22nd May - Venice
Yaaay for us!!! back on the Continent. It was a very very early start on Thursday morning when Sara, Duncan and I left for the airport, too early for coffee even which meant Dunc and Sara were a little on the cranky side :) I however was full of beans...
We arrived in Venice around lunch time and being the thrifty travellers that we are took public transport to our hostel. A bus you ask? Well yes, but a water bus, also known as Vaparetto. So we cruised down the Grand Canal on a little ferry type boat that stopped every so often on eithe side of the canal to allow passangers on and off.
Our "B&B" was located near the famous Rialto bridge, so location wise was perfect. I say B&B with tongue in cheek, as although marketed as a bed and breakfast actually had no breakfast during the months of april and may only.... (had we read the very fine print on the booking information).
That first afternoon we did a self guided walking tour around some of the churches, squares, canals and streets of Venice. It truly is beautiful. I had read prior to going in various reveiws that people either love or hate venice. Hating it due to its rundownness, crowdedness etc. I certainly did not hate it. Many of the buildings do have flaking plaster or paint, but we felt this show of age only added to the charm and beauty of the place. The forecast for the three days that we were in Venice was for rain and storms. Luckily for us the Beeb weather agency doesnt seem to get it right to often and it was nice and warm and sunny. (I have just discovered that this Italian keyboard seems to be lacking an apostrophe key, so apologies for the poor punctuation)
Due to our incredible early start it was a fairly early night for us after some good italian grub and vino, mmm. Fortunately for me I was soooo tired (and not grumpy :) that I slept soundly through til morning. Unfortunately Duncan and Sara were not so lucky and discovered that we were actually sleeping about a wine bar that mascaraded as a little sandwich/coffee shop by day, but by night transformed into a hive of veritable veneitan activity.
The next morning we feared we may have been too hasty in judging the Beeb, there were some dark clouds in the sky! But this did not dampen our enthusiams (ha ha). We took a path down past the fish market (the Venetians have been selling fish there since the days of Marco Polo). Fish markets sound incredibly boring, but you would be suprised the different creatures you can find at them. Next door to the fish market was a daily (except Sunday) fresh fruit and veg market. So bananas for breakfast it was as we continued on our way.
Heading south we crossed over the Rialto. A bridge of some sort has been in this location since around the 1100's (hey look i found the apostrophe!), but the present stone one was completed in 1591. It quite pretty with three pedestrian lanes separated with small shops.
Further south still we came to Piazza San Marco (St Mark's Square; since 1177) a large impressive square with lots of tour groups, over priced cafes and over friendly venetian pigeons (much to Sara's disgust, she does not like those birds). The Square is bordered by the Basilica, the Doge's Palace and the Procuratie (three interjoined buildings with a lovely facade of marble archways). We had arrived quite early to visit the Basilica but I was quite amazed by the sheer amount of people that were already in the square.
The inside of Saint Marks Basilica was quite opulent, but I think in a fairly subtle way.... that is of course if oppulence can be subtle. As you walked in it resemble many of the other Basilicas that we had visited although my eyes were immediately drawn to a wonderful mosaiced floor. Although very big it did not however have such a large amount of paintings and sculptures that other churches display, instead when you looked up you saw that the roof was decorated not just with frescoes, but with mosaics of gold, bronze and other coloured stones and tiles. Also on display behind the alter was a very old alterpiece full of precious gems and stones. Many of the art works displayed were thought to be looted from Constantinople or by artists from their following the crusades. It was also interesting to see the similarities between Ayasofya and the blue mosque in Istanbul (what was Constantinople) and the Basilica. We climbed up to the 1st level which afforded a splendid view over the square and also housed a small museum of art and information on how the church was maintained. The highlight of this section was some very old bronze horses (dating somewhere between the BC-AD changeover) which were once again booty from looting Constantinople.
The sky was continuing to darken so we continued our pursuit if indoor activities. The next on our agenda was the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, the same family that opened the Guggenheim museum of modern art in NYC. From what I could gather Peggy was an American with a lot of money, who knowing very little about modern art, became interested in modern art, sponsered (and married) many artists and became a collector. By modern art we are talking anything from the 19th century onwards. This was her personal collection and included works by Picasso, Pollock, Max Ernst. So after this I felt much more enlightened and cultured. I did find one explanation for modern art quite interesting: that with the introduction of photography there was no longer a need for 'realistic' paintings and portraits, and that these would become boring, so art needed to evolve to something different to maintain the veiwers interest.
It rained while we were in the Guggenheim... good old Beeb
We headed out to one of the small islands of venice San Giorgio Maggiore which has a Monastery and Church. Climbing the bell tower (via a lift there were no stairs :) gave a spectacular view back across Venice, marred only by the rain!
We headed back to the B&B buying some local vino and cheese along the way and we chilled out at the B&b for a while. We headed back over the Rialto for dinner and ate at a pizzeria. After dinner, some night photos of Venice and a much sought after Gelato we headed back to bed.
