 30 minutes for the tourists to finish their boat ride, but we were so happy to have a way back home that we didn't mind in the least.  The kids played on a playground, driving their cars down a huge slide while we waited.  The bus driver pocketed our money, but I didn't mind.  I was happy he took on a family of 4 with a huge stroller.  The ride back was a lot faster as we did not stop frequently like the city bus did, and he dropped us off fairly close to our house.

I am glad we made it to Albufera National Park and the village of El Palmar before leaving Valencia.  It was a fun day for the whole family!