Italian Caper, Chapter 2

It must have been our trip to the exhibition "Roma e i Barbari" in Venice, because Annie has decided that our next trip will be ... Rome!  (And this time with Louise and Daniel.)

I've already started the homework with a copy of the Blue Guide to Rome.  Not as many pictures as the trusty DK, but more rewarding bed-table reading.  It also gives me a reason to keep up my Italian (I've already bought the bigger dictionary) and make a whole new section on my Netflix queue.  (Go there and search "Rome" and "Roman" and you'll see how it would take a year just to watch all the DVDs!

So now the lists start:  Painters, sculptors and writers.  Museums and churches.  Friends' favorite places.  Music.  Books to read.  Ah, planning the trip!

We're Back!

A wonderful evening yesterday in Venice.  Took the vaporetto the length of the Grand Canal as the sun set, then had dinner in a lovely little restaurant, outdoors in a corner of San Marco.  Did half our packing last night and threw outselves into bed early.

Up at 6:30 this morning and finished packing.  Wound up taking a (speedboat) taxi to the airport (long story, will blog later) and will say that although it's very pricey, it's also the most thrilling taxi ride I ever had.

Everything went very smoothly at the airport.  8 hour flight with 3 count 'em three movies.  Annie was an angel.  We talked over the trip and "interviewed" each other for the blog.  

A little bit of circling the airport due to bad weather here in NYC, but landed less than an hour late and pretty much breezed through custom/immigration and caught a taxi to Grand Central, where Annie's grandfather was waiting for us.  A quick handoff and Annie was on her way home, as was I.

Nice to be home.  Wireless Internet!   American plumbing!  My own bed!!

A note to the fans:

I have about a dozen posts written on my laptop and ready to go, but nothing seems to work in terms of cutting and pasting from Microsoft Word into Google's Blogspot format.  If anyone really knows how to do this, I'd really like some help.

I also have a ton of photos, which I'll be uploading to Shutterfly this evening, at which time I'll post a link here on the blog.

If anyone wants me to just send them the unpublished blogs postings as a PDF, send an e-mail to hslev@aol.com and I'll send them along.

A Perfect Last Day

Annie tapped my shoulder to get up. "9 o'clock, Uncle Harold, and I'm up first!"

A quick breakfast and we were on our way. "Our" traghetto across the Grand Canal, up to Fondamente Nuovo and we were off to Torcello. Much back and forth at the vaporetto stop, as the trip to Torcello involves a stop at Murano and a transfer at Burano, and above the noise of the crowd and the boat they both sound almost exactly the same.

About 40 minutes and one transfer later, there were were on Torcello, headed for the oldest church in the Lagoon, dating from the turn of the last millennium. A gorgeous day, wisteria by the path, birds singing and a light breeze.

The church was amazing. Building almost entirely in brick, with a soaring nave topped by an ancient wooden ceiling, with amazing mosaics and sculpture. Filled with sunlight as opposed to the dim mystery of St. Mark's, you got a feeling of the beginning of modern Christianity. Mosaics were fascinating and moving. Above the nave a huge Christ, a smaller Annunciation and the twelve Apostles. On the other end, above the door, and incredible narrative of ... well, a very complicated Last Judgement, if I were to put it briefly. Dozens of characters, several different styles, gold and bright colors. Annie listened to the audioguide twice through, taking it all in.

Next door, in another 1,000 year old church, a wedding was taking place, so we were only able to get in briefly at the end of our visit. It was totally different, much more intimate. Imagine St. Julien le Pauvre in brick, bathed in Italian sunlight.

A quick lunch, where Annie had a hot dog with .... drumroll ... ketchup! She almost felt she should forgo the hotdog althogether in order to stay ketchup-free for the whole trip, but I said that since it was the last day, you'd all understand. (We've had much discussion over the week whether it would be easier to give up ketchup or gelato, but the answer seems to be complicated by location, so we'll let it go for now.)

Onto Burano, famous for lace and brightly-colored, charming low houses. It didn't disappoint. I also think I've discovered where Annie's great-grandmother Jarmila Novotna got the lace-trimmed table linens Louise has inherited, as we saw their like in almost every window. She must have come over from Lido to do a little shopping every year.

Back home with a stop to spend the last of Aunt Marion's gift money on an adorable outfit for Annie. Since it's our last evening we're going to cut this short and go walk down the Grand Canal one final time, as the setting sun gilds each palazzo and every gondolier.

Next post will probably be from NYC!

Mi Chiamo Bianca

Annie and I discussed long and hard what to name Kitty, who is completely white. Snow? Snowball? And then she asked me what the word for "white flower" is in Italian. "Fiore Bianco," I said. We both looked at each other. "Bianca!" And so Kitty has been named Bianca. Hope there won't be any problems getting Bianca through Customs, because she and Annie have really bonded. Farewell Camel! A rivederci Pillow! Bianca, we're headed home!

Five things we hear from one another

What Harold tells Annie:

Can you please sit properly at the table?
Time to get up!
Are you sure there isn't a vegetable you'd like today?
I promise, we'll only go in for 15 minutes.
Please don't clutch Uncle Harold's hand quite so hard!

What Annie tells Harold:

What time is it?
Ow, that hurts! (When brushing hair after shower.)
My gelato level is dangerously, dangerously low.
No more churches please today!
Are we lost? How much further?

And from both:

I love being here with you!

Defeated by the Barbarians

Today's plan was to do St. Mark, Doge's Palace, then lunch, then go see "Rome and the Barbarians" at Palazzo Grassi (and then on to Torcello, depending ... ).

Actually, the exhibition was Annie's idea. We had been passing Palazzo Grassi at least once a day on the Grand Canal, and the huge banner announcing the show had caught her attention. So she made it a "non-negotiable" for today.

Palazzo Grassi is huge and gorgeous. Renovated in 1984 by Fiat for temporary exhibitions. And it's expensive. 21 euros for our entrance, another 10 for two acoustaguides. That's $60 to get in the door.

