I thought I better have an English breakfast in England, so I went to a local nice place and had a modern version - a thick slice of brioche style toast, topped with bacon, then mushrooms ( big flat ones with a name I’ve forgotten and a lovely strong taste) and a duck egg on the top. The coffee was good too.
The next bit of the day was less successful. I got to St Paul’s to find it closed to visitors. It was crawling with police and I saw 3 trucks loaded with more police in a side street – and I only looked down 1 side street. Apparently there was going to be a debate on to do with the G20 meeting. The people going in to the debate had to provide 2 types of id with photo and their bags were thoroughly searched. The 2 locals I had tea with on Sunday were saying that firms in the city ( the inner part of London where the financial firms are) were worried and some were telling their staff to come to work in casual clothes on Wednesday and Thursday. The protestors have said they will target the tubes – according to a policeman I talked to. He said use buses – but many roads will be closed. Hmm.
I caught a bus to East Aldgate in the East End and walked along Brick Lane. There were many different shops and restaurants from many different ethnic groups. There were few people around at 9.30 in the morning. Then I caught a bus back through the city and went to Covent Garden and wandered around some of the little lanes and little shops. There is a coffee place that I had been recommended and I lingered over the best cup of coffee I have had in London. I came back to South Kensington railway station and had some soup for lunch at one of the restaurants in the Carluccio chain. I have a recipe book written by Carluccio quite a few years ago when there were not many nearly as many Italian restaurants in London as there are now. I have been pottering here - I m behind in my photos - and have gone down to the King’s road shops and actually gone into some of them to look.
I forgot to say on Sunday, when I was walking from the Embankment ferry stop to the Wolsley, I walked down a street that was the street to go if you were a traditional English male with lots of money – heaps and heaps of money. There were complete outfits like I saw in the V &A , really lovely suits, very fine wool socks for ₤60 and, in 1 shop, a nightshirt ( no price though – there were not many prices in any of the windows) . It looked lovely fine cotton in bright stripes. Now I am on the look out for more nightshirts.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday 30th March Lewes
15th century bookshop in Lewes
A Lewes resident
Today I had a lovely day at Lewes. Lewes is the county town of East Sussex. It’s current claims to fame are its castle, built soon after the Norman invasion in 1066, a house bought for Anne of Cleves, little Saxon lanes running between rows of houses and shops called twittens, and a huge and rowdy bonfire night in November. I was met at the train station by a cousin of John’s – the daughter of the couple in Oxford- and her husband. We went back to their home by a very circuitous route to give me an idea of the layout of the town. We sat and chatted and chatted and then walked via the castle to the high street and had lunch at a restaurant run by another family member with their daughter. We walked back to their home and talked some more and then I came home.
This place charges ₤5 for 24 hour internet or ₤30 for 1 week. What I do is start a 24hour period at say 8pm one evening, put a post on my blog, answer emails etc and then the following evening, assuming I am organized, I can put that day’s post onto the blog before the 24 hour period runs out. Then I start another 24 hour period the following evening, thus only paying for 1 day every 2. I had a win yesterday. My 24 hour period was due to run out at 7pm, I got on the bus outside the Wolsely at 6.30, rushed home, sent a few quick emails and realized I was still connected. I had forgotten about day light saving and I had 1 hour more than I thought.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Sunday 29 March
This morning I had a slow start ( helped by daylight saving starting) . I went to a church service in Holy Trinity church in Sloane Square. I went because the daughter of friends used to sing in the choir. It is a nice church – building started in 1888 – Gothic – known as the Arts and Crafts church. William Morris designed some of the bits. It was a ‘smells and bells’ service – too much smells’- the incense started to get up my nose. Apparently some years ago the church addressed the ‘bums on seats’ problem by hiring professional choiristers. The music was lovely – they sang an anthem during communion and lots of other bits. There were several hundred people at the service. I did not see one male over 25 without a jacket. I was definitely the least ‘well dressed’ female.
After church I went on the ordinary ferry service from Embankment to Greenwich. This took about 40 minutes. It was good. I had the ‘walking along the thames’ guide with me so I did not need a commentary – there is quite a lot of detail in the pamphlets. It was interesting to see the development along the river. At Greenwich I bought a quick sandwich and then went straight back to Embankment on the next but one ferry.
I walked to the Wolsely, next to the Ritz., where I met 2 friends of my elder daughter – 1 who I visited before in London and another friend. We had to wait for a little while for a table, but we had a good table in the corner of this lovely old room – high ceilings, twiddly bits, gleaming silver. We had afternoon tea and enjoyed chatting, the occasion, the sandwiches, scones and tiny little cakes and plenty of tea. I donot need any more food today.
After church I went on the ordinary ferry service from Embankment to Greenwich. This took about 40 minutes. It was good. I had the ‘walking along the thames’ guide with me so I did not need a commentary – there is quite a lot of detail in the pamphlets. It was interesting to see the development along the river. At Greenwich I bought a quick sandwich and then went straight back to Embankment on the next but one ferry.
I walked to the Wolsely, next to the Ritz., where I met 2 friends of my elder daughter – 1 who I visited before in London and another friend. We had to wait for a little while for a table, but we had a good table in the corner of this lovely old room – high ceilings, twiddly bits, gleaming silver. We had afternoon tea and enjoyed chatting, the occasion, the sandwiches, scones and tiny little cakes and plenty of tea. I donot need any more food today.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Saturday 28 March
This morning I went out early to take some photos of the streets around here but it was cold and raining so I was quick. I caught the tube to Euston and then the train to Milton Keynes where my cousin ( my father’s sister’s son) and his wife met me. We went back to their home for a cup of tea and chat and chat and more chat. Then we went to a nearby town, Olney, with old houses, old shops and lots of character. We had a lovely lunch, then went to a nice dress shop – she is looking for a dress for their daughter’s wedding –she had no luck but I bought some nice trousers and another white shirt. Then we had a cup of tea and a toasted tea bun – I think that is what it was called. The tea shop was old and I could imagine some of the English detectives in the novels I read when they go to a tea shop in the country. There were all sorts of traditional things but also gluten free cakes were advertised. We walked past a fish and chips shop which advertised that on certain days they had gluten and wheat free batter available.
It was a lovely day – it is really nice to feel on the same wave length as people that I have not seen since 2002 but have talked to and emailed since.
It was a lovely day – it is really nice to feel on the same wave length as people that I have not seen since 2002 but have talked to and emailed since.
Friday 27 March Creatures and Borough Markets ( unrelated)
For the first day in a while I set off with a definite plan. Silly move. I got to St Paul’s (by tube – quicker) only to find it closed for a service. After St Paul’s I was going to catch a bus to Waterloo station to go to the wool shop and browse in their books. I thought I’d walk instead ( about 3 km) and take some photos. The first half was along the river. The first thing that took my fancy was a rather unpleasant looking fish wrapped around a light pole – OK, see how many creatures I could find. I found 7 in a bit over 1 km – 3 different fish, a camel, a sphinx, a dragon, a winged 4 legged creature.
After crossing the river I had a nice cup of coffee at an Italian place. I wonder if sometimes my Italian would be easier for them to understand than my Australian. Waterloo station is confusing. Yesterday I walked around 3 sides of a rectangle, today I managed better but was 1 level higher than I wanted to be – looking over the roof tops of the shops.
I pottered in the wool shop for ages and bought a book of patterns. The shop is quite small but there is a table in the middle. 2 nights a week they have ‘bring your knitting and chat’ night which several places in Australia I know of do, but this place , called I Knit, had a grog license and sold wine, beer and spirits. Tea and coffee too.
I then walked through an area with a lot of council flats and ordinary shops to the Borough markets – apparently the best market for food in London. These were wonderful. I met my niece and she showed me some of the places she shops at, we had a drink at a nearby pub where Brigid Jones Diary was filmed, we had a lovely lunch at a Spanish tapas place, we went to an amazing cheese shop and a few other places.
Then I came home. There is a great variety in tube stations. Some of them are quite claustrophobic. I was on an escalator a few days ago going down ( a long way) quite steeply to a lower level and I reckon a tall person could have touched the roof – or that is what it felt like. I made the mistake of taking my hand off the rail to look at the time and felt funny. This afternoon I had to change lines at Westminster station. This was much more open. I had 3 escalators to go up – not quite as long as the unpleasant one, but you could see them all at once and others too.
After crossing the river I had a nice cup of coffee at an Italian place. I wonder if sometimes my Italian would be easier for them to understand than my Australian. Waterloo station is confusing. Yesterday I walked around 3 sides of a rectangle, today I managed better but was 1 level higher than I wanted to be – looking over the roof tops of the shops.
I pottered in the wool shop for ages and bought a book of patterns. The shop is quite small but there is a table in the middle. 2 nights a week they have ‘bring your knitting and chat’ night which several places in Australia I know of do, but this place , called I Knit, had a grog license and sold wine, beer and spirits. Tea and coffee too.
I then walked through an area with a lot of council flats and ordinary shops to the Borough markets – apparently the best market for food in London. These were wonderful. I met my niece and she showed me some of the places she shops at, we had a drink at a nearby pub where Brigid Jones Diary was filmed, we had a lovely lunch at a Spanish tapas place, we went to an amazing cheese shop and a few other places.
Then I came home. There is a great variety in tube stations. Some of them are quite claustrophobic. I was on an escalator a few days ago going down ( a long way) quite steeply to a lower level and I reckon a tall person could have touched the roof – or that is what it felt like. I made the mistake of taking my hand off the rail to look at the time and felt funny. This afternoon I had to change lines at Westminster station. This was much more open. I had 3 escalators to go up – not quite as long as the unpleasant one, but you could see them all at once and others too.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Thursday 26th Tate Modern
I have forgotten to mention the flowers and trees. When I got here, 10 days ago, most of the trees and shrubs were still bare. Now, many of the trees in the street are flowering. – not the great big trees yet. On the way to Portsmouth I saw lots of daffodils on the banks near the train line. Around the corner there is a medium size magnolia that is just coming out. Many people have cyclamen in their window boxes.
Today I caught the bus to St Paul’s and walked over the Millenium Bridge to the Tate Modern. I havenot quite got the hang of looking out of the correct part of my multifocal glasses in the top decks of buses. It is quite hard to see things near to the front wheels of the bus. I find sitting on the right side of the bus better than the left. Took me a while to work out why I felt a bit odd though. I quite liked the Tate Modern building – an old power station was converted to a gallery. They kept the chimney stack and the huge turbine room has been kept as a large space.
I have never tried to understand ‘modern art’ apart from the odd painting. There were a few Picassos that were OK but not that I would not want to put on my walls. I could not understand the rather odd themes of the different rooms ( tho I didnot try very hard - I am almost at painting saturation point) – apparently they change the themes and shuffle the paintings around quite regularly.
I walked to Waterloo railway station and wandered around looking for the bus I wanted to get on. While the map is waterproof, it is still hard to see out of glasses covered in rain. I walked around 3 sides of a rectangle by mistake but stumbled on a lovely wool shop. I went in, dripping water, the lady behind the counter said hullo and added I was allowed to touch in a friendly voice. I told here that I would be back – it was lunch time. We got talking - I said I was from Australia and we could get nice wool but.. and then she filled in .. not pattern books – just what I was going to say. They had a huge range.
I bought some nice lunch on the way home from a little shop nearby that has prepared food. I am having the afternoon off to get up to date with photos and plan my remaining days in London, besides its cold and raining outside..
Today I caught the bus to St Paul’s and walked over the Millenium Bridge to the Tate Modern. I havenot quite got the hang of looking out of the correct part of my multifocal glasses in the top decks of buses. It is quite hard to see things near to the front wheels of the bus. I find sitting on the right side of the bus better than the left. Took me a while to work out why I felt a bit odd though. I quite liked the Tate Modern building – an old power station was converted to a gallery. They kept the chimney stack and the huge turbine room has been kept as a large space.
I have never tried to understand ‘modern art’ apart from the odd painting. There were a few Picassos that were OK but not that I would not want to put on my walls. I could not understand the rather odd themes of the different rooms ( tho I didnot try very hard - I am almost at painting saturation point) – apparently they change the themes and shuffle the paintings around quite regularly.
I walked to Waterloo railway station and wandered around looking for the bus I wanted to get on. While the map is waterproof, it is still hard to see out of glasses covered in rain. I walked around 3 sides of a rectangle by mistake but stumbled on a lovely wool shop. I went in, dripping water, the lady behind the counter said hullo and added I was allowed to touch in a friendly voice. I told here that I would be back – it was lunch time. We got talking - I said I was from Australia and we could get nice wool but.. and then she filled in .. not pattern books – just what I was going to say. They had a huge range.
I bought some nice lunch on the way home from a little shop nearby that has prepared food. I am having the afternoon off to get up to date with photos and plan my remaining days in London, besides its cold and raining outside..
