Venice

We flew to Paris the Thurs night prior to Labor Day.  Air France flight was great, the agent at check in neglected to charge us the $300 fee for taking two bicycles.  Flight left on time and had individual screens on which you could watch your choice of film. No films in Italian though so I watched one Argentinean and one Brazilian film.  Patrick chose action flick.  Wine was enjoyed as well.

Top food of the day: very aromatic and quite tasty mushroom pasta airplane food

Paris airport was top notch and the waiting area smelled of perfume and chocolate from the shops below.  It was full on color for a very early morning – the ladies room had floor to ceiling pink and red doors in a heavy glossy material – the place was immaculate.  I saw a group of African ladies there put together amazing well with well coiffed hair and bright print dresses.  I accepted that I might never achieve that level of pulled together – and never after an overnight flight.  Enjoyed reading El Pais newspaper in the glass covered (and shaped like a wing) terminal before jet lag set in.  Highlight of the flight to Venice was the peek at the window at the Alps and a decent look at the topography we would be shortly cycling across.  Our bicycles arrived in good shape and we enjoyed a low key and pleasant ride from the airport to our hotel in Maestre. 

unpacking the bike in the airport, wearing my quick dry clothes

 We were very happy to see that Maestre is small and a good portion of our route was on a bike path.  We headed into Venice via short train trip for the evening.  My friend Danielle had warned me that Venice would be crowded this weekend.  She was right.  Our first impression of the city was dirty, crowded, and heavily touristed train station.  The crowd thinned as we headed into narrow alleys, past shops packed with masks, crumbling churches, and little dogs out for walks.  The streets are amazingly quiet once the sun sets.  On some of the quiet streets, with views of canals and churches, I got the impression of a glorious decay.   Dinner was mediocre and overpriced squid ink pasta.  

Top food of the day:  lemon gelato

Wonderful Saturday morning watching the city wake up from the water shuttle (like a bus, but a boat).  Determined to not eat overpriced tourist food, we bought meat, bread, cheese and milk at a grocery and ate breakfast on the steps of a bridge.  Then bought cherry tomatoes from a produce vendor on a boat and ate those on a pier in front of the glass museum, enjoying the light playing on the water while we waited for the museum to open.  We loved the glass museum at Murano http://museovetro.visitmuve.it/en/home/!  In particular we loved a room with bright, bold, colorful vases in cases lit with natural light.  You could see the reflection of a canal through the window in one of them.  The room also had 3 large and spectacular chandeliers of Murano glass in fanciful shapes.  After that delightful morning, we visited three churches.  One in Murano had an amazing tiled floor of many colors.  One was made of marble and the third was just huge.  Venice was crazy busy and full sun with powerboat noise in the afternoon – we escaped after a few hours by taking a long ride on the water shuttle to another island known for lace– too long perhaps as we returned to our hotel feeling worn down and not connecting with Venice.  The view of lights on the water at night is nice.

view of bicycles from a canal

peaceful evening respite from crowds

Couples place these locks to show their commitment

Top food of the day: anise meringue – a very large solid sugar affair of which I took about 2 bites and had to save the rest for the cycling trip

Thoroughly enjoyed our hotel room Sunday morning and didn’t venture out into Venice again until lunch time.  We headed for Gam Gam, an Israeli restaurant recommended by Patrick’s friend Sarah.  Yum Yum!!  Assortment of aps was great as was wine, bread, and Turkish coffee.  Main dish was a bonus.  Off to wind through the maze of alleys from Gam Gam to Basilica San Marco.  The church was incredible – really a sight inside and out.  Patrick was wowed with the gold and bejeweled images of saints behind the altar.  I loved the intricate tile floor. 

We also saw an incredible collection of chalices.  The cups were made in the East and the metal base and stem were Italian.  All were bejeweled.  The richness of this place sparks the imagination.  Along with the chalices in the “treasure” of the church is a gruesome collection of relics.  Skulls, bones, and bone fragments.

We escaped the crowds and afternoon sun for a bit in a museum where we wandered among portraits of wealthy Venetians and scenes of life in Venice in the old days.  Plenty of people watching opportunities to be had in the plazas and narrow streets.  Patrick noted women’s tourist fashions – very short frilly shorts, see through dresses, and fancy clothes.   We had good views of the buildings on the grand canal and we also watched a regatta.  Teams of young people raced in the Grand Canal and there were also racing gondolas.  It was festive and fun to watch. 

After the solid lunch, we had planned for a light dinner, but stumbled upon a street food scene on our walk back to the train.  The food and beer appeared to be hosted by the communist party.  We enjoyed sausages, polenta, fried seafood, grilled vegetables, cod spread, and some beers. 

Finished the day with hazelnut gelato and view of lights on the water.

Top food of the day: Tomatoes with oil and basil