Annie was right to get us there. An absolutely fascinating look at the Roman world from Julius Caesar to the year 1,000, as the Roman imperium civilized the greater part of Europe, fought the growing barbarian threat, fell in 476, then slowly revived as the pro-modern world of the early middle ages.

Sculpture, jewelry, household items, arms and armour, burial hoards, inscriptions, mosaics, enamels, textiles and manuscripts. You name it, they had it. If this show came to NYC, it would be a blockbuster at the Met. It was worth a whole day, and probably a second visit after reading the catalog.

But Annie and I were EXHAUSTED. We gave it our best, but after an hour we looked at each other, made a quick visit to the gift shop, and talked about how sorry we were that brother Daniel ... and Sam Kahn, and Steven Diamond, and all the other thoughtful boys we knew couldn't be there to see it with us. (Trust me, it had "boys will love this" written all over it.)

So ... off to gelato, then home for well-deserved nap. Methinks this will be our earliest night yet. Don't know that either of us will see the far side of 9 p.m.

And tomorrow is our last day!

Finally: St. Mark's and the Doge's Palace!

For nine days St. Mark's and the Doge's Palace have been on the list for "tomorrow" while "today" wasn't quite right (too late, weather too nice, last day with the Michiganders, etc.) Well, as Annie said this morning, we only have one "tomorrow" left, so today was the day!

In brief? St. Mark's by itself is worth a trip to Venice; the Doge's palace is fascinating, if a bit bare and cold.

Even at 10:15 there was a 30 minute line to get into St. Mark's (Annie didn't wake up until 8:30, despite having gone to bed last night at 9:30, so our resolution to be in San Marco by 9:00 was a non-starter.)

But we found ourselves in line with a nice French family (surprise, surprise); were able to clue them in to the fact they needed to check their backpack before going into the Basilica, and found out that the wife has a sister who lives on East 44th Street and works at the U.N.

After having looked at the outside for a week, I was prepared for a let-down when we entered, but the opposite was true: the hair stood up at the back of my neck. I can't imagine that anything would quite prepare you -- the entire interior of St. Mark's is completely covered with golden mosaics that glint and sparkle in the semi-dark of the year 1100. As Carter said when he say the Tomb of Tutankhamun "Gold, gold, everywhere the glint of gold."

Annie and I wound our way through the church, stopping to ooh and aah, looking up at the domes and transfixed by the several beams of dusty light cutting through the darkness from the windows high above our heads. Annie was particularly interested in the westernmost dome, as it's decorated with the Pentacost, her very favorite Biblical event. Tongues of flame from heaven, licking the heads of the apostles!

Around to the back of the church, pay our money and see the Pala D'oro, the Golden Altarcreen. About 8 feet wide by 6 feet high, this precious relic is made up of over 100 golden enamelled plaques and set with jujube-sized cabochon jewels. Much of it was brought to Venice from Constantinople in 1204 after the Venetians sacked that ancient city, and it's as strange and wonderful to modern eyes as if it had been transported from another world. Then the treasury, which holds, among other things, the largest perfect rock crystal vessel from the ancient world.

Back through the church and up the narrow dark stairs to the loggia, where inside the museum holds the originals of the four Horses of San Marco and dozens of mosaics that had been removed from the church during earlier restorations, then outside where replicas of the horses look over the Piazza and you can look at the entire extend of both Piazza and Piazetta, and down into the Doge's Palace.

Back down and out to the 21st century.

(Annie has kept up a running dialogue about whether Jewish people have churches as well as synagogues, which has kept me busy with explanations about sacraments, worship and the difference between a Christian priest and a Jewish rabbi, and further questions about the difference between Catholicism and Episopalianism. I never thought I'd be using the term "Bishop of Rome" with an eight-year-old).

Around the corner to the Doge's Palace. Both of us dragging so we forego the acoustaguide and do it rough. More walking and glancing at signage than actual study, but the Doge's Palace is was actually a huge stage set for the theatre of Venetian government, so the general impression is the most important thing. Yes, the Chamber of the Great Council is the largest room in Europe, but with several hundred tourists in comfortable shoes and guidebooks, it does bring to mind a particularly oppulent train station waiting room.

Across the Bridge of Sighs (much more interesting from the outside) and through at least 2 dozen prison cells and torture chambers (about 23 more than I needed), then back across BoS and down stairs to our most pleasant surprise: the cafeteria at the Doge's Palace has very good food at very reasonable prices, with a big window just above water level opening onto the canal under the Bridge of Sighs, where a gondola goes by about every 45 seconds just feet from your table!

I wish I hadn't been so tired, and perhaps we should have done it earlier in our trip, but what an unforgettable morning.

P.S. Annie very disappointed that the Staircase of the Giants was closed for restoration. She continues to surprise with what she's picking up as she pages through the guidebook.

Venetian How-To's

How to make sure it won't rain: Buy a $65 pair of kids' rainboots.

How to look like a tourist on the vaporetto: Wave your ticket around (no one shows their tickets, but you better have one in your pocket in case of "control.")

How to make friends: Ask people looking at maps if they need directions.

How to annoy the vaporetto conductor: Try to get on the Number 3, which is only for Venice residents.

How to get a nasty look from the guy at the museum entry desk: Head for the toilets before buying your ticket.

How to get where you're going. Determine your general direction, keep your head up, follow the crowd and don't look at your map.

How to find something interesting: Turn any corner.

Kitty, Meet, Pillow: Pillow, Kitty

Annie is a champ when it comes to imaginative play. When asked what she wants to do tonight while I make dinner, she said she wanted to get Kitty introduced to Pillow. Kitty's definitely going to keep her company at bedtime, but Pillow may stay around for a while yet. And Annie's pretty sure they'll both enjoy each other's company this evening.

When she saw I was closing out this posting Annie stopped me with one final thought: since it seems as if Camel and Doll are gone for good she hopes they eloped and successful and are enjoying their honeymoon, most likely in Egypt, where Camel is showing Doll the beauty of sunset over the Pyramids.