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Wednesday 25th March Portsmouth
The beetroot sweet was better than nothing, certainly better than the seppia, baccala and fegato but I won’t be rushing out to buy more.
I spent quite a while today in trains , which was OK. Sometimes I find the people who make the announcements may be speaking the same language, but that doesnot mean I can understand the accent when spoken at speed. A few times today I struggled . My first train was cancelled and it was difficult for me to understand the announcements. I had to get another and be careful to get in one of the front 3 carriages because after a while the back part was going somewhere else. Coming home the train was also cancelled so I had to get one going to Brighton and change, but then there was an announcement on the train to change at a different station, then on that second train I woke up after we had been joined to another train and the sign in the train said we were now going to Bognor Regis not London Victoria . Luckily that was a mistake. Nevermind, it is the first time a train journey has been a bit muddled for me. I was a bit unsettled because I did not have a route map, not any map and did not have a picture in my head of where the different places were. ( Something about lack of control I fear)
Portsmouth was good. I had gone to catch up with 3 people. I spent several hours talking in a café to a cousin of John’s and his wife. They were well . He was recovering quickly after a recent operation to remove a tumor on a kidney. Then I spent 3 hours talking to an English friend who I met in Canberra. She had driven from her home 20minutes away to meet me. We went to a nearby little marina , had a bit of a wander but the weather was not good – blowy and cold. We had lunch, talked some more and she dropped me back at the train station.
I spent quite a while today in trains , which was OK. Sometimes I find the people who make the announcements may be speaking the same language, but that doesnot mean I can understand the accent when spoken at speed. A few times today I struggled . My first train was cancelled and it was difficult for me to understand the announcements. I had to get another and be careful to get in one of the front 3 carriages because after a while the back part was going somewhere else. Coming home the train was also cancelled so I had to get one going to Brighton and change, but then there was an announcement on the train to change at a different station, then on that second train I woke up after we had been joined to another train and the sign in the train said we were now going to Bognor Regis not London Victoria . Luckily that was a mistake. Nevermind, it is the first time a train journey has been a bit muddled for me. I was a bit unsettled because I did not have a route map, not any map and did not have a picture in my head of where the different places were. ( Something about lack of control I fear)
Portsmouth was good. I had gone to catch up with 3 people. I spent several hours talking in a café to a cousin of John’s and his wife. They were well . He was recovering quickly after a recent operation to remove a tumor on a kidney. Then I spent 3 hours talking to an English friend who I met in Canberra. She had driven from her home 20minutes away to meet me. We went to a nearby little marina , had a bit of a wander but the weather was not good – blowy and cold. We had lunch, talked some more and she dropped me back at the train station.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Tuesday 24th Selfridges
I was tempted to do nothing today but thought a trip in the buses to Selfridges might be not too stressful. I had been told that if I wanted to go to one department store that Selfridges should be it. I’m not sure if the people who suggested it expected me to buy something – it had lovely stuff – but like the expensive parts of DJ’s. Anyway, I made sure I went into the front entrance and went straight to the info counter. They were far superior to the British Museum – had a lovely, easy to read map that detailed where everything was, and listed all the eating places and what sort of food they served and it was easy to see where the loos were and on which level – not like the Museum – you had to go down heaps of stairs.
My first stop was for morning coffee ( I had had to change buses and breakfast had been several hours before) and they were quite happy for me to have 1 scone rather than the usual 2 per serve. For a moment or 2 I forgot about clotted cream and wondered why they had served me butter. Then I wandered around the food hall. The fish display was interesting. I saw several things that I had seen on menus like skate wings, and dover sole. I also saw conger eel which John and I ate in Chile in 1976 and I havenot seen it anywhere since. The sardines and herrings were bigger than I thought they were. The country of origin and how the fished had been caught /farmed etc were very clearly displayed. I wandered on and saw, in a healthy food counter beetroot sweets. I bought 1 for ₤1 ( I did not want to run the risk of walking out without a bright yellow bag – but then found the food hall uses brown bags). It is a cube roughly 3cm x 3cm x3cm and the ingredients are : cashews, dates, cinnamon, beetroot, fennel seeds according to the label. No sugar or fat. I checked out the oyster bar thinking ahead about lunch., but decided that for the prices they were charging I could shout my 2 frivolous friends to the oyster bar in Sydney DJ’s ( which one of them introduced me to) and still be ahead.
I wandered around the displays of lovely things but felt rather intimidated. I was standing looking at some shirts which were expensive but nice. A middle aged Frenchman asked if I needed help. I explained that I was having afternoon tea on Sunday in a hotel and did not want to buy a new outfit ( well, definitely not at that shop) and thought a new shirt might work. He thought for a bit and produced a nice striped red and white shirt in a slightly crumpled looking fabric and said ‘this one madam’ .’ Why? Why not one of those nice multi coloured thin striped ones with beautiful cuffs? ‘ He very politely said – with casual pants , a nice casual shirt created a better effect than a better shirt with casual pants unless they were nice jeans. At least I think that is what he was saying. Anyway the shirt was nice. At that point 2 young English females joined the discussion. I am not sure they were as convinced as he, but I bought the shirt. He said as he was wrapping it that it will be a good shirt to travel with. ‘You don’t want to carry too much weight’ he said . To which I replied ‘ pity about all the morning teas I’ve been eating’ deliberately taking another meaning. He went bright red, poor man. I hastily apologized. Earlier he told me I needed something around my neck. He asked what sort of necklaces I had with me. Initially he did not believe me when I said none. The whole experience was worth the extra money in amusement value.
I was exhausted by the whole thing and had lunch. I had been told that salt beef sandwiches were an institution at Selfridges, so thought I better have one. It was OK. They said it was on rye bread - I suppose it could have had 5% rye flour max. I wandered in and out of a few other shops but had had enough so came home. Not sure what I will do with my big bright yellow bag.
My first stop was for morning coffee ( I had had to change buses and breakfast had been several hours before) and they were quite happy for me to have 1 scone rather than the usual 2 per serve. For a moment or 2 I forgot about clotted cream and wondered why they had served me butter. Then I wandered around the food hall. The fish display was interesting. I saw several things that I had seen on menus like skate wings, and dover sole. I also saw conger eel which John and I ate in Chile in 1976 and I havenot seen it anywhere since. The sardines and herrings were bigger than I thought they were. The country of origin and how the fished had been caught /farmed etc were very clearly displayed. I wandered on and saw, in a healthy food counter beetroot sweets. I bought 1 for ₤1 ( I did not want to run the risk of walking out without a bright yellow bag – but then found the food hall uses brown bags). It is a cube roughly 3cm x 3cm x3cm and the ingredients are : cashews, dates, cinnamon, beetroot, fennel seeds according to the label. No sugar or fat. I checked out the oyster bar thinking ahead about lunch., but decided that for the prices they were charging I could shout my 2 frivolous friends to the oyster bar in Sydney DJ’s ( which one of them introduced me to) and still be ahead.
I wandered around the displays of lovely things but felt rather intimidated. I was standing looking at some shirts which were expensive but nice. A middle aged Frenchman asked if I needed help. I explained that I was having afternoon tea on Sunday in a hotel and did not want to buy a new outfit ( well, definitely not at that shop) and thought a new shirt might work. He thought for a bit and produced a nice striped red and white shirt in a slightly crumpled looking fabric and said ‘this one madam’ .’ Why? Why not one of those nice multi coloured thin striped ones with beautiful cuffs? ‘ He very politely said – with casual pants , a nice casual shirt created a better effect than a better shirt with casual pants unless they were nice jeans. At least I think that is what he was saying. Anyway the shirt was nice. At that point 2 young English females joined the discussion. I am not sure they were as convinced as he, but I bought the shirt. He said as he was wrapping it that it will be a good shirt to travel with. ‘You don’t want to carry too much weight’ he said . To which I replied ‘ pity about all the morning teas I’ve been eating’ deliberately taking another meaning. He went bright red, poor man. I hastily apologized. Earlier he told me I needed something around my neck. He asked what sort of necklaces I had with me. Initially he did not believe me when I said none. The whole experience was worth the extra money in amusement value.
I was exhausted by the whole thing and had lunch. I had been told that salt beef sandwiches were an institution at Selfridges, so thought I better have one. It was OK. They said it was on rye bread - I suppose it could have had 5% rye flour max. I wandered in and out of a few other shops but had had enough so came home. Not sure what I will do with my big bright yellow bag.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Monday 23rd March Hampstead Heath, British Museum
On the last day I was in Venice I looked up what the weather forecast was for London to work out what combination of my vast wardrobe to wear. I havenot looked since, until this morning. I had planned on going to St Paul’s Cathedral and then Hampstead Heath, but decided that, since rain was forecast in the afternoon, I would change it and go to Hampstead first. Just as well I looked and changed my mind. I sat in the top of a double decker bus and got a good view of different parts of London. I was a bit confused when the bus dropped me not quite where I expected so went into the first nice looking place for my morning coffee to get out of the wind and read my map and plan. I was even more confused when I got into the shop – there was a table of English women practicing their Italian with their exercise books open and occasionally calling out to the lady behind the counter who was Italian. I sat down with my coffee and cake and a bit later the lady passed by my table, asked if I liked the cake and I replied in Italian. Si, Si. We went on talking for a bit in Italian. I wandered around the heath for a while. It was interesting – it had a gentle feel to it. Many of the trees were just starting to come out after winter. I took lots of photos of bare trees.
I wandered back through Hampstead. It has a nice villagey feel. An Englishman delivering groceries actually said hullo. Soup at pub was good – broccoli and stilton, altho’ it was a bit hard to taste the stilton. It came with fruit bread that I would normally serve with breakfast. It had raisins and was a bit sweet. I wonder if this is an English thing or if they had just run out of normal bread. I caught the tube from Hampstead and found it a bit off putting to have to take the lift down to the platform. I then went to the British Museum. Several years ago they enclosed the courtyard with a roof. It may be the largest covered courtyard in Europe, but there is now no where for the noise of many many schoolkids and many many visitors to go. They had run out of maps and the photocopied replacement was hard to read. I did have a look at some of the important things – the Rosetta Stone was probably most interesting, tho’ hard to look at for as long as I would have liked with all the surrounding people waiting their turn. I wandered around – amazing stuff from civilizations I had never heard of, so I got discouraged at how ignorant I am. I gave up and came home, but the bus was a bit hard to find because of one way streets and some road closures. By that time it was even windier and raining but I did see another bit of London. Sort of - the top window of the bus does not have windscreen wipers. More clothes tomorrow!
I wandered back through Hampstead. It has a nice villagey feel. An Englishman delivering groceries actually said hullo. Soup at pub was good – broccoli and stilton, altho’ it was a bit hard to taste the stilton. It came with fruit bread that I would normally serve with breakfast. It had raisins and was a bit sweet. I wonder if this is an English thing or if they had just run out of normal bread. I caught the tube from Hampstead and found it a bit off putting to have to take the lift down to the platform. I then went to the British Museum. Several years ago they enclosed the courtyard with a roof. It may be the largest covered courtyard in Europe, but there is now no where for the noise of many many schoolkids and many many visitors to go. They had run out of maps and the photocopied replacement was hard to read. I did have a look at some of the important things – the Rosetta Stone was probably most interesting, tho’ hard to look at for as long as I would have liked with all the surrounding people waiting their turn. I wandered around – amazing stuff from civilizations I had never heard of, so I got discouraged at how ignorant I am. I gave up and came home, but the bus was a bit hard to find because of one way streets and some road closures. By that time it was even windier and raining but I did see another bit of London. Sort of - the top window of the bus does not have windscreen wipers. More clothes tomorrow!
Random London Photos
Part of Houses of Parliament
Big Ben
Old St Pancreas railway station being developed into hotel behind roof of new British Library
St Martin in the Fields
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Sun 22 March
On the train back to London I saw lots and lots of rows of brown boxes – the housing architecture is very much the same everywhere-, several ponds with a man ( I presume, but do not really know that they were not females) sitting on a stool fishing every 5 m or so around the edge, several groups of people shooting things in the sky, a few canals with barges. The train tilts when it goes around corners – I did not know that on the way up and maybe that’s partly why it felt funny.
In the afternoon I went to evensong at Westminster Abbey. There was a queue and I was watching as the people dressed respectably in suits were ushered into the choir stalls ( apart from the ones to be used by the choir) and the rest directed to hard looking smallish chairs. It was clear which were the more desirable seats so I asked if I could sit in the stalls – there were several seats left and a gentleman in his tails ushered me into a vacant seat. If you don't ask you don't get. I enjoyed the service. The music and singing was great. You felt right in amongst it - swirling around you
I caught a bus home, thought I would try the local pub but I walked in and it was full of groups of people talking loudly, so I walked out.
