WHY I LOVE AND HATE -- THE CRUISE SHIP BAN IN VENICE

The most beautiful sail away in the world - Venice, Italy

I wrote this article a few years back. Now that cruise ships are being banned from the city center, I thought I would revisit those times. 

Skeptics always ask me why I love cruising so much. What makes it so special? They ask me this because I once worked on a cruise ship  and sailed out of Venice for two years. I love cruise ships because I love the ocean. But what makes a cruise ship so special? Well, my favorite thing about a cruise ship is the sail away. I know that you also sail into a port but that usually happens when you are fast asleep in your cabin encased in your soft, high thread count luxury sheets. But sail away is a time when most of the passengers gather on the deck to watch the ship leave a port, drink frou-frou drinks and wave at those unfortunates on the dock that won't be sailing with us. This week I will tell you about my favorite place to sail away from.


My number one place to leave is Venice, and not because I want to get away but because I love Venice so much. One of my memorable experiences was planning a pizza party on the crew deck. Earlier in the day I had bought cheap bottles of red wine in town, but I didn't have to bring the pizzas because onboard an Italian head chef made sure that the pizza was thin and crispy with just a smattering of sauce and cheese that is hard to duplicate in American but can be found in any town in Italy.


The sail away from Venice was set in the late afternoon for the greatest dramatic appeal. The whole city takes on a golden glow. It is a balmy summer day, with the movement of the ship creating a soft breeze on deck. The ship meanders past medieval houses and cathedrals painted in muted earth tone colors. The harbor is crowded with water taxis, gondolas, and boats moving produce and goods through the canals. Commerce moving as it has for thousands of years. While the ship meanders past all of this splendor all the casino staff are lounging on the crew deck, sipping local red wine and chewing on crispy hot, fresh pizza that has just been delivered from the kitchen.

And then we sail past St. Marks Square, if there is a more beautiful place on earth, show it to me. Thousands of tourists are gawking at the Doge's Palace and the Basilica waiting for The Moor to strike his bell. The music from the violinist playing in the square is barely discernable from the ship. The day is perfect, the chance for days like that are why I lived on ships for many years.

I know that some of you have been to Venice, some left by plane where long lines and customs awaited you. Some of you went by train and what a great way to see the countryside. But as for me, I will always cherish those sail aways from Venice.

A few years after I wrote this article, I went back and visited Venice. The Venice I found was inundated with tourists. Where once you could find quiet streets and escape the crowds, now every street was at full capacity resembling a county fair on a Saturday night. I realize that this ban is good for the people of Venice because so many cruise ships are hurting the eco-system of the lagoon. Some say the cruise ships are ugly and take away from the cultural heritage. So, we all have to ask ourselves the question, what happens when Venice quits being the Venice we love? 




Click the link below to order at Amazon. While you're there check out the reviews and enjoy your stay at the Night Hawk.

Casino Queen (Night Hawk Casino Series Book 1) - Kindle edition by Bertoia, Cara. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Click the link below to order at Barnes and Noble 

Casino Queen by Cara Bertoia | NOOK Book (eBook) | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Cara Bertoia is the author of the critically acclaimed Casino Queen, a new suspense novel published by The Wild Rose Press. She has drawn from her years in the casino industry to create a fascinating thriller. It is all true although the names have been changed to protect the guilty. It had been featured at The Big Thrill and Women Writers Women's Books and at many other sites. Read the blurb here.

Caroline Popov, alone, heartbroken, and deeply in debt ends up in glamorous Palm Springs, California where Native casinos have just opened, offering employment to thousands. She lands a job at the Palm Oasis Casino and is mentored by the charismatic tribal chairman, John Tovar.

Embraced by casino culture, Caroline works her way up to casino manager of the Night Hawk, in the High Desert town of Joshua Tree. There, she is responsible for managing multicultural team members, satisfying the demands of challenging guests, growing revenue while rooting out corruption.

In the process of rediscovering her inner strength, she learns, you have to gamble like your life depends on it. With her life on the line can she pull out a win?

                         To check out my interview in The Big Thrill, click the link below.