The City of French Tourists

Forget "The City of Falling Angels." This is the City of French Tourists.

I would say that a full 75% of the foreign tourists in Venice are French (the rest we've seen are German, English and Americans, with our compatriots very light on the ground.)

The French make wonderful tourists. Well-dressed, quiet and well-mannered, they stroll gingerly down the streets, step respectfully to the side in the vaporetto and carefully tutor their adorable, well-dressed, attentive and perfectly-behaved children in the intricacies of Venetian architecture, painting and culture.

We've actually had more conversations with tourists in French than in English or Italian, and we're always met with surprise that we speak French.

Image a city where none of the tourists wear short pants or sunglasses with Croakies, flip-flops are verboten, no one talks above a conversational level or screams into a cellphone, there's no public drunkenness and most of the visitors have arranged a beautiful silk scarf in a cunning way somewhere on their person.

Vacation heaven!

A Brilliant Day

Today was the most glorious day yet weather-wise, and that's saying alot.

Someone slept soundly until 10:30 this morning, so all thoughts of beating the line at San Marco and the Doge's palace were gone by the time we sallied forth at 11:30 and we took a different tack and started the day at the Peggy Guggenheim collection. Small and quirky, just like we like 'em, with beautiful 20th Century art in Peggy's former home. A beautiful still garden full of sculpture and the scent of wisteria.

Wait! What's this? The San Marco Day regatta, heading up the Grand Canal! We hotfoot it out to the terrace overlooking the water and watch for about 20 minutes as a remarkable collection of rowed craft (crew size ranging from 2 to 10), banners flying, headed up the canal. And of course, as is the tradition in Venice, everyone was standing up, looking ahead of them. Pictures were taken!

Annie was leaning towards the idea of going to see the exhibition "Rome and the Barbarians" at Palazzo Barbaro (I think) and then out to Torcello ("our nice day plan, Uncle Harold") but our search for lunch took us to the quayside dining area of the Pension Calcina (Ruskin's home base in Venice) and thence to the boat across to Giudecca where we visited the two Palladio masterpieces in Venice: the Church of the Redentore and then San Giorgio Maggiore. If you can imagine St. Peter's in Rome and St. Paul's in London stripped down to their essentials, placed half a mile apart right on the waterfront, and drenched in Venetian sun, you'd get some idea of what we saw today. Words fail.

While on San Giorgio Maggiore we also took in the Cini collection (a beautiful show of the works of a 20th century Venetian painter whose name momentarily escapes me in a gorgeously redone 15th century warehouse building) then Annie informed me that her "gelato level" was "dangerously dangerously low" so we hopped back on the boat to San Marco and a double cup.

We then did a little more than an hour of very productive shopping (not to ruin any surprises, but someone is getting a beautiful Fortuny scarf, someone a Fortuny silk rose pin and someone a beautiful pair of cashmere-lined gloves) and ended up at the Disney store, where Camel ("Caramel") was replaced (as if Caramel could actually ever be replaced) with Kitty.

Then back home to drop off our treasure and out to do some shopping. We're having a quiet dinner in, scrambled eggs for Annie and tortellini ai funghi for me, then an early night.

Beacause tomorrow, come Hell or Acqua Alta, we're going to be at San Marco when the Doge's palace opens at 9 am!

Questions from our Readers

How big is Venice?

Image the heart of tourist Paris - Ile St. Louis to Arc de Triomphe, Luxembourg Gardens to the Opera. Then shrink it to 3/5 size. That's what it feels like. To walk all the way from Piazzale Roma to the end of the Biennale Garden would be an hour, I think, but most here-to-there distances are more likely to be 15 to 20 minutes.

How's the apartment?

Dark, but fine, considering the cost. We have two rooms -- a perfectly adequate bedroom with a queen and a twin bed and bookcase, dresser, etc, and a slightly smaller kitchen with a fair-sized round table. A small shot-gun bathroom with a compact shower and sink in one portion, toilet and bidet in another, and washing machine tucked in the back. Considering it was 650 euros for ten days, or about $100 a day, we can't complain.

How's the area?

We're 90 seconds from the traghetto across the Grand Canal to the Ca' D'Oro, 4 minutes from the Rialto Mercato vaporetto stop, 7 minutes from the Rialto Bridge and about 15 from San Marco. We've never had to walk more than 20 minutes to get anywhere. The Rialto Market is 3 minutes from us, and the area has a nice little neighborhood feel. Cafes, food markets, souvenir shops, etc.

How are the prices?

In euros, things aren't that bad. A 7-day pass on the vaporetto for both of us was 110 euros, and that was our biggest single expense. A pizza and a bottle of water is about 10 euros. A plate of pasta is 8 euros to 12 euros, a nice veal milanese was 14 euros. Churches are 3 or 4 euros; the Accademia was 8 or 9. Annie's rainboots were 40 euros. Our gondola ride was 100 euros, but that was 45 minutes for 6 people. Opera tickets in the last row were 45 euros. At $1.60 to the euro you can make your own calculations, but it's not excruciatingly expensive. And we can't really blame the Italians for us ruining the value of the dollar, can we?

How's the food?

It's OK to good. With Annie, we tend to prefer fast and sample. Nothing's been out of this world, but there's nothing that hasn't been good. Nothing complicated, and not a lot of vegetables. Small-ish portions, but not stingy. Venice is in the butter/cream belt of Italy. Not a lot of olive oil, no garlic that I've noticed. We haven't had any traditional Venetian food, as far as I've noticed.

There's great simple food to cook at home -- last night I boiled up some absolutely delicious tortellini with bottled pesto and it was yummy. The eggs are incredible. I made five-minute eggs for breakfast and they were a revelation. Thin-shelled and full of flavor. They made U.S. eggs seem industrial. Butter is great, even store-bought bread is good. And you can't beat the Nutella!

How are you and Annie getting along?