In the afternoon I went to evensong at Westminster Abbey. There was a queue and I was watching as the people dressed respectably in suits were ushered into the choir stalls ( apart from the ones to be used by the choir) and the rest directed to hard looking smallish chairs. It was clear which were the more desirable seats so I asked if I could sit in the stalls – there were several seats left and a gentleman in his tails ushered me into a vacant seat. If you don't ask you don't get. I enjoyed the service. The music and singing was great. You felt right in amongst it - swirling around you
I caught a bus home, thought I would try the local pub but I walked in and it was full of groups of people talking loudly, so I walked out.
Sat 21 March
We went to Tatton Park – a large old house in acres and acres of garden about ½ hour drive south of Manchester. It was a bit misty. We went for a walk which I enjoyed and saw several herds of deer – one herd of big deer and one herd of little lighter coloured ones. I was told the names but I have forgotten. After soup we went for a walking tour of Manchester. I enjoyed the feel – quite old buildings which used to be cotton mills, some renovated , some not, next to quite modern looking buildings. In the evening we went to a pub for dinner and then a piano bar. I enjoyed not having to make any decisions for almost a day and a half.
Friday 20 March
To cut a longish story short, last Friday I went to Westminster Abbey, got a bit upset and ended up talking to the chaplain-on-duty in a small chapel for quite a while. It was good and he had a few helpful suggestions. I got the train back to Sloane Square and on the train there was a ukele-playing man who was singing ‘I can see clearly now the rain has gone..’. Then he sang Van Morrison’s brown-eyed girl – W and L’s song. Needless to say I was one of the few passengers smiling at him. The others, typically English , were doing their best not to make eye-contact with anyone.
In the afternoon I caught the train to Manchester. I did not enjoy the trip because I sat in my reserved seat ( there were only 3 spare seats in the 3 carriages I looked in) which was a rear facing one. I went to a café, had a coffee and then my 2nd or 3rd cousin depending on which definition you follow – the daughter of my 1st cousin – met me. We talked, walked to her apartment, I met her boyfriend , we had dinner. All very pleasant. She is a delightful young person with her head well screwed on.
In the afternoon I caught the train to Manchester. I did not enjoy the trip because I sat in my reserved seat ( there were only 3 spare seats in the 3 carriages I looked in) which was a rear facing one. I went to a café, had a coffee and then my 2nd or 3rd cousin depending on which definition you follow – the daughter of my 1st cousin – met me. We talked, walked to her apartment, I met her boyfriend , we had dinner. All very pleasant. She is a delightful young person with her head well screwed on.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Friday
I went to Westminster Abbey this morning and am off to Manchester shortly. Back in a few days.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Day 5 Thursday 19th
I had a lovely day at Oxford yesterday. The sun was shining, we pottered around – to the bookshop I wanted to go and to another one and to a music shop – and I was shown different buildings. We went to the bit of the river that flows into the Thames near the field that only the boys from the Cathedral school can use, we had lunch at what is apparently an Oxford institution – Browns and went for more of a wander around another common. The daffodils and some tulips were beginning to come out – everything is later than usual because of the colder, longer winter.
I had a lovely evening last night. The young couple I visited have a nice new 2 bedroom apartment in Streatham – a suburb about 15min in the train south of London. It is fairly multicultural, but there are lots of little restaurants and it felt quite safe. It was nice to catch up and hear of some of the difficulties adjusting to the English way of doing things. It was quite late by the time I got home ( by my standards) and I find the traffic noise wakes me in the mornings.
I went first this morning to Westminster Cathedral, the Roman Catholic Church. It is not high up on the ‘must-sees’ but it appeared from the literature to be only open Thursday to Saturday, but I think that was wrong. It was opened in 1903 and is not yet finished. There are some attractive side chapels. One had a domed ceiling covered in a mosaic with Jesus on a cross, except the cross was also a tree with branches, fruit and animals off it. The church was designed in the Early Christian Byzantine style.
After that I caught a bus for the first time. Some buses donot accept oyster cards – you have to have a different ticket and I havenot figured out which yet but today’s buses both did. I wandered around Tate Britain for a while. The main part – Galleries 1 to 15 - is arranged chronologically (gallery 1 was the oldest) However the entrance leads you into Gallery 15. Inside each gallery is a blurb about the paintings in that room and it is positioned as if you are going through the galleries in decreasing order. This annoyed me, because I would prefer to look at them in increasing age order, which I did , – and that was the point of a lot of the blurb – looking at the developing styles. There were a few rooms just of Turner paintings, some of which I liked. They were setting up an exhibiton of Rothko and Turner paintings side by side. Some of the paintings were on the floor . There was one of Rothkos 3 horizontal colours top light blue, middle bit of dark red and bottom bit of darker blue. Next to it was a landscape of Turners with some reddish land with sea in the foreground and sky in the top and the colours were very similar.
I then caught a train to Oxford Circus to have a look at the Liberty shop. It took a while to find because its entrance was not on the street it was advertised as being on. I had lunch there. There were several couples, but most of the customers were single ladies dressed in their suits – out for a spot of shopping. I looked at all the lovely wools, some lovely patterns, some lovely material – but just looked.
I was tired of the noise and bustle so came back to Sloane Square and pottered in a few shops. To send a post card from England to Austalia costs , in AUS $ a bit over half what it did from Italy, going on the exchange rate I got about 6 weeks ago.
Some random thoughts/observations:
When leaving an underground by an escalator, you stand on the right – everyone does.
When leaving an underground by stairs, the signs say ‘Keep left’ – some people do, some donot
When walking on a footpath you go where you like
There are no rubbish bins in train stations or around important buildings so you cannot put a bomb in one. It took me a few days of annoyance looking for a bin on a few occasions before I saw a sign that told me why.
They often donot seem to have items in shops individually priced – dress shops are but things like in a chemist or supermarket are not.
Part of the deal with this apatment is you have to pay for 'maid service' mon to fri . I'd rather not pay and not have it but - in the blurb it says that they will wash up only 12 breakfast items. So far they have washed up all my dinner and breakfast items ( there are always less than 12) I wonder if they think I drink wine at breakfast?
I had a lovely evening last night. The young couple I visited have a nice new 2 bedroom apartment in Streatham – a suburb about 15min in the train south of London. It is fairly multicultural, but there are lots of little restaurants and it felt quite safe. It was nice to catch up and hear of some of the difficulties adjusting to the English way of doing things. It was quite late by the time I got home ( by my standards) and I find the traffic noise wakes me in the mornings.
I went first this morning to Westminster Cathedral, the Roman Catholic Church. It is not high up on the ‘must-sees’ but it appeared from the literature to be only open Thursday to Saturday, but I think that was wrong. It was opened in 1903 and is not yet finished. There are some attractive side chapels. One had a domed ceiling covered in a mosaic with Jesus on a cross, except the cross was also a tree with branches, fruit and animals off it. The church was designed in the Early Christian Byzantine style.
After that I caught a bus for the first time. Some buses donot accept oyster cards – you have to have a different ticket and I havenot figured out which yet but today’s buses both did. I wandered around Tate Britain for a while. The main part – Galleries 1 to 15 - is arranged chronologically (gallery 1 was the oldest) However the entrance leads you into Gallery 15. Inside each gallery is a blurb about the paintings in that room and it is positioned as if you are going through the galleries in decreasing order. This annoyed me, because I would prefer to look at them in increasing age order, which I did , – and that was the point of a lot of the blurb – looking at the developing styles. There were a few rooms just of Turner paintings, some of which I liked. They were setting up an exhibiton of Rothko and Turner paintings side by side. Some of the paintings were on the floor . There was one of Rothkos 3 horizontal colours top light blue, middle bit of dark red and bottom bit of darker blue. Next to it was a landscape of Turners with some reddish land with sea in the foreground and sky in the top and the colours were very similar.
I then caught a train to Oxford Circus to have a look at the Liberty shop. It took a while to find because its entrance was not on the street it was advertised as being on. I had lunch there. There were several couples, but most of the customers were single ladies dressed in their suits – out for a spot of shopping. I looked at all the lovely wools, some lovely patterns, some lovely material – but just looked.
I was tired of the noise and bustle so came back to Sloane Square and pottered in a few shops. To send a post card from England to Austalia costs , in AUS $ a bit over half what it did from Italy, going on the exchange rate I got about 6 weeks ago.
Some random thoughts/observations:
When leaving an underground by an escalator, you stand on the right – everyone does.
When leaving an underground by stairs, the signs say ‘Keep left’ – some people do, some donot
When walking on a footpath you go where you like
There are no rubbish bins in train stations or around important buildings so you cannot put a bomb in one. It took me a few days of annoyance looking for a bin on a few occasions before I saw a sign that told me why.
They often donot seem to have items in shops individually priced – dress shops are but things like in a chemist or supermarket are not.
Part of the deal with this apatment is you have to pay for 'maid service' mon to fri . I'd rather not pay and not have it but - in the blurb it says that they will wash up only 12 breakfast items. So far they have washed up all my dinner and breakfast items ( there are always less than 12) I wonder if they think I drink wine at breakfast?
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Day 4 Wed 18th
Am just back from visit to Oxford. Lovely sunny day. Pottered around with 2 relatives. Lovely to catch up. Successful purchase about Dorset at bookshop. Off in -5 minutes to meet friend of elder daughters to visit her new home for dinner.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Day 3 Tuesday 17th
This morning I walked a circuitous route to the Victoria and Albert museum. I arrived just after it opened at 10 ( Most things seem to open at 10 – shops , museums etc). I got a map and sat down to have a coffee in their coffee shop – in a lovely restored old ornate place with hugh ceilings – and tried to decide how to approach the floors and floors of interesting stuff. The museum’s map has a page with a little drawing of 1 thing that they have selected from each of the 80 of so rooms . Fair enough. First though I went to a special exhibition of men’s clothes from the Tsar’s of Russia from the early 1700’s to Nicholas II – the last. Before Peter the Great’s time, Russia was isolated from the rest of Europe but after him they followed some of the European fashions. The first few cases were displaying Peter II ‘s coronation clothes and other ceremonial clothes and ordinary clothes . He ruled from 1727 to 1730 when he died at the age of 14. They were beautifully embroided. They showed everything – cotton undershirt, waistcoat, overcoat, cotton stockings followed by silk stockings, cotton pants followed by silk breeches. The exhibition show looser garments for house wear but they were still beautifully embroidered . By the time of a few tsars later, they wore a military uniform for their coronation and they were not as sumptuous. The tabards that the heralds wore made up for it though as did the livery of the coachmen – all their jackets were quite fancy. The uniform that Nicholas II wore was quite plain but they had on display what they described as his coronation mantle. It was a cloak 7m long, weighed 13kg made of silk brocade and (mainly) ermine. 897 ermine were used. 3 of these mantle were made – 1 for him, 1 for his wife and 1 for his mum – that’s a lot of ermine. Also on display was the specially made chasuble that the officiating clergy wore. IT was the custom for different regions to send the new tsar a ‘presentation cloth’. Several of these were shown with their different embroidery styles.
After that I started my search for the ‘gallery choice’ . It was a poor idea because I kept getting distracted. The first room was one of fashion. I found this amazing dress that Vivian westwood designed ( the gallery's choice) but was just as taken with a traditional hunting outfit for an Englishman. It was made in 1996,. The same brown slightly checked woolen material was used for the beautifully cut waistcoat with lots of button, proper jacket, overcoat and trousers. I cannot remember whether the beret was too. - to go traipsing around in the wood?? ? Any one room had enough amazing stuff to keep you interested for an hour. After a while I had had enough.
Then I walked to Kensington Gardens to look for the Elfin Oak and take some photos for a friend. I was hungry, had looked at the map several times before, knew that Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park were next to each other , could not find the elfin oak on the map on the noticeboard but could see a café marked with an info booth next to it so I walked there, had some lunch and then walked on ( the info booth was closed) – trouble is I had forgotten that half of the green space on the map was Hyde Park and not Kensington Gardens and had walked into Hyde Park. Never mind. I eventually found this tree but it was surrounded by wire mesh and was hard to take photos of. I am coming to the conclusion that English people donot walk much. Maybe they do for a specific occasion – like a ramble- but not normally. Several times I have talked to people about where I am going and they have said – but you have to take a train – I have said I’d walk – they say it’s several km . Hmm. Several people who I asked initially where this tree was seemed surprised that I would contemplate walking. I measured it on a map – instead of walking 1.2km I walked 3.4km – no big deal in the scheme of things – but a silly mistake – most of my silly mistakes come when I’m hungry ( it’s easier to blame mistakes on low blood sugar than senility) .
