Tag Archives: Venice

7 May 2016
Venice to Athens, with a Shortcut

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Welcome aboard to new guests joining us here in the glorious city of Venice.

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Photos by Corey Sandler,  2016. For more photos see my blog entry of May 5-6.

Tonight we head south from Venice through many of that once-great empire’s important holdings: Pula and Dubrovnik in Croatia, Kotor in Montenegro, and Corfu in Greece.

From there we stop in Itea on the mainland of Greece before taking a somewhat-obscure shortcut across the top of Peloponnesia.

Our ship is scheduled to squeeze through the almost impossibly narrow, rock-bound V-shaped Corinth Canal to reach Piraeus, the port of Athens.

I’ll be posting photos and observations here; I hope you’ll join me here.

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Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

5-6 May 2016
Venice, Italy: Dominant and Serene


By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

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Venice is one of the most extraordinary places on earth.

A city afloat.

The grand remnants of a once-great Republic.

La Dominante. The Dominant.

La Serenissima. The most serene.

The City of Water.

The City of Bridges.

The City of Canals.

The City of Masks.

Most of all, a magical place that never fails to charm and amaze. We have been here more times than I can count, and we still are thrilled to return.

We arrived early this morning,  tying up at San Basillio along the Giudecca canal,  walking distance away from Saint Mark’s Square and a world away from the monster cruise ships around the corner at the terminal.

To guests leaving us here today, I wish you safe travels and arrivederci.

We spent our three full days in Venice basking in the late spring sun, and looking for new corners to explore. Here are some photos from this visit, including a view of Saint Mark’s Square with snow on the distant Alps taken from the campanile of St. Giorgio Maggiore across the Guidecca.

VENICE FROM ABOVE AND AFLOAT

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Saint Mark’s Square, with snow on the Alps in the background, as seen from the campanile of San Giorggio Maggiore.

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BURANO ISLAND

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TORCELLO ISLAND

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Depending who is doing the counting and sometimes on how high the water rises, modern Venice consists of about 124 islands that sit in the shallow and marshy Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy between the mouths of the Po River to the south and the Piave to the north.

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It was during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance that the Republic of Venice rose to become a major maritime power, along with Genoa, Pisa, and Amalfi.

At its peak, in the 12th and 13th centuries, the Venetian Republic eliminated the pirates along the Dalmatian Coast, acquired control of most of the islands in the Aegean, including Cyprus and Crete, seized and sacked Constantinople (today’s Istanbul) in 1204 during the Fourth Crusade, establishing the Latin Empire in the process and became a major power-broker, trading with Western Europe as well as continuing to deal with the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic world.

By the late thirteenth century, Venice was the most prosperous city in all of Europe.

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At the peak of its power and wealth, it had 36,000 sailors operating 3,300 ships, dominating Mediterranean commerce.

Today, it has been invaded by tourists. That may seem quite a comedown, but the fact is that without tourism Venice would have returned to the swamp long ago.

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Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Hudson Book Cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

29 April 2016
From Civitavecchia to Venice: A Journey Between Empires

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

To guests leaving us today,  we wish safe travels and arrivederci.  And welcome aboard to new fellow travelers.

We sail out of Civitavecchia–the ancient port of Rome built by the Emperor Trajan in the 2nd century and now one of the busiest modern ports of the Mediterranean for cruise ships, ferries, and cargo–and we are headed down and around the toe and heel of Italy.

Our goal is the seat of another great empire of Europe: Venice. As we pass east of the heel of Italy into the Adriatic Sea, we will sail through a large part of the thassalocracy of Venice: a dominion over water and ports.

Our itinerary takes us from Civitavecchia to Sorrento (gateway to Pompeii on the mainland and the enchanted isle of Capri) and then through the Strait of Messina to Taormina on Sicily.

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From there we head to Brindisi on the heel of Italy and then Dubrovnik and Rijeka in resurgent Croatia.

I hope you’ll join me here.

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Hudson Book Cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

2-3 July 2015
 Venice, Italy: Another Sigh

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

We have returned to the serene city of Venice, arriving in high style aboard the lovely Silver Spirit, passing in front of St. Mark’s Square in the early morning light.

The most famous transport in Venice, of course, is the Gondola, although they’re almost exclusively used for short rides for tourists.

They’ve been around for about a thousand years, although the design as we see them now dates only to about 1825. There once were perhaps 10,000 in use; today only about 500 are in service.

