Day 2: Arrival in Padua

We saw the northern coast of Ireland, some Channel islands, and the northern coast of France. We gained an hour during the flight, so we were "only" two hours late. We had a little trouble finding our Elderhostel group inside Marco Polo Aeroporto di Venezia, (click "in aeroporto > virtual tour") piano terra (3rd floor) - arrivi (arrivals), near the lost & found. Our tour guide, Laura Papallo, didn't have professional credentials which would have enabled her to greet us in the main assembly area.

It was drizzly for our 1/2-hour bus ride to Padova (Padua) and our room (#209 - duecentonove) at the Casa del Pellegrino, just across the street from St. Anthony's Basilica. We met our other group leader Annie Ortengren (pictured here with Laura). After lunch (in our very loud dining room) and a rest, Laura and Annie took us on a walking tour of the area around our hotel (see small map below). It was delightful even in the rain. We walked to the 'T'abaccheria [a small shop carring much more than tobacco] at Francesco & Cesaroti, then backtracking to the piazza del santo, then down Beato Buca Belludi to the Prato delle Valle, then up the via Umberto to a canal, then retraced our way back to the hotel. We had dinner and got back in our room by 9:00 hoping for some good sleep.

The street just behind our hotel, via G. Galilei (at the top of the map, above "Casa del Pellegrino"), holds the house where Galileo Galilei lived during the 18 years he taught here, 1592-1610. On that house is a plaque which praises Galileo for the attention he paid the native ("ruzzante", peasant) language.

Casa del Pellegrino

Basilica del Santo, in front of Pellegrino. A live webcam

a portion of il Prato della Valle, 78 statues!

Palazzo nell'angolo (cor. Valle & Belludi)

Galileo's house, behind our hotel

breakfast room	dining room (rear)	meeting room	the neighborhood walk
	Our bath facilities at the Casa Pellegrino. The shower (next to the bidet) had neither door nor curtain; the water just splashed off you out onto the floor. It was impossible to take a shower without getting water all over the floor. Apart from that inconvenient peculiarity, the bathroom facilities were excellent.	Region - Veneto Prov - Padua (PD) Area - 92 km² Pop ('04) - 210,821 Time - CET, UTC+1 Coord - 45°25 11°52 Dial - 049 Post - 35100	Wikipedia article: Padua

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