I decided that I deserved afternoon tea. I caught the train back to South Kensington where I had seen a nice looking French Patisserie in the morning that people were having breakfast/morning tea at ( it was about ¼ full then). Because of the circuitous route I had taken in the morning, it took me a little while to find the place. It looked rather full from the outside but I thought I’d try and went in. I got hit ( it felt almost physical) by a wall of noise – No way – out I went. I wandered around a bit looking for something else with no luck so went to Sainsbury’s(over the road from where I’m staying) and bought a muesli muffin. I spent many minutes looking at the packets of chocolate biscuits but was strong. What I should have done was buy one of the lovely little things that the patisserie were serving to take-away.
After that I started my search for the ‘gallery choice’ . It was a poor idea because I kept getting distracted. The first room was one of fashion. I found this amazing dress that Vivian westwood designed ( the gallery's choice) but was just as taken with a traditional hunting outfit for an Englishman. It was made in 1996,. The same brown slightly checked woolen material was used for the beautifully cut waistcoat with lots of button, proper jacket, overcoat and trousers. I cannot remember whether the beret was too. - to go traipsing around in the wood?? ? Any one room had enough amazing stuff to keep you interested for an hour. After a while I had had enough.
Then I walked to Kensington Gardens to look for the Elfin Oak and take some photos for a friend. I was hungry, had looked at the map several times before, knew that Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park were next to each other , could not find the elfin oak on the map on the noticeboard but could see a café marked with an info booth next to it so I walked there, had some lunch and then walked on ( the info booth was closed) – trouble is I had forgotten that half of the green space on the map was Hyde Park and not Kensington Gardens and had walked into Hyde Park. Never mind. I eventually found this tree but it was surrounded by wire mesh and was hard to take photos of. I am coming to the conclusion that English people donot walk much. Maybe they do for a specific occasion – like a ramble- but not normally. Several times I have talked to people about where I am going and they have said – but you have to take a train – I have said I’d walk – they say it’s several km . Hmm. Several people who I asked initially where this tree was seemed surprised that I would contemplate walking. I measured it on a map – instead of walking 1.2km I walked 3.4km – no big deal in the scheme of things – but a silly mistake – most of my silly mistakes come when I’m hungry ( it’s easier to blame mistakes on low blood sugar than senility) .
I decided that I deserved afternoon tea. I caught the train back to South Kensington where I had seen a nice looking French Patisserie in the morning that people were having breakfast/morning tea at ( it was about ¼ full then). Because of the circuitous route I had taken in the morning, it took me a little while to find the place. It looked rather full from the outside but I thought I’d try and went in. I got hit ( it felt almost physical) by a wall of noise – No way – out I went. I wandered around a bit looking for something else with no luck so went to Sainsbury’s(over the road from where I’m staying) and bought a muesli muffin. I spent many minutes looking at the packets of chocolate biscuits but was strong. What I should have done was buy one of the lovely little things that the patisserie were serving to take-away.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Day 2 Monday 16th
This morning I caught the tube to Westminster. I came out of the station and stood there gawking at all the buildings. I walked north along Parliament St and Whitehall to Trafalgar Square., taking photos like all the other tourists. I went to the British tourist office and then walked back to Trafalgar Square. It was my intention to go to the National Portrait Gallery, but instead thought it was past coffee time so went into the crypt of the Academy of St Martins in the Field. I had read that the café was good value – and the proceeds go to a good cause. They have a huge outreach program and a huge music program. They have free lunch time concerts several days a week, jazz on Thursdays, a concert every Saturday, music things for kids – the list goes on. After my coffee I wandered around the church but it was a bit difficult because the 6 harpists were practicing for today’s lunch time concert. I will make a point of going to something musical there. Apparently the acoustics are excellent.
Then I walked over the road to the National Portrait Gallery. This gallery is arranged chronologically and it is really a summary of British history. You are advised to take this long escalator to the top, start with the Early Tudors and work your way down, which I did. There was a teacher with a group of 10 and 11 years old who were hanging on her every word as she told them about the paintings of Henry VIII and Edward. It was fascinating – both what she was saying and the way she made it so interesting for the kids. I wandered along. I talked to 2 old ladies who were looking at John Donne’s portrait at the same time as me. Somehow we got onto the Tintorettos in Venice. They had both been to Oxford together – they looked to be 80ish to me. I thought about the painting of John Bunyan. I received a copy of Pilgrim’s Progress when I was at school. Apparently he was jailed for preaching without a license. There was also a portrait of Nell Gwynn – after who this place I am staying in is named. John Wesley had a lovely calm, slightly unworldly expression compared to the intensity of the engineer James Watt. There was a large painting of Florence Nightingale at Constantinople with lots of different people in it. There were 2 people in the modern section I was interested in – Jan Morris, the English author whose book on Venice I did not quite finish before I left and Peter Mansfield. I had never heard of him. In 2003 he won the Nobel prize for medicine for discovering MRI’s – so I thought of the many John had. I had been told that there was a nice place for lunch at the top of the building with nice views. It was full – you have to book the day before.
Oh well, a little way up the road there was a place that was listed under the ‘cheap eats’ section of one of my books. I had one of the 2 daily specials – a delicious starter thing of 2 small falafels and dip and then vegetable lasagna and salad – plenty for a main meal for ₤7.50 not bad by London standards.
I was on my way to Euston to collect some train tickets that I had ordered on the internet and, instead of walking, caught the tube. I think I am starting to suffer from too much walking on hard surfaces – my knees are not brilliant. After sorting out the tickets – there always seem to be plenty of people loitering waiting to help if you appear like you may need it – I set off for the British Library nearby at St Pancreas. It’s a new building with people everywhere – you walk into a courtyard and there are tables and benches and people . Inside the Sir John Ritblat Gallery has many treasures and it is set up for the public to view these. Amongst other things I saw an early draft of Handel’s Messiah. From this draft, copies were made for the first performance. It was open at ‘The Trumpet shall sound’ – John’s favourite bit. There were many sacred texts from many different faiths, many beautifully illustrated. There was a book used by the Bishop of Winchester in the late 900’s , a Wycliffe bible from the first ½ of the 15th century, ancient Persian texts, old Qu’rans , old Jewish tests. There was something that one of the Bellinis wrote and illustrated when Christofo Moro became Doge of Venice in 1462 etc etc. I skipped over the cabinets full of original Shakespeare stuff. There are 2 of the 4 Magna Carta’s in the British Museum and 1 was on display with interesting info about it. That was more than enough for the day so I caught the train back to Victoria – the station 1 away from me- where I had to pick up tickets for my trip to Oxford on Wednesday. On the way home, I thought – when in Rome- and stopped for some afternoon tea and cake . It will be soup and a roll for dinner.
Then I walked over the road to the National Portrait Gallery. This gallery is arranged chronologically and it is really a summary of British history. You are advised to take this long escalator to the top, start with the Early Tudors and work your way down, which I did. There was a teacher with a group of 10 and 11 years old who were hanging on her every word as she told them about the paintings of Henry VIII and Edward. It was fascinating – both what she was saying and the way she made it so interesting for the kids. I wandered along. I talked to 2 old ladies who were looking at John Donne’s portrait at the same time as me. Somehow we got onto the Tintorettos in Venice. They had both been to Oxford together – they looked to be 80ish to me. I thought about the painting of John Bunyan. I received a copy of Pilgrim’s Progress when I was at school. Apparently he was jailed for preaching without a license. There was also a portrait of Nell Gwynn – after who this place I am staying in is named. John Wesley had a lovely calm, slightly unworldly expression compared to the intensity of the engineer James Watt. There was a large painting of Florence Nightingale at Constantinople with lots of different people in it. There were 2 people in the modern section I was interested in – Jan Morris, the English author whose book on Venice I did not quite finish before I left and Peter Mansfield. I had never heard of him. In 2003 he won the Nobel prize for medicine for discovering MRI’s – so I thought of the many John had. I had been told that there was a nice place for lunch at the top of the building with nice views. It was full – you have to book the day before.
Oh well, a little way up the road there was a place that was listed under the ‘cheap eats’ section of one of my books. I had one of the 2 daily specials – a delicious starter thing of 2 small falafels and dip and then vegetable lasagna and salad – plenty for a main meal for ₤7.50 not bad by London standards.
I was on my way to Euston to collect some train tickets that I had ordered on the internet and, instead of walking, caught the tube. I think I am starting to suffer from too much walking on hard surfaces – my knees are not brilliant. After sorting out the tickets – there always seem to be plenty of people loitering waiting to help if you appear like you may need it – I set off for the British Library nearby at St Pancreas. It’s a new building with people everywhere – you walk into a courtyard and there are tables and benches and people . Inside the Sir John Ritblat Gallery has many treasures and it is set up for the public to view these. Amongst other things I saw an early draft of Handel’s Messiah. From this draft, copies were made for the first performance. It was open at ‘The Trumpet shall sound’ – John’s favourite bit. There were many sacred texts from many different faiths, many beautifully illustrated. There was a book used by the Bishop of Winchester in the late 900’s , a Wycliffe bible from the first ½ of the 15th century, ancient Persian texts, old Qu’rans , old Jewish tests. There was something that one of the Bellinis wrote and illustrated when Christofo Moro became Doge of Venice in 1462 etc etc. I skipped over the cabinets full of original Shakespeare stuff. There are 2 of the 4 Magna Carta’s in the British Museum and 1 was on display with interesting info about it. That was more than enough for the day so I caught the train back to Victoria – the station 1 away from me- where I had to pick up tickets for my trip to Oxford on Wednesday. On the way home, I thought – when in Rome- and stopped for some afternoon tea and cake . It will be soup and a roll for dinner.
Rest of Day 1
I went in the evening to have dinner with my niece J ( I have decided to be a bit more careful about naming people given that anyone can see this blog). She lives in a new complex just to the SE of the Tower Bridge. I caught the tube, walked over the bridge and really thought, ‘Wow I am in London’ . She had a list of things for me to do, which was great – some were on my list and some were not. Some on my list I crossed off after hearing her view of them. It was a lovely meal. I caught the tube home but made a mistake. I am in between 2 stations, one South Kensington, more major than the other Sloane Square. I got off at Sloane Square at 10.30 pm and did not see another person in the station or for the first part of the walk home. I will get off at South Kensington in future.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Day 1 London 15th March
I have little to report. I spent a large part of the morning sifting through my list of things to do and trying to group them into areas. Then I went wandering to sort out transport options – put more money onto the oyster card I have borrowed, find a bus route map, etc and sort out communication options. I could not open my mobile to change the sim card – not a good start - but the friendly porter helped with that and made sure that it worked. Then I put more money onto it so that should all be OK.
It is the sunny and warmest I’ve been and all the cafes seemed to be full to overflowing – maybe it’s the thing to do – go out for Sunday lunch. I couldnot believe how many Starbuck’s I passed and how full they were. There also seem to be many takeaway or eat in sandwich places.
After priding myself on arranging my coffees and museums in Venice so that I did not need to pay for a loo, I walked into the loo at the Victoria Street Bus Station only to find it cost 20p. Very funny, I thought.
It is the sunny and warmest I’ve been and all the cafes seemed to be full to overflowing – maybe it’s the thing to do – go out for Sunday lunch. I couldnot believe how many Starbuck’s I passed and how full they were. There also seem to be many takeaway or eat in sandwich places.
After priding myself on arranging my coffees and museums in Venice so that I did not need to pay for a loo, I walked into the loo at the Victoria Street Bus Station only to find it cost 20p. Very funny, I thought.
Few Venice photos
This post is causing me a lot of grief. The photos will not go where I want or disappear or both.
The first sunset was taken from my chair at the cafe/bar on the 13th, the second was taken 2 days before with storm clouds in the background. Then 2 views of the Grand Canal, then the courtyard of the Palazzo Ducale with an ornate well head in the foreground ( there are well heads all over the place ). The last photo is of the facade of San Marco's Basilica ( I'm sure I've been muddling Italian and English for the last 2 weeks) on the day that water was coming up through the pavement.
Venice - my apartment
View from balcony
view from side window
My apartment was the corner one on the first floor , front left
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Venice to London
It was sad this morning saying goodbye to Nino. My pack, as I walked in for my coffee, was a dead giveaway.
The walk to the vaporetto, vaporetto to the airport, flight to London, train to Victoria tube station and walk from Victoria to Nell Gwyn House all went smoothly. It only took me 30 minutes to walk – there was a closer tube station but I wanted to see how long it took – and that included several map stops, several ‘look at the menu and prices at café’ stops and several ‘that looks an interesting shop’ stops.
My apartment is really nice. Nell Gwynn House is an old art deco building that has been done up inside into a series of studios and apartments. I have the second smallest – a basic double studio. It had a bathroom with all that you want plus plenty of shelf space and a bath and a heated towel rail. The main room has a small table at the large window the width of the room , a 2 seater lounge, TV, double bed, a wall of mirrors so that it appears light and spacious. There is a small well equipped kitchen. There are plenty of cupboards and a washing machine. There is a Sainsbury’s over the road that I bought some breakfast foods, peppermint tea, coffee, etc at .
