Arrivederci Venezia

Here I am at Marco Polo airport waiting for my flight home.  I have had a wonderful last few days, first with Joyce then Kay & Brett and other local friends.  The one disappointment was that there were no bookings except ours for the Jazz Club on Monday night so Federico didn't open.  I met Kay & Brett after the Circolo for a pizza and the temperature had dropped again and the wind got up.  I was shattered and actually quite glad not to be out until midnight.  The only downside of the location of my apartment is that I have a long yomp home.

Tuesday I packed, met friends and prepared a meal for Kay and Brett then we went to the Palazzo Barbagigio to La Traviata.  It was my friends first opera and they loved it.  The setting there is so intimate it is a great introduction to the opera.

It was great they were here and they got up very early this morning to come over to La Guidecca to help me with my luggage to Piazzale Roma.  Now I am in the departure lounge looking out over the lagoon and wondering if 11.00am is too early for a prosecco?  Definitely not for an Italian.  

Until my next visit.  Ciao, ciao, ciao.

Antarctic Venice!

Busier than usual on the bacino yesterday!

Arctic Venice

The last week has been very cold and it got colder and the wind stronger each day.  So cold the lagoon froze and the fish died.

These top three photos are from a friend, one from the internet taken on Sunday afternoon.

My photo from the bus coming over the bring into Venice.

I took the others from the vaporetto stop at San Marcuola after having lunch with my friend Ian at his apartment in the Ghetto.  We couldn't believe the Grand canal was frozen.

Thursday the wind became much stronger, Friday you could barely walk.  Joyce and I went to my friends Liz and Geoff's for dinner in the evening.  We were warned to wear lots of layers as they couldn't get the apartment warm.  Mine was the same.  Yesterday the wind had dropped, the sun came out and it was much warmer though the temperature dropped with the sun.

Friends

Last night Gaspare and Ian came to dinner.  This has become an annual event.  Gaspare says this is the Kathryn season, how wonderful.  We just pick up where we left off and always have so much to talk about.  A wonderful topic last night was the Kings and rulers of Italy, Ian and Gaspare are so knowledgeable and it was interesting hearing about how Italy became unified.  This all started from a discussion of Franco da Mosto and how unknown he is in Venice.

Joyce arrived this morning.  The sun is shining but the wind is very sharp.  She got her hotel room which was lovely then we had a delicious lunch at Bar Palanca, so good we have booked a table for tomorrow lunchtime!

It is now siesta time for Joyce and I have ironing calling.  This wind has dried the washing this morning.

Shops I use on the fondamenta

I thought I would show and tell about the local shops.  Above is one I haven't been into but love to look in the window.  It sells: baby wear & baby gifts, ladies and gents underwear, wool, towels, bedding, some slippers...........

This is GRACE the computer shop with internet access.  Good job I didn't need to use it as it closed the day after I arrived and only reopened this week.  It was useful if I needed to print something I could just take the stick around there.

Here is the salumeria which stock cheese and meats and rather like an old fashioned grocer.

Here is Postale Italiano. You have to be very patient, only one person in front of you still takes ages.  The lady who sells the stamps is very sweet and lives near me so we often bump into each other.  I even saw her last week at the railway station.  Hours are awkward two - 8.30 - 13.00 and no collection on Saturdays.

This is the butchers who is now a millionaire.  His meat is very good but expensive.  A chicken last week was Euros18.  He did offer me one still with the neck and head on - I declined!

Luckily I have had no need of the pharmacy this year.  If you remember I lived in it for the last two weeks in 2011.  I went in today for some throat sweets I had bought last year that were very good.  To compare some prices:  Paracetamol were Euros 9 and antibiotics Euros 2.50!

Bar Palanca, a great local meeting place.  The kitchen is open at lunchtimes and just passing there aromas are wonderful.  In a morning they cook fresh brioche which are so soft and warm.  The local ladies all sit in the back corner in an afternoon and talk.

I didn't get a photo but I mustn't forget the pet shop.  No I aren't going mad or have bought a dog  but the lady now stocks flowers and has very good ones at sensible prices.  I have had beautiful lilies and little bunches made up to take to hosts when invited out to dinner.

Finally just behind the fondamenta is the Coop. Again it closes 1-3pm which makes it awkward as often I retune home then and would call in.  But it has a good selection of most things and it is not far to pull my corelli home.

There are other shops - tobacconists, toys, fishmonger, bread and hard wear so the area is well supplied with most things I need.

Day out to Coneligiano

I had a day out to Coneligiano in the foothills of the Dolomites.  The day was bitterly cold but I enjoyed it.

I first found a beautiful cage for hot chocolate - literally melted chocolate, I have never had one so rich.

But as I walked around town I realised this on only one of dozens.  The place was wall to wall Viennese type cafes.

First I went into the Duomo (cathedral) that had a wonderful Prieseppe (nativity scene) set in a model of the church.  So here are photographs of the scene and the outside of the church.

