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Venice, Italy

We have been lucky again with the weather as the forecast was not good for today, but it turned out very pleasant most of the day except for a good down pour before dinner. We did our pre-move prep at the train station and headed off on a leisurely meander through the Jewish quarter. There were a few people about, but by European standards not many at all.

First stop to keep our energy up was a wonderful little deli that actually had some cakes that passed the Abi eye test. Many pastries and cakes so far in all countries simply have not passed the ‘worth it for calorie’ test, being a keen cook and eater I can usually tell accurately by looking 99% of the time whether something is going to be tasty or moist. Italian baking like the Spanish is a lot of pastries and quite dry – with of course exceptions like in Vernazza. Back to this shop we got some pretty dark pink berry nougat for our journey tomorrow and a lovely eclair filled with custard and REAL whipped cream and a small slice of a nice simple baked cheesecake. It was heavenly to sink our chops into rich cream, cheesy nom and a good custard.

Wandering through the older poorer section was so picturesque and the ambience drew you magically into a Venetian dream where your fantasies and imaginings of the place came alive. Canals with solid old bridges, busy plaza with people drinking at tables in the sun, smells of fresh baked pizza and garlic, sounds of italian chatter and water lapping on mossy steps as boats made their way along the waterways. Watching over the scene are houses of up to 5 stories high with peeling plaster, exposed aged and crumbly looking bricks, completed by decorative wrought iron window dressings cupping cheerful flower pots.

As we got back on track and followed the signs to the Rialto bridge the crowds got thicker and then they got ridiculous. We got quickly dragged back to the 21st century and reminded that we are in Venice with throngs of other tourists. I got a quick shot of the Rialto bridge view and then we wound our way through a few lanes to St Marks Square.

St Marks is cute, if you can call a nearly 2000 year old church with really bumpy uneven pot holed gaily mosaic decorated floor and glittering ceiling cute. We had no queues to get in – took us longer to find where we had to check Verns backpack in.

It is quite dark inside and does not have the ‘stations’ along the walls or fancy glass or lots of preserved popes. The mosaics that line the floor, arches, and ceilings are really beautiful with their soft golden (from gold leaf) glow and colourful biblical stories – including very realistic Adam and Eve and Flood stories to name a few. There is even a Mosaic of them stealing St Marks bones and bringing them to Venice – although I have been told that some quarters now think they are Alexander the Great’s remains, who knows?

They have also used marble of different colours cut to show the grain to wonderful effect that it almost looks like whirly tree grain. I had great delight in touching all sorts and just soaking up and connecting to the history. We both enjoyed the intimate feel of the church and then managed to get the last entry of the day up to the balcony (for a fee). This part is a mini museum and houses the famous horses inside (175BC also stolen from Greece), and the replicas outside.

We had to move quickly and did not have time before closing to see the other museums or remains of St. Mark (or Alexander) and raced across the square to get up the bell tower. Now I really liked this little tower as it had a lift all the way up. Yeah! The views were great and the early evening sun gave a lovely glow to the tiled roofs. Interesting that you can’t see the canals from up above due to the height of the houses and how close they are together. From the top level its surprising how big Venice is and its fascinating to think that it was built on top of 100 or so little islands and that over a million piles were driven in to support the city network.

Today again was confirmation for us that doing your own thing and getting off the most popular tourist track can provide a really memorable experience where you have the space and opportunity to get a peak at the local culture and absorb atmosphere. Sure the renowned sites and art etc are great, but too many tourists anywhere really cut off that personal connection for us. We think it is good to balance the two aspects everyday if possible and of course that takes time – but its so worth it. We have even dropped some must see things off the agenda in view of time out or diversions as they have been more meaningful than some ‘big ticket’ items that sometimes feel just like doing a check list. Constantly racing from sight to sight can be limiting and mechanical not to mention exhausting. But taking time out to wander, explore and just ‘be’ seems a better pace. You have time to stop and get to meet people and learn things, or experience things at a deeper level – whether it be a funny duck, an ancient building or an interesting local character. Ok onward on the journey….

We got the correct ferry this time to go up the Grand Canal (had a half hour wait as it was so busy though) and returned home to change before going back to the first restaurant we tried and had the same tasty Squid and Carbonara dinner. After eating squid ink pasta you get black teeth and lips – so I looked as gorgeous as the witchy woman on pirates of the Caribbean smiling at Vernon across the table. Too bad – its delicious and nutritious and good for cancer – I looked it up!

I tried a new drink tonight which is peach juice and sparkling dry white – Bellini, very drinkable and to complete our feast we enjoyed chocolate drenched profiteroles and house made Tiramisu. Totally deserved after a very long day on the cobbles and water. Such hardship we endure at the moment…

The evening closed as we strolled home along the softly lit canal, dodging puddles and passing pleasant exchange with the occasional wine and Venice influenced mellow passerby.

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