This place charges for internet use by the 24hour period, so my posting may be done at less regular intervals – if I think carefully, I should be able to space my use out.
Tomorrow morning I will post some photos of Venice, but it is 7.30 – time for a shower and dinner and put the rest of my things away. I am going to wash my one and only jacket – my blue polartek one that most people know. I am assuming it will dry overnight, otherwise I will be wandering around tomorrow in my goretek rain jacket - not a good look in Kensington / Chelsea if it is sunny.
The walk to the vaporetto, vaporetto to the airport, flight to London, train to Victoria tube station and walk from Victoria to Nell Gwyn House all went smoothly. It only took me 30 minutes to walk – there was a closer tube station but I wanted to see how long it took – and that included several map stops, several ‘look at the menu and prices at café’ stops and several ‘that looks an interesting shop’ stops.
My apartment is really nice. Nell Gwynn House is an old art deco building that has been done up inside into a series of studios and apartments. I have the second smallest – a basic double studio. It had a bathroom with all that you want plus plenty of shelf space and a bath and a heated towel rail. The main room has a small table at the large window the width of the room , a 2 seater lounge, TV, double bed, a wall of mirrors so that it appears light and spacious. There is a small well equipped kitchen. There are plenty of cupboards and a washing machine. There is a Sainsbury’s over the road that I bought some breakfast foods, peppermint tea, coffee, etc at .
This place charges for internet use by the 24hour period, so my posting may be done at less regular intervals – if I think carefully, I should be able to space my use out.
Tomorrow morning I will post some photos of Venice, but it is 7.30 – time for a shower and dinner and put the rest of my things away. I am going to wash my one and only jacket – my blue polartek one that most people know. I am assuming it will dry overnight, otherwise I will be wandering around tomorrow in my goretek rain jacket - not a good look in Kensington / Chelsea if it is sunny.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Day 13 Last Day in Venice – Day of many ‘firsts’
For the first time these 2 weeks, this morning I hung some washing on the line that extends across the street (called a fondamente when it runs next to a canal) and then across the canal to an anchor point on the building opposite. Normally I dry it overnight - the towel rail in front of the heater has been fine.
For the first time these 2 weeks, this morning I saw a gondola in my canal. The gondolier was not working – no tourist would come down here and he was wearing jeans not the obligatory black trousers.
For the first time these 2 weeks, this morning I sat down on a traghetto. There is 1 chair for the first 2 people who get on if they want to. I stumbled minorly as I got on ( because I was busy putting my camera away because I had just taken a photo as he came in from the previous trip carrying, amongst others, a child in a stroller and a family dog) and he obviously thought I should sit down.
For the first time these 2 weeks, this morning I went to a place I had read about near the Rialto bridge which is one of the few places you can have a cup of coffee right next to the Grand Canal and watch the passing parade. My view was a bit compromised by the water taxi rank just in front of me, but it was still worth while.
I thought I should pop my head into the Correr Museum. ( It was included on the museum pass) . There were some quite interesting paintings displaying Venetian life. There was a picture of the Doge and his entourage visiting San Zaccaria. I looked hard but I could not see any nuns. There was an extensive archeological section which I skipped – too late in the holiday – and some paintings arranged chronologically which was good. I think I have been muddling my Bellinis – I knew there was a father and son, but there are 2 sons.
For the first time these 2 weeks I had lunch at a nice place on a canal. The waitress was lovely – talked slowly to me in Italian. She had spent 3 years in London and could speak English well. It was a pity it was my last day because I would have gone back there. The canal was a biggish one – many taxis went past and 3 ambulances.
After lunch I pottered back to my home – my washing had not blown away. After pottering ( I do a lot of that) I went down to the waterfront to watch the sunset, but this time sitting at a table having a spritz . Another first – I sat at one of the front row of tables so I could get a good view – it was a lovely sunset – different to the others but I did not take any photos – well, not proper ones because I was not prepared to move from my chair!
Tomorrow I am off to London.
For the first time these 2 weeks, this morning I saw a gondola in my canal. The gondolier was not working – no tourist would come down here and he was wearing jeans not the obligatory black trousers.
For the first time these 2 weeks, this morning I sat down on a traghetto. There is 1 chair for the first 2 people who get on if they want to. I stumbled minorly as I got on ( because I was busy putting my camera away because I had just taken a photo as he came in from the previous trip carrying, amongst others, a child in a stroller and a family dog) and he obviously thought I should sit down.
For the first time these 2 weeks, this morning I went to a place I had read about near the Rialto bridge which is one of the few places you can have a cup of coffee right next to the Grand Canal and watch the passing parade. My view was a bit compromised by the water taxi rank just in front of me, but it was still worth while.
I thought I should pop my head into the Correr Museum. ( It was included on the museum pass) . There were some quite interesting paintings displaying Venetian life. There was a picture of the Doge and his entourage visiting San Zaccaria. I looked hard but I could not see any nuns. There was an extensive archeological section which I skipped – too late in the holiday – and some paintings arranged chronologically which was good. I think I have been muddling my Bellinis – I knew there was a father and son, but there are 2 sons.
For the first time these 2 weeks I had lunch at a nice place on a canal. The waitress was lovely – talked slowly to me in Italian. She had spent 3 years in London and could speak English well. It was a pity it was my last day because I would have gone back there. The canal was a biggish one – many taxis went past and 3 ambulances.
After lunch I pottered back to my home – my washing had not blown away. After pottering ( I do a lot of that) I went down to the waterfront to watch the sunset, but this time sitting at a table having a spritz . Another first – I sat at one of the front row of tables so I could get a good view – it was a lovely sunset – different to the others but I did not take any photos – well, not proper ones because I was not prepared to move from my chair!
Tomorrow I am off to London.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Day 12 Naval Museum
Firstly – I am not sure who is reading this. It doesnot bother me as long as people know that it is just what I would right in a diary – not necessarily good English or correct spelling or correct information ( tho’ nothing is deliberately incorrect)
The day started slowly. I had had a bad dream last night and decided I wanted to talk to some family. As luck would have it, W was visiting C . It took a bit of effort but I finally got onto both of them and my elder granddaughter was still awake, so that was a bonus. I then went to the Naval Museum which I thought was terrific. There were floors and floors of things. I skipped over all the modern stuff – lots of models of ships, guns ,engines and things – I know nothing about how engines work, but oars and sails I understand. There were models of all sizes of all sorts of boats – dating back to a Phoenecian one . The triremes were interesting – other countries have the 3 rows one on top of one another, but the Venetians usually had 3 oarsmen to a bench. The 3 oars were different lengths (i.e. the inside rower’s oar was the longest) so the blades were together and , assuming the models were to scale, each of the 3 rowlocks were less than a forearm apart. Crabs would not be a good idea! There was a real oar – 56kg . Among other things that I was interested in was a model of a series of masts and pulleys and things designed to pull a huge galley over onto its side to have its keel cleaned ; a series of drawings of how they brought a large sunken galley to the surface with other boats with pulleys all around it and counter weights in other boats and lots of maps of the Arsenale when it was in full production . There were clothes but nothing older than 18th century. Mind you I quite fancied the 18 th C officers overcoats – a dark blue felted material with a long haired furry red collar, red piping down the front edges and around the sleeves, nice gold buttons down half way and a sort of overlap in the front. Would have suited Canberra winter nicely.
Next I went to another church – I am getting a bit tired of them. This one, San Zaccaria, was attached to the most influential convent of the city. Only daughters of the most important noble families were accepted. Once a year the nuns put on a big party for the Doge and all his hanger-ons. Throughout the year they had soirees and assorted parties. I was sitting quietly looking at a Bellini and reading my notes about it when I was descended upon and surrounded by a German tour group ( not a swarm – little things swarm- or a gaggle – they were quietish ) At least the guide put a coin in the box to light the painting.
I then caught the vaporetto to the Lido - a slender sandbank 12km long and about 1/2km wide that forms a natural barrier between Venice and the open sea. At the beginning of the 20th C it was one of Europe’s most fashionable seaside resorts. Now it’s a residential suburb with some large old jaded looking hotels – at least the part I went to – maybe there are other modern fancy hotels. I walked from the ferry terminal the 500m or so to the ‘beach’ . On my last trip to Italy I made some quite disparaging remarks about the ‘beach’ near Ravenna that I went to. Well I take them all back because compared to the Lido where the ‘sand’ was a revoltingly putrid shade of dark grey, the trees were dead ( maybe deciduous I suppose), there was earthmoving equipment everywhere, the public beach seemed to have no facilities ( I suppose it is still very out-of-season), the one bar was overpriced, etc – Ravenna was good. I sat outside in the main street having a sandwich and glass of wine – quite civilized.
Back in the main part of Venice I visited Casa di Goldini. Goldini wrote plays in the mid 1700s. I mainly went because the book said it had a good example of an original internal courtyard. It also was one of the Museums on my museum pass and thus included and museums have loos, that once you are inside the museum, are free. There was a display of puppets which were a major source of entertainment in the 18th C.
I then continued my trawl of bookshops trying to find a book on Carpaccio in English with no success so I went back to the Accadamia – the main art gallery. Their bookshop was inside the building – not on the outside like most are – so I was not sure if they would let me in. I certainly was not going to pay another ^.50 euros ( they are not covered by the museum pass) I told them in my best Italian what I wanted and they just let me in – so I wandered around again and bought a book on Carpaccio in Italian. I wandered home via a coffee shop and then an icecream shop taking a few photos of things that I had forgotten and watching some gondoliers convince some would-be customers to go with them, then race back to get their gondolas out of the ‘parking lot’ and very skillfully maneuver back to their waiting customers on the wharf, dodging the returning gondolas, carrying out several conversations with their mates all doing the same thing – organized chaos.
Earlier in the afternoon I was standing behind an elderly woman in a coffee / icecream shop. She had a walking stick, a long fur coat, a jaunty red beret, sensible shoes, nice slacks and when she turned around I saw she had bright red lipstick just the colour of her beret, and she had just brought an icecream cone. I reckon she had to have been in her late eighties.
I am not sure how much is ‘reasonable’ internet use in this apartment and will not post any more photos till I get to London.
The day started slowly. I had had a bad dream last night and decided I wanted to talk to some family. As luck would have it, W was visiting C . It took a bit of effort but I finally got onto both of them and my elder granddaughter was still awake, so that was a bonus. I then went to the Naval Museum which I thought was terrific. There were floors and floors of things. I skipped over all the modern stuff – lots of models of ships, guns ,engines and things – I know nothing about how engines work, but oars and sails I understand. There were models of all sizes of all sorts of boats – dating back to a Phoenecian one . The triremes were interesting – other countries have the 3 rows one on top of one another, but the Venetians usually had 3 oarsmen to a bench. The 3 oars were different lengths (i.e. the inside rower’s oar was the longest) so the blades were together and , assuming the models were to scale, each of the 3 rowlocks were less than a forearm apart. Crabs would not be a good idea! There was a real oar – 56kg . Among other things that I was interested in was a model of a series of masts and pulleys and things designed to pull a huge galley over onto its side to have its keel cleaned ; a series of drawings of how they brought a large sunken galley to the surface with other boats with pulleys all around it and counter weights in other boats and lots of maps of the Arsenale when it was in full production . There were clothes but nothing older than 18th century. Mind you I quite fancied the 18 th C officers overcoats – a dark blue felted material with a long haired furry red collar, red piping down the front edges and around the sleeves, nice gold buttons down half way and a sort of overlap in the front. Would have suited Canberra winter nicely.
Next I went to another church – I am getting a bit tired of them. This one, San Zaccaria, was attached to the most influential convent of the city. Only daughters of the most important noble families were accepted. Once a year the nuns put on a big party for the Doge and all his hanger-ons. Throughout the year they had soirees and assorted parties. I was sitting quietly looking at a Bellini and reading my notes about it when I was descended upon and surrounded by a German tour group ( not a swarm – little things swarm- or a gaggle – they were quietish ) At least the guide put a coin in the box to light the painting.
I then caught the vaporetto to the Lido - a slender sandbank 12km long and about 1/2km wide that forms a natural barrier between Venice and the open sea. At the beginning of the 20th C it was one of Europe’s most fashionable seaside resorts. Now it’s a residential suburb with some large old jaded looking hotels – at least the part I went to – maybe there are other modern fancy hotels. I walked from the ferry terminal the 500m or so to the ‘beach’ . On my last trip to Italy I made some quite disparaging remarks about the ‘beach’ near Ravenna that I went to. Well I take them all back because compared to the Lido where the ‘sand’ was a revoltingly putrid shade of dark grey, the trees were dead ( maybe deciduous I suppose), there was earthmoving equipment everywhere, the public beach seemed to have no facilities ( I suppose it is still very out-of-season), the one bar was overpriced, etc – Ravenna was good. I sat outside in the main street having a sandwich and glass of wine – quite civilized.
