My first visit to Venice was in 1972. I was 14, I had three small brothers, and my parents took us all to Italy for the summer, driving down from Trondheim/Norway with an old Amazon and a caravan.
We stayed at Lido di Jesolo for two weeks, and during this period we visited Venice one day. It was a hot day, and it was before the golden area of credit cards. My father had his traveller's cheques, but found no where to change them on a Saturday. Kids on vacation in big, hot cities are not always the most patient creatures, and as time went on we became warm and thirsty. Still no banks open.
In the end my parents found an open travel agency which agreeded to change one of the cheques for lire, and with fresh money in his pocket my father took us to the first restaurant he could find. FLORIAN on St.Mark Square. Two coffee and four cokes were ordered, and we got two huges surprises: the coffee wasn't enough for one mouthfill, how could they know that coffee for an Italian meant espresso? The bill was high enough to fill wathever!
It has become a favorite family story!
I am an April child, and celebrated my birthday during our week in Venice. My plans for the day were set long before we arrived. Murano for lunch, Florian for a late coffee. This time Terje and I ordered cappucino though, and we knew that the bill would be a fortune:-)
The music, the atmosphere.....
......and a nice walk and vaporetta ride home after a perfect day.