Anne Packard is the most agreeable child in existence. She has yet to ask me to buy her anything and she has a great get-along, go-along attitude. She's all eyes for the scenery and has enjoyed everything from museums to our outings on the Lido. She was an angel in the opera. Considering we've walked miles each day, she's never once draggedher feet. She's been getting about 12 hours of sleep a night, though -- it does wear her out.

Believe it or not, last night was the first tears of the trip, and I think it was partly fatigue, an partly her sense of the dramatic.

She's said some fascinating things. She wanted to now what the "native Venetians" were called. When I told her "Venetians" she asked again. It turns out she meant "native Venetians" like "Native Americans." Interesting to see how her mind works.

She also said she missed singing -- she has choir practice several times a week and "performance" on Sunday. But she sings along to herself all the time.

She's picking up Italian and has been very liberal with her "grazie" "prego" and "buon giorno" lately.

What do you miss?

I'd love to have a bagel and I'm looking forward to a sushi dinner. Other than that, I can't say we miss much. Hilary/Barak/John? Taxis, traffic, subways and buses? Work? The DJIA? The NYT? I'm sure they'll all be waiting for us when we get back.

Of course, we miss all of you desperately and wish you were here with us to enjoy our adventure!

A Slow and Gentle Morning

A somewhat bereft Annie asked mournfully last night how she was going to get to sleep without Camel to cuddle, so I gave her a small pillow from the armchair (oh, this will come back to haunt me) and told her to make believe. Her last words before going down for what's at this point nearly 12 hours of shut-eye (and counting) were "Oh Pillow, you're not Camel, but you're better than nothing."

I had planned to get us up at 8 so we could be in San Marco by 9:15 and avoid the crowds, but that plan has obviously gone by the wayside. Another beautiful day so I think we'll consider the heading across to the Palladian church on the Giudecca, perhaps a trip to Torcello, or maybe the Guggenheim. And some shopping for gifts and souvenirs!

The Case of the Missing Backpack

We had a wonderful day. We met the Michiganders in San Marco a little after 11:00 at the base of the Campanile. Nicole and I wanted to go to the top; the girls didn't , so they and Ken fed the pigeons while Nicole and I took the elevator to the top. What a view! As soon as I can upload photos, I will, but it was a gorgeous day and all of Venice lay at our feet.



After that we went to one of the San Marco cafes for a little coffee and snacks. Expensive, but fun to sit just where Henry James, Marcel Proust and others had enjoyed an espresso and a view of the passing parade.



We had intended to go inside San Marco and do the Doge's Palace, but the weather was so beautiful and it was the last day the girls would have together, so we headed back out to the Lido, where we rented two of the four-wheeler pedal cards and headed for the beach. A lovely hour collecting shells and dipping our toes, then back on the vaporetto to make our 4 pm meeting with Miriam's dad Luca for our playdate with Miriam.



We met Luca at Campo San Giovanni and Paolo, and he took up to Miriam's school, where we all went up to her classroom. What an energetic group of 10 year olds! It made me think of Ethan's 40th grade, but here there were fewer kids and more noise! Anna, Miriam's teacher, welcomed us all, and as she is French by origin, she and I conversed in French. A few of the kids tried their English on us (they seem very caught up in American baseball and basketball) and the Miriam showed the girls her classroom. We finally disengaged and headed to Campo Santa Maria Formosa, which seems to be their afterschool hang-out.



Gelato for all and a kiddie free-for-all. It wasn't just Miriam and our three girls; Miriam's sister who is 6 was also there, along with half a dozen other school friends. Miriam's great-aunt (Prozia) was also there, and she and I did our best to converse in Italian about how nice it is to see the kids playing outside on a nice day, rather than TV, computers, etc. There were certainly some language difficulties and quite a bit of translation necessary, but hopscotch, hide and go seek and tag seem to be very much the same in Venice as in the U.S.A.



At one point Miriam decided all the kids should play "shop," so she went inside and got a sheet and two bags of trinkets and set them up in the middle of the Campo. Those Venetians -- merchants even to the smallest children!



At about 6 pm we said goodbye to Miriam et al and headed home. As we approached the Rialto Bridge, Nicole and I looked at each other and said "Gondola Ride!" It was 100 euros total for 40 minutes, but well worth it. Down the Grand Canal then back through a maze of smaller, silent side canals. The late afternoon sun was beautiful on the old ruined facades as we passed Marco Polo's birthplace and Casanova's Venetian home. Stefano, our gondalier, was very friendly and full of information. The girls, sticklers for what's fair, made sure we all rotated through all of the different seats on the boat.



A tearful farewell at the Riva de Vin. Ken, Nicole, Hannah and Emma leave very early tomorrow morning by train for Paris then Amsterdam. Hugs all around and promises to keep in touch.



We split up then Ken called out: "Annie's backpack!" Gone. We didn't remember having it on the gondola, but did remember having it at the campo when the kids were playing. Inside, as far as we can tell, were two of Annie's stuffed toys (Camel and Doll), one euro and some wipes, but still. That backpack had accompanied Annie to Europe twice already and was, as she said, "my beloved backpack."



We went home to drop off our stuff then doubled back to the campo, but no sign of the backpack. It does have my e-mail on a tag and my cellphone number on a piece of paper inside, so we're hopeful that it will turn up. If not, Annie gets a new backpack in Venice.



Side note: we think that Camel and Doll may actually have run off. They were due to get married in a "multicultural ceremony" mixing the Egyptian (camel) and the Venetian (Doll) which Annie was planning, and perhaps they decided that life for a mixed couple like them would be easier in Venice then in Lexington, MA.



In any event, Annie is being her usual trouper self and has controlled her dismay. She's a little sun-kissed from the day outside and has been bothered by mosquito bites from the swarm that seems to favor our apartment at night (don't ask) so we're going to go home, perhaps take a nice shower, have a little dinner and hit the hay early.