Casino Queen by Cara Bertoia | THE BIG THRILL

Caroline Popov, alone, heartbroken, and deeply in debt ends up in glamorous Palm Springs, California where Native casinos have just opened, offering employment to thousands. She lands a job at the Palm Oasis Casino and is mentored by the charismatic tribal chairman, John Tovar.

Embraced by casino culture, Caroline works her way up to casino manager of the Night Hawk, in the High Desert town of Joshua Tree. There, she is responsible for managing multicultural team members, satisfying the demands of challenging guests, growing revenue while rooting out corruption.

In the process of rediscovering her inner strength, she learns, you have to gamble like your life depends on it. With her life on the line can she pull out a win?

 

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MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT - HOUSTON


Humans out there, I have a question for you. What would you try to find love? Wouldn't you love to take the guess work out of your hands and just have someone else pick your partner? I am a hopeful romantic who loves reality television but only the shows that help you find love, true love. So, I keep my screen tuned to the Bachelor, 90 Day Fiancée, and the ultimate challenge, Married at First Sight. I have followed this series faithfully since season one. I am sure most of you can figure out the plot by the title. It is a show where five strangers walk up to the altar, in front of their friends and family, and promise to love five other strangers the first time they lay eyes on them. A blind date that never ends. Now before you dismiss it as some creepy reality show meant to shock you, this show is really serious.

There are many things I love about this show. The thousands of singles who apply for the show are whittled down into a manageable list by the experts on the show, Dr. Pepper, Pastor Cal and Dr. Viviana. I don't know about you, but before I got married, dating was hard. If I were single, I would definitely try out for the show. I believe the experts couldn't do a worse job than I did choosing people to date. They cast people that seem relatable, not overly glamorous, and they have a good track record with diversity. At least they aren't going to set you up with a serial killer. They want the couples to succeed because that lends credibility to the show.

 To keep the show from getting stale, every season they move to a new town. This season it was filmed in Houston, last season in Atlanta. It moves around the country although they haven't gone out West yet.  It has a pretty good success rate, twelve marriages and many children are products of this show. You can't fake babies for the camera. In contrast, only one Bachelor has married his Bachelorette, although sometimes they change their mind and go for the runner-up.

After the honeymoon, while the couples get adjusted to their new partners, they aren't sequestered, they keep up with their normal lives all while filming the show. They go to work every day, interact with their friends, and visit the family. To all you singles out there, this show is like a crash course in dating, you can learn about "what not to do" watching these couples navigate life with a new partner.

But a new season is upon us, and it is now the time to decide, whether they will stay married or get a divorce. I will boldly make my predictions about the Houston couples after watching the matchmaking special. Rachel and Jose will go the distance, they seem like the perfect match. Brett and Ryan might have a shot, if he is ready to settle down with a real woman and not the imaginary one in his head. I don't give Johnny and Bao much hope because they are both perfectionists, and she has already met him and passed. I think Zack and Michaela will stay together, these two over achievers can achieve a lot together. Myrla and Gil make a beautiful couple, but her high maintenance ways will turn off firefighter Gil.

I'm really excited to see if the couples turn out to be train-wrecks or heaven sent. Only time will tell. Meet you here at the end of the season!

Cara Bertoia is the author of Cruise Quarters - A Novel About Casinos and Cruise Ships. Her novel is really a travelogue, a narrative, a romance, a self-help manual for gambling and cruising, and a real-life story all rolled into one funny, obsessive, and entertaining story of two people whose separate life journeys meet at a crossroads. Kindle Fire Dept. says, "This novel is a gem that is nothing short of a vacation in a book!"


Please check out her most popular posts at CaraBetoia.blogspot.com  to find more blogs about cruising, casinos and anything that catches her fancy.

Below are the links to Cruise Quarters - A Novel About Casinos and Cruise Ships

Click the link to find at Amazon.com
Click here to find at Amazon Canada
Click the link to find at Amazon United Kingdom
Click the link to find at Amazon Germany
Click the link to find at Amazon France
Click the link to find at Amazon Italy
Click the link to find at Amazon Spain 
Click the link to find at Amazon Brazil


 

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