Back in the main part of Venice I visited Casa di Goldini. Goldini wrote plays in the mid 1700s. I mainly went because the book said it had a good example of an original internal courtyard. It also was one of the Museums on my museum pass and thus included and museums have loos, that once you are inside the museum, are free. There was a display of puppets which were a major source of entertainment in the 18th C.
I then continued my trawl of bookshops trying to find a book on Carpaccio in English with no success so I went back to the Accadamia – the main art gallery. Their bookshop was inside the building – not on the outside like most are – so I was not sure if they would let me in. I certainly was not going to pay another ^.50 euros ( they are not covered by the museum pass) I told them in my best Italian what I wanted and they just let me in – so I wandered around again and bought a book on Carpaccio in Italian. I wandered home via a coffee shop and then an icecream shop taking a few photos of things that I had forgotten and watching some gondoliers convince some would-be customers to go with them, then race back to get their gondolas out of the ‘parking lot’ and very skillfully maneuver back to their waiting customers on the wharf, dodging the returning gondolas, carrying out several conversations with their mates all doing the same thing – organized chaos.
Earlier in the afternoon I was standing behind an elderly woman in a coffee / icecream shop. She had a walking stick, a long fur coat, a jaunty red beret, sensible shoes, nice slacks and when she turned around I saw she had bright red lipstick just the colour of her beret, and she had just brought an icecream cone. I reckon she had to have been in her late eighties.
I am not sure how much is ‘reasonable’ internet use in this apartment and will not post any more photos till I get to London.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
More food
I meant to post this yesterday so the time frame is a bit wrong - but that is neither here nor there.
I have recently tried the following:
Baccala alla veneziana – dried salted cod in an onion sauce, once again with polenta, this time like mashed pumpkin, but grainier than the first time. I wonder if polenta comes with what otherwise would be fairly unpalatable ( unless I guess you are brought up on them) dishes. The fish was in little pieces about 1cm square – could have been thinly sliced shoe leather for all I could tell. That makes 3 dishes that I am pleased to have tried but will not choose to have ever again.
Sarde in saor – sardines in a sweet and sour sauce made with onion, pinenuts and sultanas. This was served with, you guessed it, polenta. The sardines were quite tasty and I would not mind having them again. I was given a spare plate, I presume for bones, but I just crunched them up. I got a very weird look when the empty plate was taken away.
I was talking yesterday to 2 waiters/restaurant touts after the lunch rush was over about different Venetian specialties. I told them what I had tried and told them that eel was still on my list but that I hadnot seen it anywhere advertised. They said that maybe 10 years ago it was eaten a lot in Venice but there were not any eels any more. Goody goody I thought – I donot have to try it. John and I did eat eel in Chile and it was quite nice. There is a lot of fried calamari on menus.
Today I went to a restaurant that had been recommended. It was a little more expensive, but significantly nicer than most of the others. I had an antipasto of seafood. It was similar to the previous one, but had more different things. The latti di sepia this time was described to me as the eggs of the squid. 2 of the sources I have say seppia is cuttlefish, but probably cuttlefish is a type of squid. But eggs? Today I was given 2 and they were about 5cm by 3 by 2. Same consistency and colour as before but to have eggs that size it must be quite big . More thought required. ( I am limited in my email time and download so some things will have to wait) . I also had some schie which looked like the tiniest prawns you could imagine. Then I had some lasagna with ricotta and spinach which was really light and delicious.
I started this trip by asking a few times for a bicchierre of wine and was not understood so I asked for a quarto and was understood. There are other words ombra and calice and calicino. I have just been down to the local bar to sort this out. Calice and calicino are interchangeable. Ombra is what you ask for if you want a glass of table wine. Table wine is bought in huge glass bottle things with what looks like cane around them that I have seen a shop selling. Bars always seem to have it decanted into jugs. An ombra is usually smaller than a calice. A calice is what you ask for if you want a glass of bottled wine that is slightly better than table wine. A bicchiere is not used much in this part of the world, but she said it was usually used if you wanted a slightly bigger glass of table wine than an ombra. Having said that I am sure the other day for lunch I asked for a bicchiere of vino rosso at lunch time and got a largish glass poured from a bottle. She could understand me, but despite me asking her to speak slowly she spoke quickly and I did not catch all of it. I am only a little the wiser.There was another option of having a smaller amount of wine in a calcino size glass. While I was there I had a calcino glass of red refosca – slightly sweet – for 1.10 euro., but maybe she only gave me an ombra-sized amount. Clear as mud?
I have recently tried the following:
Baccala alla veneziana – dried salted cod in an onion sauce, once again with polenta, this time like mashed pumpkin, but grainier than the first time. I wonder if polenta comes with what otherwise would be fairly unpalatable ( unless I guess you are brought up on them) dishes. The fish was in little pieces about 1cm square – could have been thinly sliced shoe leather for all I could tell. That makes 3 dishes that I am pleased to have tried but will not choose to have ever again.
Sarde in saor – sardines in a sweet and sour sauce made with onion, pinenuts and sultanas. This was served with, you guessed it, polenta. The sardines were quite tasty and I would not mind having them again. I was given a spare plate, I presume for bones, but I just crunched them up. I got a very weird look when the empty plate was taken away.
I was talking yesterday to 2 waiters/restaurant touts after the lunch rush was over about different Venetian specialties. I told them what I had tried and told them that eel was still on my list but that I hadnot seen it anywhere advertised. They said that maybe 10 years ago it was eaten a lot in Venice but there were not any eels any more. Goody goody I thought – I donot have to try it. John and I did eat eel in Chile and it was quite nice. There is a lot of fried calamari on menus.
Today I went to a restaurant that had been recommended. It was a little more expensive, but significantly nicer than most of the others. I had an antipasto of seafood. It was similar to the previous one, but had more different things. The latti di sepia this time was described to me as the eggs of the squid. 2 of the sources I have say seppia is cuttlefish, but probably cuttlefish is a type of squid. But eggs? Today I was given 2 and they were about 5cm by 3 by 2. Same consistency and colour as before but to have eggs that size it must be quite big . More thought required. ( I am limited in my email time and download so some things will have to wait) . I also had some schie which looked like the tiniest prawns you could imagine. Then I had some lasagna with ricotta and spinach which was really light and delicious.
I started this trip by asking a few times for a bicchierre of wine and was not understood so I asked for a quarto and was understood. There are other words ombra and calice and calicino. I have just been down to the local bar to sort this out. Calice and calicino are interchangeable. Ombra is what you ask for if you want a glass of table wine. Table wine is bought in huge glass bottle things with what looks like cane around them that I have seen a shop selling. Bars always seem to have it decanted into jugs. An ombra is usually smaller than a calice. A calice is what you ask for if you want a glass of bottled wine that is slightly better than table wine. A bicchiere is not used much in this part of the world, but she said it was usually used if you wanted a slightly bigger glass of table wine than an ombra. Having said that I am sure the other day for lunch I asked for a bicchiere of vino rosso at lunch time and got a largish glass poured from a bottle. She could understand me, but despite me asking her to speak slowly she spoke quickly and I did not catch all of it. I am only a little the wiser.There was another option of having a smaller amount of wine in a calcino size glass. While I was there I had a calcino glass of red refosca – slightly sweet – for 1.10 euro., but maybe she only gave me an ombra-sized amount. Clear as mud?
Day 11 Doges’ Palace
For a large part of Venice’s history it has been ruled fairly democratically. The administration was headed the by Doge, an elected leader whose powers were carefully defined by the Venetian constitiution. Real power lay with the Council of Ten and the 2000 or so members of the Grand Council, from whose number the Doge and his advisers were elected. The Doge’s Palace was built in the 14th and early 15th century ( a fire destroyed the previous one) It is light and airy and Gothic. It was the seat of government ( hence large rooms for grand occasions and ones with rows of chairs around the walls for meetings) , the administration centre of justice ( hence prison rooms ) and the home of the doge. There were all sorts of lavish huge paintings – one said to be one of the largest paintings in the world 7.5 m by 24.7m by Tintoretto ( and his helpers) of Paradise. I thought it a bit boring – thousands of happy looking people. There were assorted odd things – several rooms had exhibitions of weapons – row after row of spears , guns etc, a room of Hieronymous Bosch which I quite deliberately walked straight past, a room with what one of my books described as one of Bellini’s best paintings, a room with a display of the re evaluation as genuine and then subsequent restoration of a Carpaccio painting. In the dungeons, I met a woman from San Fransisco. She was in Venice for 10 days doing a language course. We were both finished that museum so we had a cup of coffee together and talked for quite a while. She was of a similar age, had 2 grandchildren, a husband but he was busy and she regularly travelled alone. She said the good thing about a language course was that it gave you a community. More thought required for my next trip . ( I should do a search on ‘more though required’ and make a list.)
I then went to the Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni which was set up in the late 1400s as a meeting place for the large community of Slavs living in the area. Vittore Carpaccio was commissioned to paint the place with scenes from the life of Christ and the legends of their patron saints, St George ( as in slaying the dragon) and St Jerome. There are lots of interesting people in the paintings and architecture from different places in the world – not necessarily where the action is set, but maybe where the people have been. Many things have significance that the average viewer would not pick up. When I walked in, there was a couple there– he spoke Italian, she was American and the guy who collected the money at the door was talking about the paintings. The Italian speaking American ( I assume) was translating and asking many questions. There was a painting of Augustus who had just had a vision from the dead Jerome with books – apparently Venice was one of the first places in Europe to start printing books – and a few other things. Carpaccio was known to put things in paintings from the wrong time to show off what a wonderful place Venice was. Another Italian couple got in on the discussion – they seemed to know lots about Augustus and his theories and writings and some of the symbolism in the painting. It was very interesting. I could just follow the American’s Italian – he spoke slowly – but not the Italian guy – he spoke too quickly – but the American translated for the other lady.
I then went and had lunch. I had sussed out the places along the waterfront – all are more expensive than the back street places, but I thought it reasonable to have 1 meal with a view. I had worked out where most least unreasonably priced and went there. It was nice being so close to the water.
Today I saw black underwear in a shop and black underwear on a washing line – so disregard what I said yesterday.
This afternoon I have walked all over Venice trying to find a bookshop with a book on Carpaccio. It wasnot very pleasant. All the groups of teenage school kids here on excursion were out, loudly, wandering the streets with no teachers to keep them in a cohesive group. I gave up and sat watching the sunset having a bellini actually sitting at an outside table ( twice in one day – what is the world coming to)
I have been thinking about why I have got into the habit of having my lunch out – and usually a main meal. They are 2 separate things. As a single diner, I think I feel less conspicuous at lunch time – whether in a restaurant or sandwich place. If I ate out at night time it would be later – I tend to be in bed by 9pm and read for a while before going to sleep. There have been days when I have had a sandwich out at lunch and cooked myself some pasta from the supermarket fr dinner. Another factor is that I tend not to sit down from when I leave here in the morning to late lunch time ( excluding ferries and churches ( except for a few that have the pews roped off))– so by then I am keen for an excuse and walking back here adds another ¼ hour. I have got into the habit of having lunch as the main meal because there were quite a few specialities I wanted to try and I cannot be bothered deciding what to cook – I am on holidays. I tell myself that when I get to London I will cook – although people tell me take away food is reasonable. Who knows.
I then went to the Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni which was set up in the late 1400s as a meeting place for the large community of Slavs living in the area. Vittore Carpaccio was commissioned to paint the place with scenes from the life of Christ and the legends of their patron saints, St George ( as in slaying the dragon) and St Jerome. There are lots of interesting people in the paintings and architecture from different places in the world – not necessarily where the action is set, but maybe where the people have been. Many things have significance that the average viewer would not pick up. When I walked in, there was a couple there– he spoke Italian, she was American and the guy who collected the money at the door was talking about the paintings. The Italian speaking American ( I assume) was translating and asking many questions. There was a painting of Augustus who had just had a vision from the dead Jerome with books – apparently Venice was one of the first places in Europe to start printing books – and a few other things. Carpaccio was known to put things in paintings from the wrong time to show off what a wonderful place Venice was. Another Italian couple got in on the discussion – they seemed to know lots about Augustus and his theories and writings and some of the symbolism in the painting. It was very interesting. I could just follow the American’s Italian – he spoke slowly – but not the Italian guy – he spoke too quickly – but the American translated for the other lady.
I then went and had lunch. I had sussed out the places along the waterfront – all are more expensive than the back street places, but I thought it reasonable to have 1 meal with a view. I had worked out where most least unreasonably priced and went there. It was nice being so close to the water.
Today I saw black underwear in a shop and black underwear on a washing line – so disregard what I said yesterday.