Only three more days! Tomorrow we've promised ourselves to be at San Marco at 9:15 to be first in line for the Basilica and tour of the Doge's Palace, then a trip across the water to the Palladian churches on Giudecca. Still hoping for a trip to Torcello if the weather holds out; at this point very unlikely we'll ever get to do any of our side-trips outside of Venice, but that's just fine with us.



Ciao for now.

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Murano and La Fenice

Just a brief note right now, as Annie and I are due to meet our friends in San Marco in half a hour.

Weather was gorgeous yesterday and we took the boat out to Murano. Pizza lunch outside in a lovely courtyard restaurant, then a fascinating glassblowing demonstration and a little shopping. Christian, the owner of the Gritti glass factor, saw us at the demonstration and took us around. I almost felt sorry for him. He said business was terrible with the expensive dollar and I really do believe he was offering us rock-bottom prices. Called Kevin in Chicago and asked what he'd feel about a Murano bowl as a wedding present and he was all over it, so I got him an exquisite little item. I'm going to have to send it as soon as we get home, otherwise the temptation to keep it would be too great. Agonized over a small wineglass with an incredible dolphin base which would have looked perfectly at home in the Met, but didn't do it. Got a little something for Suzan (who loves ya, babe?) and a beautiful small bowl for myself. If we have the time, I'm going back!

The opera was a huge success. We were at the second to the last row in the very top, so sightlines were a little problematic, but we were at the opera at La Fenice! We were both all dressed up and we (OK, Annie) got many admiring glances. Recently rebuilt since the horrific fire of the late 90's, the interior is amazing. I'll post photos. Most importantly, Annie loved it! She had been rapt watching the DVD, so she knew the plot, and followed along with no problem. And guess what -- supertitles! -- in Italian, of course, but it really helped me to follow it on my own.

We walked out on Cloud Nine and headed over to the Riva del Vin, right by the Rialto Bridge, where we sat outside and had a little dinner (me) and a big dessert (Annie) as the gondolas drifted by in the moonlight. The night ended as we walked home hand-in-hand humming the overture to one another. A perfect end to a perfect evening.

Day 7, here I come!

So Much for the CD Idea

I give up! Put in the CD with the blogs I've already written but can't get it to read. And it's a gorgeous day here, so Annie and I are going to do some more exploring. Perhaps Murano? We'll let you know!

No School After All

I knew it was too easy.

I let Annie sleep late then watch some more of the Barber DVD. Show, dressed, and packed her packpack with her stuffed Camel, some American books, Highlights for Children and her emergency contact information. We had talked at length about this adventure -- the teacher would be able to speak English, all the kids would want to know about life in America, etc.

We decided to take the traghetto so she could say she'd gone to school in a gondola, and then we walked over to the campo where we had arranged to meet Luca at noon. Got there early and sat down. Decided to check the phone. A voicemail from Luca - please call. It turns out that the school director had decided there was problems with liability/insurance. Obviously very sorry; could we have play date instead. Arranged something for tomorrow.

Annie didn't know how to take the news. Partially disappointed, partially relieved. And how we had a found afternoon!

Went into Zanipolo, the biggest church in Venice (we were already in Campo right in front of it.) Amazing - the Venetian Santa Croce, with funeral monuments to 25 of the Doges. We negotiated so Annie would read her Highlight for Children while I looked around. Which I did.

Oh, as we were coming in the woman before us was trying to pay the 2.50 entrance with a 20, and Signore in the booth was having none of it. So we graciously treated her and struck up a conversation. She was French (as was the conversation). We talked about how most of the foreign tourists in Venice seemed to be French. Ah, the French love Italy! she said. She was also quite impressed to find a Francophone American (I get that alot).

We found a handware store on the way home and after much gesturing explained we wanted something to light the stove (will explain later) and bought it. Then five minutes in Santa Maria dei Miracoli, perhaps the prettiest church in all Venice -- a jewelbox of marble. Walking home we found a computer store and bought a few blank CDs (still trying to get already written text on this blog) and ... rain boots for Annie! It's gorgeous today, but now we're prepared for any eventuality.

Home and now blogging while Annie watches the end of the Barber DVD. She will be -- as Massimo and Jane say in my dialogues -- prontissimo -- extra-ready for the opera tonight.

And I Thought a Jump Drive Would Help!

Got up way early this morning, about 6 am. Went over to the Rialto Market but they were just setting up, so I went back home and wrote half a dozen long and detailed blog posts.



Both my friend Karen Nielsen and the Alberto here at my friendly Internet cafe/shoe store (go figure) said that a jump drive would be just the thing for transferring text and pictures to the blog. So I got one and put all the new stuff on it, but it doesn't seem to be working (how do all of you use these darned windows machines!?) so I'll fill you all in briefly here and tomorrow figure out what to do.



Had a great evening yesterday. A lovely dinner a casa cooked by Nicole and Ken, our new friends. Got to bed at a normal hour. Annie watched the Barber of Seville DVD for a while, then told herself stories in bed for nearly an hour, then off.



This morning after writing I went back to the Rialto market. Incredible display of fish in one market, fruits and vegetables in another. Surrounding storefronts are butcher shops: beef and veal, poultry, and .. um .. cavallo. Took lots of pictures.



Got back and gave Annie her breakfast and got her dressed, then a knock on the door. Our host, Carlo. Good news. Miriam's parents seem to have worked it out for Annie to go to school with Miriam for a few hours tomorrow afternoon. It will mean we'll miss the Villa Rotonda in Vicenza, but I think this is even better, certainly for Annie.



Off to the Accademia to meet up with Nicole, Ken et al. In line met a guy from Brescia who is also an art traveler. We discussed MoMA (he had flown to NYC for the opening), the Frick, and shows all over the world. Exchanged business cards.



Annie was looking worried and kept on glancing at my watch. Face lit up when she finally saw the group. Waited in line for a good 45 minutes, but then .. art heaven! I won't even start to describe the masterpieces in the Accademia, but I felt like I was floating on cloud nine. Huge paintings that never travel in their "home." Wonderful old unrenovated galleries, with a double row of black radiators down the center of the bigger galleries. I expected to run into Henry James, Baedecker in hand, at every turn.



The girls loved it too. Nicole, who is home-schooling Hannah (9) had put together a "quest" or treasure hunt through the galleries, leaving me to wander on my own. Mille grazie, Nicole!



A lovely civilized lunch, followed by a walk through Dursoduro. Several lovely churches and squares, charming canals, a light rain. At five we decided that Nicole and Ken and the girls would go back to their house for a playdate and I would meet them at 7:30 and take over, while Nicole and Ken had an hour or so on their own. (You should have seen their faces light up).



So wandered down the Zattere, had a capuccino, admired the view of the Palladian churches of the Redendore and San Giorgio Maggiore over on Giudecca, and wound up at the Salute. Onto the vaporetto and home, to grab the jump drive and ... well, you know that already.



Hard to believe that this is the end of our fifth day. So much for running out of things to do in Venice! We may never get to any of our excursions out of the lagoon. At this point, I'd be happy to get through our Venice list and hop over to Murano and Torcello.



More tomorrow ...

Rainy Day Playdate

More later about our second Seder with Carlo and Laurie. Suffice it to say that it was a wonderful experience and Jews being Jews the world over, a third of the table felt we were going too slowly, a third wanted to make sure we did everything in the Hagaddah, and a third talked through the whole thing.

More also about cocktails with Mimi and Jonathan Todhunter. I'll just tease that Jonathan and Annie went fishing off the balcony of the palazzo into the Grand Canal to the amazement and delight of several boatloads of vaporetto riders.

Annie and I got up early to back to the Ghetto to meet up with a family we met at Seder: Ken, Nicole and their two girls. Hannah is 9 and Emma is 5, so they were perfect playmates for Annie. Ken and Nicole and I got acquainted over coffee while the girls played Monopoly for over an hour, then we headed out for lunch, then a traghetto ride across the Grand Canal (a 50 cent gondola ride that lasts about 90 seconds). Nicole is back at the apartment with the girls while Ken and I check e-mail. Going to check out an exhibition about the canals shortly; seems to be the only thing open culture-wise today.

A lovely light rain is falling on Venice today. A perfect tourist rain -- warm day, no breeze, so a rain jacket and umbrella keep us nice and dry as we admire the reflections in rain-slicked pavement and the patter of the raindrops in the canals.

More later!

What, no photos?

We have beautiful photos, but we're trying to figure out how to post them. We're using a public computer here and it may be difficult; we're looking for a place to hook up the laptop. Stay tuned!

A Quick Catchup

Obviously it has been a little harder for us to log in and blog than we thought. There is no WiFi near our apartments, and the shoe store that has Internet terminals was closed until mid-afternoon today.

So, a brief update. Our flight from NY to Milano was relatively uneventful. From Milano we took a lovely train ride through Lombardy to Venice, seeing Verona, Lake Garda, Vicenza and Padova whiz by our window, all of which we would love to go back to visit.

Venice is like a dream, a stage-set. You exit your train, go through the station and presto! you're on the Grand Canal! A quick vaporetto ride and we were at the prearranged place to meet our landlord Carlo. First to arrive was his wife, Laurie (originally from Brooklyn), then Carlo.

Our first night was spent in a small studio, as our one-bedroom wouldn't be available until Saturday night. Cramped, but fine. We quickly dropped off our luggage and started out.

First impressions? All tourists in Venice are -- if not lost -- not quick sure of where they are. A completely pedestrian city on land (not even bicycles), even the widest "streets" are not more than 15 feet wide, many are little more than 3 or 4 feet across. Street signs are few and far between; you're most likely to find a hand-painted indicator for a local landmark on the side of a building.

And yes, Venice is a walking city. It's not small, but most places are within 20 minutes of one another. The vaporetto is good for a longer trip, but given the meandering nature of the Grand Canal, the vaporetto trip is often longer than the walk. We haven't tried a water taxi yet, but we've been OK on foot. And it's such a beautiful city -- and no traffic!

Friday evening we got oriented and headed over to San Marco (where Annie had her first gelato), then wandered along the waterfront to the Pieta (Vivaldi's church), then back home for an early night.

Saturday (yesterday) was gorgeous, so after a short but pleasant visit to Ca' Pesaro (20th century art) we decided to spend the rest of the day outside. A beautiful vaporetto ride down the Grand Canal and all the way across the lagoon to the Lido, where we rented a four-wheel pedal cart and rode down the main drag past the Hotel des Bains (of "Death in Venice" fame) to the Hotel Excelsior, where Annie's great-grandmother and great-grandfather used to spend part of "the season" in the 1950s and 1960s. Then back home to change for the Passover Seder.

Seder will be a separate blog, but trust us that it was an unforgettable experience. Synagogue from 1586 and then dinner with about 150 members of Venice's Jewish community. A very late night, but well worth it.

Today was another beautiful day. After a late start (I finally unpacked while Annie slept in) we wandered over to the Schola Grande de San Rocco to spend an hour with the Tintorettos. Annie has turned out to be a remarkable iconologist (?) -- at one point she corrected my interpretation of a picture as a Deposition from the Cross telling me it was clearly a Crown of Thorns/Mocking of Christ! Then over to the Frari where we realized energy was lagging and the blog was calling, so back home.

We're due in an hour at Mimi Todhunter's for cocktails, then at 7:30 for a second Seder (much shorter, we hope) with Carlo and Laurie, their children and friends. Tomorrow a play date with two girls (5 and 9) from Michigan whom we met last night after the Seder.

In Venice!

We've revised this post but kept the comments. See next post!

The Venice in My Mind

Some people are adventure travelers.   Others travel for food, sex, shopping or sport.  I travel for art.

