veggies of the Veneto 

Or, consider this morning. On a small side street of this neighborhood, a sculptor has set up a workshop. Out of fragments of 2000 year old stone found on Venetian islands, he chisels faces, true to images painted on ancient clay pots.

It was indeed love at first sight – with the man and his art. And, I loved the fact that he began his passion at the age of fifty (I’m only one year behind schedule in finding my own creative passion; no, the blog does not count; yes, I did start it when I was fifty; come on, I can do better than a blog!) – before, he had worked in monument restoration.

Yes, against great protest from within, I purchased something that weighs a ton but is so beautiful that I could not resist it. [Again, please do NOT tell me if you don’t find it so exceptionally striking.]

okay, the photo doesn't do it justice 

Today’s walk was through a neighborhood that used to be a favorite. Now it’s somewhat gentrified – you can tell by the appearance of expensive locks on the perfectly painted doors. Still it has the beautiful colors of Venetian houses and it is also home to a favorite, fantastic, phenomenal pizza place – worth returning to as many times as is humanly possible.

the best one has mushrooms and artichoke 

I need add nothing more here.. 

Finally, I wanted to note the ubiquitous Venetian lawn sign of the year. What, no lawns? Will windows do?

so many windows are displaying this banner! 

Fa la nanna e la nanna faremo (go to sleep and then we can all go to sleep)

Finally! Venice.

I am indeed sleepy and tired and jet-lagged; and today was my first day on the continent; and the computer hook up at the hotel is ... awful. Still, I can manage a few plain and basic words and a few photos from the day.

And I have to say that a memorable flight brought me here because, from the time of my first boarding of a commercial plane from Warsaw to Sofia in 1959 ‘til now, I have never had a woman pilot (and the captain of the crew no less). Never. Thus today, when I heard a female voice on the loudspeaker (this is on the Paris – Venice flight), I was sure that we were hearing from a flight attendant. Of course. Shame on me. AND NO, THAT'S NOT FUNNY --SHE DID NOT MISS THE RUNWAY! Obviously she was the best of the best.

The hotel I’m in was once the residence of a biology professor at Padua University (sigh, how times have changed!). The place is in a corner of Venice where there are almost no tourists. Venice is like that: it has the grand, the spectacular, the magnificent and eye-catching sights and vistas like this:

It takes your breath away each time you see it 

take out the gondola and croon to the tourists on the Grand Canal 

…And then the gentle, subtle, everyday spaces like this:

two older women next to colorful boats 

around the corner from where I am staying... 

For me, there’s great joy in sitting for a long time contemplating the beauty of this:

there's a chocolate flavor, a nutty one, and lots of whipped cream 

the sun sets late, the dinners start even later... 

Pre-travel notes, part 5

If there is another pre-travel post after this, then I will have missed my bus because I am dangerously close to the time when I should be ON the bus.

My overnight flight from Chicago lands me at CDG airport in Paris from where I surely will miss the connecting flight to Venice. Still, once on the continent, one can manipulate oneself over to the right place in no time. [As usual, I have an interesting array of transport systems ahead of me – from bus to planes to boat and eventually, later in the week, to train and then to car. Have I covered them all?]

This, then, is an announcement of a 24 hour lull in blogging. Most people worry about getting to their destinations in one piece, with suitcase in hand, more or less on schedule. Once there, they worry about getting into the new currency mode and not getting hopelessly lost in strange cities. Me, I worry about enabling my computer and finding a WiFi source and in the alternative, figuring out the local dial-up options. The Internet has taken over my soul!

“Ocean” is officially in repose as I make my way over the bigger, bluer, wetter Ocean...

Pre-travel notes, part 4

karaoke?

Perhaps sane people would not have chosen to attend a karaoke event on the eve prior to their departure on an extended trip. But I could not resist. For one thing, there were 5 bloggers present. That’s virtually a blogger flood. Then, too, it was a sociology happening and even though I am no longer a sociologist per se, I feel a great attachment to the people in that discipline.

It is late and I am just hours away from my departure, but I have to put in a plug for the misaligned in my previous post Dorotha and JFW – they were the propelling forces behind the karaoke night and I don’t care how sinister and cool they want to appear, they were magnificent karaoke-ists.

So it was all worth it. Except that once home, I realized that I had left my camera back at the Karaoke Kid. I really don’t mind driving back and forth on a night like this, but jeez, can’t I ever be more in control of my possessions when the schedule gets tight?

two out of the three here are known bloggers