This afternoon I have walked all over Venice trying to find a bookshop with a book on Carpaccio. It wasnot very pleasant. All the groups of teenage school kids here on excursion were out, loudly, wandering the streets with no teachers to keep them in a cohesive group. I gave up and sat watching the sunset having a bellini actually sitting at an outside table ( twice in one day – what is the world coming to)
I have been thinking about why I have got into the habit of having my lunch out – and usually a main meal. They are 2 separate things. As a single diner, I think I feel less conspicuous at lunch time – whether in a restaurant or sandwich place. If I ate out at night time it would be later – I tend to be in bed by 9pm and read for a while before going to sleep. There have been days when I have had a sandwich out at lunch and cooked myself some pasta from the supermarket fr dinner. Another factor is that I tend not to sit down from when I leave here in the morning to late lunch time ( excluding ferries and churches ( except for a few that have the pews roped off))– so by then I am keen for an excuse and walking back here adds another ¼ hour. I have got into the habit of having lunch as the main meal because there were quite a few specialities I wanted to try and I cannot be bothered deciding what to cook – I am on holidays. I tell myself that when I get to London I will cook – although people tell me take away food is reasonable. Who knows.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Day 10 Tuesday Murano
Today I went to Murano, an island just to the north of the main part of Venice. It is the centre of the Venetian glass making industry ( that part of the ‘industry’ that has not moved offshore to China). First I went to an old church called Santi Maria and Donato. It is quite old – dates back to the 7th century. It was initially dedicated to Mary, but then the relics of the body of St Donatus from Sicily were brought there and his name was added. ( I must read back – pre the vineyard church to read what other odd ways churches here have been named) Behind the altar are 4 huge bones from a dragon that this guy’s spit killed – or so the guide book says. I lashed out and spent 1 euro on a piece of paper that told me all about the Church, but it’s in Italian. The relevant part mentions 3 dorsal vertaebra and part of the vertebral column of a cetaceo – whatever that maybe – my dictionary is not up to large animals, mythical or otherwise. It had a lovely floor like St Mark’s – mosaics – sometimes birds and animals and sometimes abstract patterns. There are 11 th century mosaics on the walls. It was obviously used as a church. There was a pile of hymn books, a bible left on the altar and a large flat screen at the front ( sort of folded away but it looked like it hinged outwards) and 2 screens half way down each side aisle. I then went on a heater hunt. They were very discrete – hanging from the ceiling like modern chandeliers, but quite high up. They blended in with the colour of the wooden ceiling. At least I am guessing that the things I saw were heaters.
My next stop was the glass museum. They had a quite interesting display of how glass was made – both in the past and today. They had glasses, bowls, ornaments from different periods in different rooms. I donot think I followed the correct sequence , it was a bit of a jumble. The modern stuff was nice. There was really odd stuff from the 19th century. Then they had a fad of glass decorations for the centre of a dining room table. These decorations took the form of an outdoor garden, with little trees , urns, birds, animals, lawns, all sorts of bits and pieces. One of my books described them as ‘stupendously ugly 19th century decorative pieces’.
There are streets and streets of shops selling glass souvenirs that range in price from 1 euro – not made in Murano – to beautiful stuff that starts at 6 figures. The lady who came here last Saturday to change the sheets gave me the name of someone who is reputable. Who knows. As avid readers may remember from my last trip, buying things when I am away ( or at any time for that matter) for other people is extremely difficult. One of the reasons, I think, is that some part of me feels the need to make up to W, K and C for the years and years their father travelled and never brought them anything. I remember – he did once- he bought them a mug each and they used them and used them till the motif wore off, a different animal. Anyway, I went to this particular shop. Franca had told me it was mainly plates with some jewelry. There were no plates. I decided I was not leaving till I had bought something for 2 of the 3. I was pleased – it wasnot too difficult, but there was nothing suitable for the third!
Then I took a direct ferry back to the train station, where the slow ferry down the grand canal starts and got a good seat – well a seat with a good view but it was the coldest, most exposed seat on the ferry. I took some photos of the very grand, the grand, the not so grand now, and the falling down palaces. I also got a few more photos of different boats to add to my ‘water transport’ collection. I missed the photo of the interflora boat though.
I had been recommended a restaurant that was not open when I went previously, but I thought I’d try again. It was good – see food post next.
I came home to do some more embroidery, but I am disappointed. When I got my new glasses a few years ago, I was able to see more clearly than I can now, I think. Ah well, I have a nice window to sit near to watch the world go past.
Several times I have walked past the gates of the Arsenal, near here. Since the Middle Ages, battleships and merchant ships were built in the huge state dockyard that is called the Arsenale. It must have been an amazing place. In the late 1500’s when Venice and the Turks were fighting, 100 galleys every 2 months were produced. Apparently they had developed an assembly line sort of practice. There was over 60 acres and at its height there were 16000 workers – in pre-industrialised Europe. Huge.
Some random thoughts follow:
My fancy new travelling handbag maybe slashproof but it is not rainproof!
I can thoroughly recommend The Rough Guide series of maps. Folding and refolding repeatedly in the rain for 3 days would destroy most maps. Not this one!
Venice is a good place to learn that the journey is as important as the destination; and what your thought was the destination may turn out not to be anyhow.
It would be very hard to eat cheaply as a tourist in Italy if you did not eat wheat.
My hair gets dirty faster in Venice than in Canberra.
I am lucky – in 2 weeks I have experienced a range of weather from cold, misty and raining ( quite atmospheric) to yesterday’s bright sunshine, sit outside at a café with only a shirt on weather.
Venetian people ( dare I say housewives?) hang their washing on the line sorted. I have been looking and have never seen the sheets and towels muddled up. Like is next to like. They also rarely hang undies on the lines; on the few ocassions I have seen some they are always white. Mind you, I have seen several nice lingerie shops and I have never seen anything displayed that is not a light colour.
In the 10 days I have been wandering the streets I have only seen 2 obviously scarfed Muslim women. All the restaurants I have been to have had Italian front of house staff but several have had North African kitchen staff.
I reckon people on the ferries here are more considerate of elderly passengers than on the buses and trains in Canberra and Sydney.
I am really enjoying this apartment. It is bright, feels spacious and has a good outlook.
My next stop was the glass museum. They had a quite interesting display of how glass was made – both in the past and today. They had glasses, bowls, ornaments from different periods in different rooms. I donot think I followed the correct sequence , it was a bit of a jumble. The modern stuff was nice. There was really odd stuff from the 19th century. Then they had a fad of glass decorations for the centre of a dining room table. These decorations took the form of an outdoor garden, with little trees , urns, birds, animals, lawns, all sorts of bits and pieces. One of my books described them as ‘stupendously ugly 19th century decorative pieces’.
There are streets and streets of shops selling glass souvenirs that range in price from 1 euro – not made in Murano – to beautiful stuff that starts at 6 figures. The lady who came here last Saturday to change the sheets gave me the name of someone who is reputable. Who knows. As avid readers may remember from my last trip, buying things when I am away ( or at any time for that matter) for other people is extremely difficult. One of the reasons, I think, is that some part of me feels the need to make up to W, K and C for the years and years their father travelled and never brought them anything. I remember – he did once- he bought them a mug each and they used them and used them till the motif wore off, a different animal. Anyway, I went to this particular shop. Franca had told me it was mainly plates with some jewelry. There were no plates. I decided I was not leaving till I had bought something for 2 of the 3. I was pleased – it wasnot too difficult, but there was nothing suitable for the third!
Then I took a direct ferry back to the train station, where the slow ferry down the grand canal starts and got a good seat – well a seat with a good view but it was the coldest, most exposed seat on the ferry. I took some photos of the very grand, the grand, the not so grand now, and the falling down palaces. I also got a few more photos of different boats to add to my ‘water transport’ collection. I missed the photo of the interflora boat though.
I had been recommended a restaurant that was not open when I went previously, but I thought I’d try again. It was good – see food post next.
I came home to do some more embroidery, but I am disappointed. When I got my new glasses a few years ago, I was able to see more clearly than I can now, I think. Ah well, I have a nice window to sit near to watch the world go past.
Several times I have walked past the gates of the Arsenal, near here. Since the Middle Ages, battleships and merchant ships were built in the huge state dockyard that is called the Arsenale. It must have been an amazing place. In the late 1500’s when Venice and the Turks were fighting, 100 galleys every 2 months were produced. Apparently they had developed an assembly line sort of practice. There was over 60 acres and at its height there were 16000 workers – in pre-industrialised Europe. Huge.
Some random thoughts follow:
My fancy new travelling handbag maybe slashproof but it is not rainproof!
I can thoroughly recommend The Rough Guide series of maps. Folding and refolding repeatedly in the rain for 3 days would destroy most maps. Not this one!
Venice is a good place to learn that the journey is as important as the destination; and what your thought was the destination may turn out not to be anyhow.
It would be very hard to eat cheaply as a tourist in Italy if you did not eat wheat.
My hair gets dirty faster in Venice than in Canberra.
I am lucky – in 2 weeks I have experienced a range of weather from cold, misty and raining ( quite atmospheric) to yesterday’s bright sunshine, sit outside at a café with only a shirt on weather.
Venetian people ( dare I say housewives?) hang their washing on the line sorted. I have been looking and have never seen the sheets and towels muddled up. Like is next to like. They also rarely hang undies on the lines; on the few ocassions I have seen some they are always white. Mind you, I have seen several nice lingerie shops and I have never seen anything displayed that is not a light colour.
In the 10 days I have been wandering the streets I have only seen 2 obviously scarfed Muslim women. All the restaurants I have been to have had Italian front of house staff but several have had North African kitchen staff.
I reckon people on the ferries here are more considerate of elderly passengers than on the buses and trains in Canberra and Sydney.
I am really enjoying this apartment. It is bright, feels spacious and has a good outlook.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Day 9 Monday St Mark’s Basilica
I decided it was time to brave the tourist hordes and see the main sights (one of them at least) of Venice. I got to St Mark’s Square early and pottered around. It really is quite impressive from the outside. Water was gurgling up through the pavement in quite a few places – several in the foyer area of the Basilica so they had the boards out. They are about a meter wide and when a gaggle/swarm/pack ( what is the collective noun for a group of tourists? I think it has to depend on the country of origin – they display different traits) passes, you really have to stand your ground ( or rather piece of board) firmly. Maybe it happens after rain. When I got inside, I remembered how I felt in the cathedral in Milan- uncomfortable – with being herded along a particular path; with seeing people take photos despite many, many signs; with seeing groups of officials do nothing about said phototakers; with the constant loud hum of voices; with some people rudely pushing past. That said, the work that has gone into the mosaics which were everywhere was amazing. Everywhere you looked there was an intricately carved something – pillar or chair or screen; except the choir stalls were perfectly plain wood, no carving or embellishments of any kind. Maybe they are a new addition. The museum was interesting. It had some tapestries; fragments of old mosaics; Byzantine embroidered clothes, though these had been extensively restored and it was not clear what, if anything, was original; illustrated old books and a weekday altarpiece that was put in front of the one that was lavishly decorated with gold, silver and all sorts of precious jewels for services on weekdays. The fancy one was displayed on weekends. In the museum are 4 lifesized gilded bronze horses that were stolen in 1204 from Constantinople. They are probably Roman from the second century AD. They are well travelled horses. Napoleon took them to Paris in 1797, then they came back. They were on the façade of the basilica but are now inside and replicas are on the outside.
After I had enough of St Mark’s I went to a much smaller church – Santa Maria del Giglio. It had heaters amongst the pews, lots of twiddly bits – baroque – but a modern statue in light coloured stone dated 1985 next to the dark grey stone altar. It is the first time I have seen such a modern thing in a church here. In a little side chapel was a lovely Rubens painting, said to be the only Rubens on display in Venice.
I went to another church – San Stefano - gothic – only because I was in the area and was filling in time. I had bought a Chorus pass for 9 euro which gives you access to many of the churches in Venice without paying the normal entrance fee. Once you are past 3 churches you are ahead – so a quick nip into a church is OK. San Stefano had a nice ceiling of wood – like an upturned keel of a boat. There was another of Tintoretto’s last suppers.
I have written a few postcards but am having trouble buying stamps. Tobaccaios do not sell them, like in other parts of Italy I have been, you have to go to a Post Office which are either very full or closed each time I have passed one. More effort required.
I have just finished making a list of the things I would like to see in my last 4 days. There are too many!
After I had enough of St Mark’s I went to a much smaller church – Santa Maria del Giglio. It had heaters amongst the pews, lots of twiddly bits – baroque – but a modern statue in light coloured stone dated 1985 next to the dark grey stone altar. It is the first time I have seen such a modern thing in a church here. In a little side chapel was a lovely Rubens painting, said to be the only Rubens on display in Venice.