By that I mean two things.  First of all, I travel to see art.  Get me to a new city and my first stop is the art museum.  But I also travel to see the places that have entranced me in pictures.  I went to Honfleur in Brittany because of a Seurat painting; I went to Provence after seeing a show at the Musee des Beaux Arts in Montreal and traveled to Delft in search of Vermeer's "Little Street" and "View of Delft."

As to Venice, where to start?  Monet?  Canaletto?  Guardi?  Manet?  Sargent?  I'll be looking for all of them as I cruise the canals and wander the back alleys of La Serenissima.

Final Countdown

We leave tomorrow evening from JFK at 7:20, so it's time for the final countdown.

Louise is driving down from Boston with Annie tomorrow morning.  She (Louise, not Annie) has an appointment in the city in the afternoon.  Bless her soul.  The original plan was for me to drive up to New London, where I'd meet up with Annie and Sevvie (Louise's housekeeper), pick up Annie and then drive us directly to JFK.  5 hours of driving, minimum.

Spoke to Annie this morning to see if she had any last-minute requests.  She just wanted to make sure that yes, we were going to the Opera.  "My first, Uncle Harold!"  And then in her little "please say no if this isn't convenient voice" asked if I'd be bringing my computer, so she could listen to her favorite Jim Weiss recordings:  Greek Myths, Arabian Nights and Egyptian Stories.  I assured her that I'd have the computer but even better, I'd already downloaded onto her own iPod shuffle those stories plus the Susan Hammond children's classic music recordings "Mr. Beethoven Lived Upstairs," "Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery" (which takes place in Venice), and the Bach and Mozart recordings.  7 hours of recordings total, enough for most of our travel.  She's a great fan of the Jim Weiss stories in particular, and surprised all of us in the Louvre last year when she pointed out a painting of the statue of Pygmalian coming to life thanks to Galatea's kiss "just like in the story!"

I put in a few hours of work this morning then dropped by the bank to pick up my Euros.  Doing a little housekeeping then plan to do the pre-pack.  I have my list all ready to go.  Oh yes, I have a packing list for all eventualities.  If you'd ever gone all the way to Seattle for a week's trip without any boxer shorts, you'd have one too.  It's been remarkably helpful -- no more forgetting that once last things that I can see sitting on my dresser as the taxi pulls away from my apartment.  

Biggest question right now is which photography equipment to take.  On the one hand, I'm always tempted just to make do with the Canon G7 point and shoot.  No muss, no fuss, and quite decent digital photos.  On the other hand, I'd love to take the Hasselblad Xpan panoramic camera which take gorgeous wide-format shots (perfect for a horizontal city like Venice); I'm even tempted to take the Hasselblad medium format and old-fashion black and white film so I can do some "art" photos to print myself once I return.  Of course, the Xpan and the Hasselblad would require the heavier tripod for the early morning/late evening shots I love so much, plus film which needs to be processed.  But since we're not stopping in Milano but going straight through to Venice, it's a possibility.  I'll test-pack and see what it looks like.

Listening to "Barber of Seville" on iTunes as I Google Jarmila Novotna/La Fenice to see if Annie's great-grandmother, the noted Czech diva of the 30s, 40s and 50s ever sang there.  I guess I'll e-mail her uncle Luther and see if he knows.  I do know she sang at the Arena in Verona, which I hope we'll be able to see.

Off to lay out my clothes for the trip!

Breathtaking

This afternoon I asked my assistant Russell to call down to Citibank and see about picking up a fistful of Euros for the trip.

Our landlord Carlo has asked to be paid in cash upon our arrival (surprise surprise), and I don't want to rely on getting the full sum from the cash machine -- il Bancomat -- on the first day.

Russell did his magic (money will be waiting at my branch tomorrow) and then hung up the phone and called me over.  Written neatly on his little pad was $1,628.  That's the current price of 1,000 Euros.  Zoiks!

Wasn't the Euro supposed to be the European dollar, running just about one-to-one?  What happened?  Remember that trip in 2002 when it was under a dollar?  Or even 2005, when it was about $1.25?   Gone like the snows of yesteryear.

Check out the historic exchange rates at Wikipedia  and weep.  

Mila(no)

Even though I called to book tickets back in December, the best flight itinerary I could get for our trip for "only" 50,000 Continental miles per ticket was to fly into Milan, about two hours by train from Venice.

Not a bad thing, I thought.  I'd alway been curious about Milan, even though it gets a very bad rap from many guidebooks and most tourists who have been there.  (Except, of course, my friend Terry, who liked it well enough to get up at 4 am when we were in Switzerland to do a one-day round-trip on the train (four hours each way, I think) in order to hit the shops.  Four Prada boutiques, all within walking distance of each other, each with a different merchandise assortment.  Shopping heaven, according to Terry.)

I figured we'd stay over one night.  Clean up, see the Duomo, the Galleria, the Brera museum, stroll the shops on Via Montenapoleone, have a meal and visit the Last Supper.  Then off to Venice the next morning after a lovely breakfast in a painfully chic café.  Jan, my Milan guru, keyed me in to the need for advanced tickets to the Last Supper, which I got online in January, booking for late in the day, figuring that Annie would need a nap, then perk up as the afternoon wore on.

Having arranged the travel and purchased our Last Supper tickets, last step was finding a hotel.  

Plan A:  A modest little room for one night.  Holiday Inn Milano, I figured ... $175 a night, perhaps.  Ooops.  It turns out we've arriving during Salone, the annual furniture fair, and there's nothing to be had for under $400.   E-mailed our landlord Carlo to see if we could arrive a day early.  No, our apartment was taken.  But wait!  The little studio upstairs was available for that night.  Whew!

Plan B:  Contact a friend who I thought might have a hotel room in Milan for Salone.  We could at least shower and take a little nap in her room before venturing out for the afternoon, then get a late train to Venice.  No go there ... plans didn't mesh.  

Plan C was admittedly desperate.  Hope that Annie slept on the plane, take the train into Milan from the airport, check our luggage at the train station, wander around for a few hours, then take the train on to Venice.  Maybe even find a quiet corner of the train station where she could nap for an hour or so before venturing forth.  