On our third day in Venice we sailed out to a couple of Islands in the Venetian Lagoon. Once again it was lovely weather sunny and hot, and not a cloud in the sky. Our first stop was Burano. Burano is a really colourful fishing village that became very famous for its lace. Our time was spent wandering the small islands along side its canals and gorgeous houses which were all different colours. So different and so bright that we wondered whether you could paint your house any colour or whether you had to get permission first. It turns out you apply to paint your house and they let you know what colours you are allowed to choose from. We didn't buy any lace.
The next stop was Murano, slightly bigger it looked more like a much quieter Venice. Murano is famous for its glass, and should you be in the market for glasses that cost 300 euro each or lamps that are over 1000 euro then this is the place for you. A lot of the glass work was beautiful.... but there was a lot of very over the top and dare I say...... tacky..... stuff, but hey who am I to judge, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
We were walking from the water bus into town and were accosted by a woman standing outside what looked like a private residence saying come in and see glass being blown. It was one of those situations where we were sure we were about to get ripped off or taken advantage of, but it was like putting chocolate on the table in front of me and saying it's alright it is free... taste it....
So we did. And it was actually pretty good. We saw to methods of fashioning glass, one 'blowing' a vase and one 'pulling' a horse. Very impressive! After that we were shown the way out... you guessed it through the gift shop!
From here on my luck in Murano when downhill, In one store while inspecting some very unique glasses I cut my finger on an unevenly finshed one and was bleeding 'everywhere!!!' Then i think it could have been the very next store, I picked up the only thing i could afford, and tried on a glass fashion accessory ring... In the process of prying this off my hot sweaty swollen finger, I threw it on the counter and in slow motion Duncan and I watched it bounce across the table onto the floor and break!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Silence ensued and we both looked at the door to see how quickly we could get out before the sales assistant reached us. My conscience got the better of me and I picked up the pieces to give to the sales girl. Luckily when I offered to pay for it she said 'oh that is only cheap it is not important do not worry' (it was still worth 20euros), so holding my breath I walked very carefully out of the store!
On our way back to the B&B that evening we walked along the coast near to Arsenale and past The Bridge of Sighs. Being hot and in need of refreshments we considered sitting at one of the canals and looking out over the water. This was going to be a costly experiment, so instead we bought some beer and wine from a tiny little street vendor, walked over and sat on the marble embankment next to the water. Watching the cruise ships sail in and the little water taxis ducking under the bridge to take their patrons into Venice central was a lovely way to finish up
We had dinner close by that night (Saturday) as we were heading off early to catch a train for the next stage of our journey.
....... Next time on the Blog: Cinque Terre...............
We arrived in Venice around lunch time and being the thrifty travellers that we are took public transport to our hostel. A bus you ask? Well yes, but a water bus, also known as Vaparetto. So we cruised down the Grand Canal on a little ferry type boat that stopped every so often on eithe side of the canal to allow passangers on and off.
Our "B&B" was located near the famous Rialto bridge, so location wise was perfect. I say B&B with tongue in cheek, as although marketed as a bed and breakfast actually had no breakfast during the months of april and may only.... (had we read the very fine print on the booking information).
That first afternoon we did a self guided walking tour around some of the churches, squares, canals and streets of Venice. It truly is beautiful. I had read prior to going in various reveiws that people either love or hate venice. Hating it due to its rundownness, crowdedness etc. I certainly did not hate it. Many of the buildings do have flaking plaster or paint, but we felt this show of age only added to the charm and beauty of the place. The forecast for the three days that we were in Venice was for rain and storms. Luckily for us the Beeb weather agency doesnt seem to get it right to often and it was nice and warm and sunny. (I have just discovered that this Italian keyboard seems to be lacking an apostrophe key, so apologies for the poor punctuation)
Due to our incredible early start it was a fairly early night for us after some good italian grub and vino, mmm. Fortunately for me I was soooo tired (and not grumpy :) that I slept soundly through til morning. Unfortunately Duncan and Sara were not so lucky and discovered that we were actually sleeping about a wine bar that mascaraded as a little sandwich/coffee shop by day, but by night transformed into a hive of veritable veneitan activity.
The next morning we feared we may have been too hasty in judging the Beeb, there were some dark clouds in the sky! But this did not dampen our enthusiams (ha ha). We took a path down past the fish market (the Venetians have been selling fish there since the days of Marco Polo). Fish markets sound incredibly boring, but you would be suprised the different creatures you can find at them. Next door to the fish market was a daily (except Sunday) fresh fruit and veg market. So bananas for breakfast it was as we continued on our way.
Heading south we crossed over the Rialto. A bridge of some sort has been in this location since around the 1100's (hey look i found the apostrophe!), but the present stone one was completed in 1591. It quite pretty with three pedestrian lanes separated with small shops.
Further south still we came to Piazza San Marco (St Mark's Square; since 1177) a large impressive square with lots of tour groups, over priced cafes and over friendly venetian pigeons (much to Sara's disgust, she does not like those birds). The Square is bordered by the Basilica, the Doge's Palace and the Procuratie (three interjoined buildings with a lovely facade of marble archways). We had arrived quite early to visit the Basilica but I was quite amazed by the sheer amount of people that were already in the square.