I went to another church – San Stefano - gothic – only because I was in the area and was filling in time. I had bought a Chorus pass for 9 euro which gives you access to many of the churches in Venice without paying the normal entrance fee. Once you are past 3 churches you are ahead – so a quick nip into a church is OK. San Stefano had a nice ceiling of wood – like an upturned keel of a boat. There was another of Tintoretto’s last suppers.
I have written a few postcards but am having trouble buying stamps. Tobaccaios do not sell them, like in other parts of Italy I have been, you have to go to a Post Office which are either very full or closed each time I have passed one. More effort required.
I have just finished making a list of the things I would like to see in my last 4 days. There are too many!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Day 8 Sunday San Giorgio Maggiore and Ca Pesaro
Yesterday's sunset over today's church.
There are interesting shade, reflections etc when the sun is shining in the canals.
Today for the first time I couldnot get onto the first vaporetto going in the direction I wanted to go. I gather this is not uncommon in the main tourist season. There were a couple of Italians behind me making disparaging remarks about tourists. I was very tempted to make a comment. San Giorgio Maggiore is a church, tower, monastery etc complex built on it’s own island. It is another of Palladio’s designs that are designed to be viewed from a distance. The church looks better from the water than close up. Some people say Palladio’s designs are cold and harsh, but I rather think they are restful after the busyness of other styles. There are 2 Tintoretto paintings designed for the chancel. They are quite dark ( in colour and content). One is the last of a whole series of paintings of the Last Supper that he did throughout his career, but it is interesting to see how the light falls on it. Since it was built the island has had a checkered life, including being headquarters of the artillery. A rich guy, Count Vittorio Cini bought it in 1951 and restored everything.
I then went to Ca Pesaro – a baroque palace built in the 1600’s for the Pesaro family. It has been the Gallery of Modern Art since 1897. I approached the palace from the land, as you have to, but all the palaces along the grand canal were designed to look sumptuous from the water – I have yet to take the slow vaporetto down the grand canal to take pictures of some of these places I have been to. Some of the paintings and sculptures were interesting and some weird – quite unfathomable to me. I would like to learn more about Chagall – there was a painting of his The Rabbai of Vitebsk that I liked.
The next place I wanted to see was quite close by but I had lunch first – probably the nicest food but the worst service. I couldnot work out whether he was deliberately ignoring me or was just absent minded.
The Ca Mocenigo is another palace built in the 17th century, but this one, inside, is much as it would have been in the 18th century. In many of the rooms there are models of people ( men, women and children) wearing clothes of the day – all lavishly embroidered. I smiled at one of the female models. Some cotton wool had been put down the top of her gown to give her a more rounded shape ( 2 more rounded shapes to be precise)
Over the last few days I have seen street sellers selling sprigs of what looked very like wattle – the small round balls with feathery leaves. Today is La Festa della Donna. I had seen signs and yesterday asked Franca – sort of like Mothers Day except its for all women. The street sellers were out in force today with this flower and many women were carrying some around. It was always done up in cellophane and a bit hard to see. I finally talked to a seller and he said it was called mimosa – I’m sure I’ve heard one of the wattles called that so I suppose it’s the same - and it's tradition to give to women you know.
I’d dawdled so that it by the time I got nearly home I felt justified in having a gelato ( almond ) and watching the descending sun over the lagoon.
I then went to Ca Pesaro – a baroque palace built in the 1600’s for the Pesaro family. It has been the Gallery of Modern Art since 1897. I approached the palace from the land, as you have to, but all the palaces along the grand canal were designed to look sumptuous from the water – I have yet to take the slow vaporetto down the grand canal to take pictures of some of these places I have been to. Some of the paintings and sculptures were interesting and some weird – quite unfathomable to me. I would like to learn more about Chagall – there was a painting of his The Rabbai of Vitebsk that I liked.
The next place I wanted to see was quite close by but I had lunch first – probably the nicest food but the worst service. I couldnot work out whether he was deliberately ignoring me or was just absent minded.
The Ca Mocenigo is another palace built in the 17th century, but this one, inside, is much as it would have been in the 18th century. In many of the rooms there are models of people ( men, women and children) wearing clothes of the day – all lavishly embroidered. I smiled at one of the female models. Some cotton wool had been put down the top of her gown to give her a more rounded shape ( 2 more rounded shapes to be precise)
Over the last few days I have seen street sellers selling sprigs of what looked very like wattle – the small round balls with feathery leaves. Today is La Festa della Donna. I had seen signs and yesterday asked Franca – sort of like Mothers Day except its for all women. The street sellers were out in force today with this flower and many women were carrying some around. It was always done up in cellophane and a bit hard to see. I finally talked to a seller and he said it was called mimosa – I’m sure I’ve heard one of the wattles called that so I suppose it’s the same - and it's tradition to give to women you know.
I’d dawdled so that it by the time I got nearly home I felt justified in having a gelato ( almond ) and watching the descending sun over the lagoon.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Day 7 Saturday San Zanipolo
I got off to a slow start today because Signora France ( the apartment’s owner’s agent) came around, as arranged, to do some light cleaning and change the bed. She is learning English so we talked for a while about children, grandchildren Venetian sights, London, etc. I tried to speak in Italian and she spoke in English. I had to revert to English more often than she reverted to Italian but it was interesting.
San Francesco della Vigna was on the way ( well, one of the many possible ways) to today’s main sight. It is way off the beaten track and I saw no other tourists in the time I was there. It is named because of the vineyard that it was built on. I like it already, I thought. ( Can you imagine in Canberra - St Fred of the Sheep Paddock) According to the book it is typical of simple Venetian High Renaissance style – I must do an architecture course- but has a newer façade built by Palladio. Palladio was a Venetian architect from 1508to 1580 who designed large buildings with simple, elegant, classical lines. They are usually symmetrical – this one is, but you cannot see it because of the neighbouring buildings. Anyway, inside was interesting. It clearly had active parishioners – there were heaters like in outdoor cafes scattered amongst the pews. (Maybe they weren’t so active but the inside of the churches has been noticibly colder than outside) I sat down to get out my book and the printed info I had to read. I glanced at the neighbouring side chapel – Per I Defunti. I always smile about that word – John, my late husband, in Italian is mio defunto marito as in defunct. In this case I think Departed would be a better translation. I wasn’t sure whether to giggle – John would have smiled at calling a church after a vineyard, and then the defunct word – but then I read another sign that said in Italian ‘Remember them in the hand of God’. Right, time to concentrate on the famous paintings and statues and things, not emotions. Which I did.
Zanipolo is the Venetian abbreviation for Giovanni and Paolo. It was huge. At much the same time that the Franciscans arrived in Venice and built the Santa Maria dei Frari I saw on day 3, the Dominicans arrived too. They also got given some land to build a huge church. Apparently these 2 groups have theological differences and do not always see eye to eye, so the land had to be a fair way distant. They had problems building too – the Dominicans wanted a roof like the Franciscans but had marshier land and knew then (1300’s) that the building would sink if they did so they had to come up with a different solution. The marble columns in the main doorway came from Torcello. There were lots of nice paintings and carvings. There are many tombs of the dead Doges. I am reading a book called With a Gemlike Flame by David Adams Cleveland. It is not high class literature, but it is about an art historian and a few others who discover a lost Raphael in Venice. The main character has written a book about the Lombardi family of sculptors – father and 2 sons. I have enjoyed looking out for their works
Back home, I enjoyed ( almost) leaning out over the balcony to bring the dry sheets and towels in. It is not straightforward. You have to pull the line, but take the pegs off and grab the garment in a coordinated movement and if you pull too quickly the garment can get caught up in the pulley. Then, in my case, every few garments you have to bring inside – the ‘balcony’ is about 2ft wide by 6inches deep and is up 2 steps from the kitchen floor - you cannot turn around once you are standing there. Mind you, it is a better view than thru the window. A large group of neighbourhood men were pottering over an engine of a boat. This reminded me that I have never seen a female driving a boat.
I spent some time this evening sitting watching the sun set over the other side of the lagoon.
San Francesco della Vigna was on the way ( well, one of the many possible ways) to today’s main sight. It is way off the beaten track and I saw no other tourists in the time I was there. It is named because of the vineyard that it was built on. I like it already, I thought. ( Can you imagine in Canberra - St Fred of the Sheep Paddock) According to the book it is typical of simple Venetian High Renaissance style – I must do an architecture course- but has a newer façade built by Palladio. Palladio was a Venetian architect from 1508to 1580 who designed large buildings with simple, elegant, classical lines. They are usually symmetrical – this one is, but you cannot see it because of the neighbouring buildings. Anyway, inside was interesting. It clearly had active parishioners – there were heaters like in outdoor cafes scattered amongst the pews. (Maybe they weren’t so active but the inside of the churches has been noticibly colder than outside) I sat down to get out my book and the printed info I had to read. I glanced at the neighbouring side chapel – Per I Defunti. I always smile about that word – John, my late husband, in Italian is mio defunto marito as in defunct. In this case I think Departed would be a better translation. I wasn’t sure whether to giggle – John would have smiled at calling a church after a vineyard, and then the defunct word – but then I read another sign that said in Italian ‘Remember them in the hand of God’. Right, time to concentrate on the famous paintings and statues and things, not emotions. Which I did.
Zanipolo is the Venetian abbreviation for Giovanni and Paolo. It was huge. At much the same time that the Franciscans arrived in Venice and built the Santa Maria dei Frari I saw on day 3, the Dominicans arrived too. They also got given some land to build a huge church. Apparently these 2 groups have theological differences and do not always see eye to eye, so the land had to be a fair way distant. They had problems building too – the Dominicans wanted a roof like the Franciscans but had marshier land and knew then (1300’s) that the building would sink if they did so they had to come up with a different solution. The marble columns in the main doorway came from Torcello. There were lots of nice paintings and carvings. There are many tombs of the dead Doges. I am reading a book called With a Gemlike Flame by David Adams Cleveland. It is not high class literature, but it is about an art historian and a few others who discover a lost Raphael in Venice. The main character has written a book about the Lombardi family of sculptors – father and 2 sons. I have enjoyed looking out for their works
Back home, I enjoyed ( almost) leaning out over the balcony to bring the dry sheets and towels in. It is not straightforward. You have to pull the line, but take the pegs off and grab the garment in a coordinated movement and if you pull too quickly the garment can get caught up in the pulley. Then, in my case, every few garments you have to bring inside – the ‘balcony’ is about 2ft wide by 6inches deep and is up 2 steps from the kitchen floor - you cannot turn around once you are standing there. Mind you, it is a better view than thru the window. A large group of neighbourhood men were pottering over an engine of a boat. This reminded me that I have never seen a female driving a boat.
I spent some time this evening sitting watching the sun set over the other side of the lagoon.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Food
At the beginning of my time here I compiled a list from my various sources of Venetian specialities, mainly odd seafood like cuttlefish and eel, to try. I am slowly working my way through the list, but it is not as straight forward as I thought. The cheaper restaurants – the ones behind a bar filled with workmen or students that I have been to twice do not seem to serve these dishes. The slightly more upmarket restaurants which have menus in the window in Italian, English, and sometimes French and German as well, sometimes do. At one of these, 2 courses, wine and coffee costs about 30 euros – about $60 – more than I want to spend. On the other hand, I’ve come all this way, and the difference between that and a cheaper meal that is usually similar to what I would cook at home that costs about 20 euros is not that much in the total cost of the trip. I have decided to just drink house wine – which is usually quite nice – rather than try some of the different types of regional wine. I sometimes take water and have a swig before I have lunch. A quarto (250ml) of house wine usually costs between 2 and 3 euros, but water often costs more because they only have big bottles of water – they rarely have smaller bottles.
I have tried so far :
Tiramisu
Apple strudel ( they have a lot of it here)\
An antipasto of different cold lagoon caught things – different sized prawns which have different names in Italian ( gamberetti,gamberone, and scampi), something that looked like a grayish prawn called a cicala, polipo or baby octopus and something that the waiter described as the milk of cuttlefish. These were little white balls about half the size of gnocchi and similar texture. I had taken too much of his time and it was stretching it too far to find out if and how it was cooked.
Fegato alla Venezia – liver ( I had calf’s liver but I have seen it described as veal liver in other places) chopped up on a bed of onions with polenta. The polenta was the consistency and colour of mashed pumpkin.
Seppia al nero con polenta – this I had at about 1245. It is now 6.15 and my stomach is still struggling . It is cuttlefish cooked in its own black ink. It was quite tasty but the sauce had really strong flavours. The fish itself was in strips about 5cm by 1cm and quite like well cooked ( i.e. not overdone and chewy) calamari. It was served with polenta but this time it was white and reminded me of blancmange in look and texture. See photo – it looked even less appetizing properly in focus.
They use raddichio quite a lot – I have been given it always in a salad.
I will continue trying things.
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