Well, I had today with Jan, who gave me two thumbs down on Plan C.  Jan, who has been there a dozen times for work, swears that the only thing to do in Milano is to get right on the train to Venice.   So we'll go with Jan and save Da Vinci for another day.

Anyone want two tickets to see the Last Supper on Friday evening at 6:30 pm?

Preparing the Dossier

My friend Deirdre expressed great surprise when I handed her a clear plastic file folder as she got into the car for an overnight trip up the Hudson to Storm King, Dia Beacon and the Fisher Center at Bard. "What's this?"  "Why, the dossier, of course!"  Mapquest directions, printouts from the websites of each organization, restaurant suggestions, a New York Times article on attractions of the Mid-Hudson ... you get the idea.  Well, freshly back from a weekend's business trip to Fort Lauderdale and having submitted a huge month-long project to a client to review, I found the deck finally cleared to start compiling the Venice dossier.

I opened the "Venice" file on my computer and started printing.  First the original Continental Airlines Mileage Plus confirmation for the trip.  Then the Delta confirmation for the actual flights.  Carlo's instructions on how to get to the apartment.  Linda Schrank's museum/gallery recommendations and her forwarded copy of Gael Greene's "How to Eat Like a Venetian."  The confirmation of our tickets to see "Barber of Seville" at La Fenice, and the Last Supper in Milano (although sadly I think we'll not get to use those).   A little article on Henry James in Venice.  

Having laid the groundwork for the dossier, I then went on line to flesh it out.  First visit, venicecard.com to check out the Venice Card:  an all-emcompassing pass for public transportation and museum visits.  Blue for transportation and museum discounts?  Or Orange for transportation and free museum entrance?  Buy, reserve, or just get info?  Get one 7-day pass then another if we need, or go for two back-to-back 7 day passes to cover our entire 10 day stay?  Went for the reservations for the two back-to-backs, although I may change my mind.  Then to the museums.  

The Accademia isn't on the pass, so I went to check out the entrance fee and found out they've extended the temporary exhibition "L'Ultimo Tiziano" through our visit. (I'm thinking this means "The Last Titians" but I'm not 100% sure.)  Yeah!  They sell entrance tickets in advance, but I just couldn't figure out yet when we'd want to go.  Funny that they only seem to have 25 tickets available for each half hour time slot.  Either it's a very small museum, or they're very careful of avoiding crowds or there's a supply of tickets set aside for walk-ins.  

Then to look at concert tickets.  Found a website -- ClassicTic - which had several nice-looking concerts each night.  Didn't buy any tickets, but felt reassured that we'd have music whenever we wanted it.   And just this minute Carl Pritzkat, just back from Venice himself, e-mailed me his hot-off-the-presses restaurant recommendations.  

OK ... the dossier is starting to shape up nicely!

Credit Where Credit is Due

I never would have start this blog if it weren't for inspiration from my friends Karen Nielsen and David Alport.

Karen Nielsen gets the lion's share of the credit.  Karen recently left GlaxoSmithKline, a client of mine for more than ten years, and took advantage of time between jobs to spend a month in India, taking part in a remarkable program to study public health and experience first-hand the challenges of healthcare delivery in the developing world, particularly in terms of women, children, the HIV-positive and intravenous drugs users.  I bookmarked her blog and checked it every day.  I suggest it to anyone:  Karen's India Travels.  

I was also inspired by David Alport's blog, Upright and Stowed. David and his business partner Billy Kolber were the creators of "Out and About," the late, lamented gay travel newsletter, and travel is in his blood.  David posts a photo and a short commentary every day -- and I mean every day since January of 2006  --  and it's one of the first places I go when I turn on my computer in the morning.  

One Week and Counting

A week from today my goddaughter Annie (8) and I set forth for Venice. 

Annie and I are international travel companions from way back:  an August trip to Paris and London in 2006 and a spring break trip last April to Brussels, Paris and Amsterdam with her mom Louise and her brother Daniel.  Annie's got a well-used passport, an adventurous attitude, a love of museums and a yen for sampling the finest ice cream in every city.  

The trip was actually Annie's idea.  Last year when we were in Amsterdam she looked at me and whispered conspiratorially, "For our next trip, Uncle Harold, I'd like to go to Italy.  At Bertucci's they have a map of Italy on the wall, and it looks very interesting."  Was there anywhere in particular she'd like to go?  "Venice," she said.  "Now that I've seen the canals in Amsterdam, I'd like to compare them to the canals in Venice!"

The more I thought about it, the better the idea seemed.  Although I've traveled quite a bit in Europe since graduating college (numerous trips to Paris, multiple visits to London, one-timers to the south of France, Vienna, Budapest, Prague and most recently Madrid) I haven't been to Italy since 1976, when it was part of a 10-week trip including study in Greece and visits to Switzerland, Amsterdam and London.  I was in Venice for only a few rainy hours back then.  My friend and travel companion Jefferson and I had taken the train up from Florence hoping to stay for a day or so, but when we found out there wasn't a hotel room to be had, we returned to the train station and hopped an overnight train to Switzerland.  I don't remember anything of that visit, and it may even be that we didn't even leave the Venice train station.

Well, the plans have been made and the homework done.  We've got our plane tickets, we've rented a small one-bedroom apartment from Carlo, the Venetian businessman with a Brooklyn-born wife, I've read up on Venetian history, architecture and art history, ripped through the first two of Donna Leon's Venetian mystery novels and John Berendt's "City of Falling Angels."  I've Netflick'd "Death in Venice," "The Wings of the Dove."  We have tickets to see "The Barber of Seville" at the Fenice opera house, introductions to Mimi Toddhunter at her palazzo on the Grand Canal and invitations to the community Seder in the Ghetto.  I've even tried to learn a little Italian by downloading the podcasts from LearnItalianPod.com.  Now it's on to the packing lists.

I've also decided to make this my maiden voyage into the sea of blogging.  Stay tuned!