The inside of Saint Marks Basilica was quite opulent, but I think in a fairly subtle way.... that is of course if oppulence can be subtle. As you walked in it resemble many of the other Basilicas that we had visited although my eyes were immediately drawn to a wonderful mosaiced floor. Although very big it did not however have such a large amount of paintings and sculptures that other churches display, instead when you looked up you saw that the roof was decorated not just with frescoes, but with mosaics of gold, bronze and other coloured stones and tiles. Also on display behind the alter was a very old alterpiece full of precious gems and stones. Many of the art works displayed were thought to be looted from Constantinople or by artists from their following the crusades. It was also interesting to see the similarities between Ayasofya and the blue mosque in Istanbul (what was Constantinople) and the Basilica. We climbed up to the 1st level which afforded a splendid view over the square and also housed a small museum of art and information on how the church was maintained. The highlight of this section was some very old bronze horses (dating somewhere between the BC-AD changeover) which were once again booty from looting Constantinople.
The sky was continuing to darken so we continued our pursuit if indoor activities. The next on our agenda was the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, the same family that opened the Guggenheim museum of modern art in NYC. From what I could gather Peggy was an American with a lot of money, who knowing very little about modern art, became interested in modern art, sponsered (and married) many artists and became a collector. By modern art we are talking anything from the 19th century onwards. This was her personal collection and included works by Picasso, Pollock, Max Ernst. So after this I felt much more enlightened and cultured. I did find one explanation for modern art quite interesting: that with the introduction of photography there was no longer a need for 'realistic' paintings and portraits, and that these would become boring, so art needed to evolve to something different to maintain the veiwers interest.
It rained while we were in the Guggenheim... good old Beeb
We headed out to one of the small islands of venice San Giorgio Maggiore which has a Monastery and Church. Climbing the bell tower (via a lift there were no stairs :) gave a spectacular view back across Venice, marred only by the rain!
We headed back to the B&B buying some local vino and cheese along the way and we chilled out at the B&b for a while. We headed back over the Rialto for dinner and ate at a pizzeria. After dinner, some night photos of Venice and a much sought after Gelato we headed back to bed.
On our third day in Venice we sailed out to a couple of Islands in the Venetian Lagoon. Once again it was lovely weather sunny and hot, and not a cloud in the sky. Our first stop was Burano. Burano is a really colourful fishing village that became very famous for its lace. Our time was spent wandering the small islands along side its canals and gorgeous houses which were all different colours. So different and so bright that we wondered whether you could paint your house any colour or whether you had to get permission first. It turns out you apply to paint your house and they let you know what colours you are allowed to choose from. We didn't buy any lace.
The next stop was Murano, slightly bigger it looked more like a much quieter Venice. Murano is famous for its glass, and should you be in the market for glasses that cost 300 euro each or lamps that are over 1000 euro then this is the place for you. A lot of the glass work was beautiful.... but there was a lot of very over the top and dare I say...... tacky..... stuff, but hey who am I to judge, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
We were walking from the water bus into town and were accosted by a woman standing outside what looked like a private residence saying come in and see glass being blown. It was one of those situations where we were sure we were about to get ripped off or taken advantage of, but it was like putting chocolate on the table in front of me and saying it's alright it is free... taste it....
So we did. And it was actually pretty good. We saw to methods of fashioning glass, one 'blowing' a vase and one 'pulling' a horse. Very impressive! After that we were shown the way out... you guessed it through the gift shop!
From here on my luck in Murano when downhill, In one store while inspecting some very unique glasses I cut my finger on an unevenly finshed one and was bleeding 'everywhere!!!' Then i think it could have been the very next store, I picked up the only thing i could afford, and tried on a glass fashion accessory ring... In the process of prying this off my hot sweaty swollen finger, I threw it on the counter and in slow motion Duncan and I watched it bounce across the table onto the floor and break!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Silence ensued and we both looked at the door to see how quickly we could get out before the sales assistant reached us. My conscience got the better of me and I picked up the pieces to give to the sales girl. Luckily when I offered to pay for it she said 'oh that is only cheap it is not important do not worry' (it was still worth 20euros), so holding my breath I walked very carefully out of the store!
On our way back to the B&B that evening we walked along the coast near to Arsenale and past The Bridge of Sighs. Being hot and in need of refreshments we considered sitting at one of the canals and looking out over the water. This was going to be a costly experiment, so instead we bought some beer and wine from a tiny little street vendor, walked over and sat on the marble embankment next to the water. Watching the cruise ships sail in and the little water taxis ducking under the bridge to take their patrons into Venice central was a lovely way to finish up
We had dinner close by that night (Saturday) as we were heading off early to catch a train for the next stage of our journey.
....... Next time on the Blog: Cinque Terre...............
posted by Gemma at
9:08 PM
1 Comments:
Dear Duncan and Gemma
It sounds as if you are having a great time once again. Hope the injury is now healed and you will be more careful next time when handling glass! We just love reading your blog reports and can't wait till the next one. Keep them coming.
Mum and Dad Atack.
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Anonymous, at 5:48 PM
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