If you’re in the market for one of your own, a basic hand-crafted model sells for at least 20,000 Euros. That’s before you add floormats.

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On the Piazetta, just outside the main Piazza, is the pink-and-white Palazzo Ducale, the Doge’s Palace.

This was a residence as well as the seat of government. It was also used as a torture chamber and prison and Senate—which in today’s world may seem to be the same thing.

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Crossing a small canal—the Rio di Palazzo—into the Doge’s Palace is the Ponte dei Sospiri, the Bridge of Sighs. It was built in 1602.

The view from the bridge was the last view of Venice seen by convicts before they entered the prison.

It received its evocative nickname in the 19th century by Lord Byron who suggested that prisoners would sigh at the final view before being shuttered away.

Well, Byron was a poet and is entitled to an imagination; the fact is that by the 19th century the cells in the palace were used only for petty criminals on short sentences, and in any case it is difficult to see anything at all while crossing the bridge because stone grills cover the windows.

Today, it is mostly sighs of a different type. There is a belief that those who kiss beneath the bridge will enjoy a love that lasts forever.

It’s worked for us.

We are headed home for a vacation; we’ll be back at the end of August on Silversea Silver Cloud from Southampton to Lisbon with stops in Bordeaux, Bilbao, and Porto.

And then we’ll hop over to Rome to join Silversea Silver Wind in the Mediterranean in September. I hope to see you here (or there).

Text and images copyright 2015 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Henry Hudson Dreams cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

9-10 June 2015
 Venice, Italy: La Dominante, La Serenissima

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Venice, the Dominant, the Serene, is one of the most extraordinary places on earth.

A city afloat. The grand remnants of a once-great Republic.

The City of Water. The City of Bridges. The City of Canals.

Depending who is doing the counting and sometimes on how high the water rises, modern Venice consists of about 124 islands that sit in the shallow and marshy Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy between the mouths of the Po River to the south and the Piave to the north.

A VENICE ALBUM

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Photos by Corey Sandler

It was during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance that the Republic of Venice rose to become a major maritime power, along with Genoa, Pisa, and Amalfi.

At its peak, in the 12th and 13th centuries, the Venetian Republic eliminated the pirates along the Dalmatian Coast, acquired control of most of the islands in the Aegean, including Cyprus and Crete, seized and sacked Constantinople (today’s Istanbul) in 1204 during the Fourth Crusade, establishing the Latin Empire in the process and became a major power-broker, trading with Western Europe as well as continuing to deal with the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic world.

By the late thirteenth century, Venice was the most prosperous city in all of Europe. At the peak of its power and wealth, it had 36,000 sailors operating 3,300 ships, dominating Mediterranean commerce.

From the 13th through 17th centuries, Venice’s leading families vied with each other to build the grandest palaces and support the work of the greatest and most talented artists.

Six hundred years ago, Venetians protected themselves from land-based attacks by diverting all the major rivers flowing into the lagoon and thus preventing sediment from filling the area around the city.

During the 20th century, when many artesian wells were sunk into the periphery of the lagoon to draw water for local industry, Venice began to subside.

The city is still threatened by frequent low-level floods (called Acqua alta, “high water”) that splash over the walls. Saint Mark’s Square floods more than 50 times a year.

THE VIEW FROM THE TOP

One of my favorite parts of my job is giving commentary from the ship’s navigational bridge as we sail in or out of some of the planet’s most beautiful ports.

Among them is Venice,  and I was up top early on 9 June to help guests understand the great city.

Here are some photos from Venice,  starting with the view from the bridge:

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Photos by Corey Sandler 

To those guests leaving us here in Venice, safe travels and arrivederci: Until we meet again.

And for those joining us for the next adventure, welcome aboard.

Here’s our plan for the next cruise, from Venice to Istanbul.

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Text and images copyright 2015 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Henry Hudson Dreams cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

31 May 2015
 Civitavechia to Venice

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Welcome aboard.

We are embarked on a voyage that circles down and around Italy, from the ancient port of Rome on the Tyrrhenian Sea through the Strait of Messina to Corfu in the Ionian Sea and then north into the Adriatic Sea.

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This cruise ends in Venice, once one of the world’s most dominant military, economic, and political powers, a thalassocracy of maritime colonies and trading partners that includes much of our itinerary as well as further east into the Aegean Sea to Constantinople, today’s Istanbul.

Here’s our plan:

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I’ll be posting stories and photos from each port.

I hope you’ll follow along on our voyage.

Text and images copyright 2015 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS