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.