The towns streets were columned passageways similar to those in Bologna.

I also went to see an art exhibition of paintings by Lorenzo Lotto the nephew of Antonio Canaletto who painted in the same style and sometimes each others paintings were attributed to the other.

Liz recommended a place opposite for lunch, no menu so a guess from the description meat or fish.  I had macaroni with a cream meat sauce, beautiful soft bread followed by homemade tiramasu.  Delicious.

I returned to the station and was just in time for a train back to Venice.  I was so cold when I got back I went to bed to read and here I still am.  The north wind is freezing.  I have put a scarf down at the door to try to keep out the wind.

The light

I love the late afternoon light on the city.

Here are two lovely photographs of the Grand Canal.  Above from the Accedamia and below from 

San Toma looking towards the Rialto.

Marco Polo

Marco Polo was not over liked in Venice, they thought he exaggerated too much and was too full of himself.  

There are two campos named after him in the area his family lived, near the Rialto behind the Malibran Theatre.  The called him the man with the million stories and that it how these two campos got their names!

Follow the Star

Many of you will know we had a project in the village over Advent with the schools and the traders.  Kay bought a small shooting star to go outside Church which John kindly fitted for us. He did say what a pity it wasn't larger!  Here are a couple of the stars I have found in Venice.

I read the lesson in church on my first Sunday here and it was Matthew 2 1-11.  The Kings following the star!  It was perfect for me, culminated our project.

Murano, Burano and Torcello

Here are my photographs of my trip to the Islands last week.

Above is the Canale grande in Murano!

Burano and its' leaning campanile!

The coloured houses of Burano.

Torcello, the first island to be inhabited, the most northerly and nearest to the airport.

Experimenting with my new camera!

Approaching the Fondamenta Nove.

Sunset behind San Servolo.

Sunset behind San Giorgio.  it was a fabulous trip back.

Apple Mac tutorial session

Several of my friends here have recently purchased new Mac books but have not had the lessons I've had and know how to get the most from it.

Last night I lead a one to two session with Hilary and Mike.  We covered a lot of ground, iPhoto, Skype, FaceTime, dashboard and more.  We had a session then Annie fed us with delicious home-made soup, another session then open sandwiches, another session then a strudel Hilary had brought back from the Coop in San Vito then another session.  Each session was accompanied by prosecco and then wine.

We had great fun and my pupils said they had learned much, or at least I had given them pointers of where to look for things. 

First Spritz

Saturday I had a day out to the Islands.  The weather was beautiful so I thought I should go and get some colour into my cheeks.

After much walking I sat outside waiting for the vaporetto to Treporti and enjoyed my first spritz.  For those of you who haven't experienced this Venetian drink it is either Aperol (my choice) campari or select with prosecco, a dash of water and a slice of orange or an olive.  It can be served as here in a tumbler or in a large, long stemmed wine glass.  Salute!

A day in Firenze

Thursday I went for a day trip with Annie and Mike to Florence to see an exhibition at the Strozzi Palazzo entitled Money and Beauty.  I love going out with them because they like lots of coffees in lovely places.  I know this sounds a contradiction of terms but our first one, with a brioche was at the railway station!  The food there is really good and inexpensive.

The train journey was two hours and very comfortable.  We took a taxi to Piazza San Marco, I remembered there was a lovely Viennese type cafe there.

These are the beautiful amaryllis on the bar.

Here are the long and the short of it!  Annie and I.

We then went our separate ways for an hour and a half.  I went to the Convent San Marco to look at Fra Angeleco's frescoes.  He painted a wonderful Annunciation at the top of the stairs and scenes from the life of Christ in each of the sixty monk's cells.  How amazing to have one of his paintings on your bedroom wall!  But I guess life in the convent would be hard and very cold.

Walking down the Via Cavour to meet up with Annie and Mike again.  The bell tower of the duomo above the buildings.

This ring to tether your horse is on the wall at the Medici Palazzo.  Also see there would have been a torch coming out of the top.

I had a walk through the market and was accosted by a trader selling leather coats and went into his shop to try one on.  He was so full of bull s**t.  He was sure my parents were of Italian descent I was so beautiful!  They are very clever and he gave me a coat to try which fit perfectly.  When I asked the price is was Euros 685.  I winced.  He said how much would I pay?  I said E300.  I knew immediately I had pitched too high.  The price at my still reluctance came down to E240!

Mike found us a great place for lunch, inexpensive and full of locals.  I had chicken curry!

The Duomo and Baptistry.

The exhibition was very interesting, how people got around not being able to receive interest for loaning money, the church was against that.  Usurers were evil people!  There was a computer game through the exhibition to see if you could make money by moving goods through different countries.  Annie and I made a profit, Mikes ship was attacked off the coast of Africa - still the same today.

After a lovely tea in the cafe we headed back to the station and returned home, a wonderful day out.