Cats. They wouldn't want to get their dainty little paws wet.
Canoes. And I want one! Maybe that's my retirement destiny - giving canoe rides in Venice. 'Course, they'd have to change a few of the postcards. And I'm not gonna wear any of those Goldolier outfits - horizontal stripes just aren't 'me'.
Anywhere to sit. For free, I mean. Even to pee at one of the mercifully frequent WCs costs 1.50 euros, just over $2 Cdn. Forget a picnic!
You don't have to be in Venice long before you find out that sitting in Venice is a largely commercial endeavour. And that you should always carry coins in your pocket.
You can BUY a drink, or a meal, and thereby a seat. But you can't just park yourself anywhere.
Oh, there are a few exceptions. There is a lovely public square around the corner from my hotel, with a few trees - very rare here - and benches. I wandered over yesterday morning, pulled out a book and read for a few minutes in the sun.
But it soon became apparent that this is also one of the few places where the elderly residents can sit. In good conscience, I couldn't stay there long, because there are few enough places where they can just relax and enjoy their home away from the fray of tourists and commercialism.
So I moved along. I decided to pack the map away and just take a wander on the road less travelled, away from the Rialto and San Marco, and see where I ended up.
During the day, this is the only other place where I found I could sit for a while. I felt like I'd found the Holy Grail - trees, benches, shade and a view of the Grand Canal!
And I don't have a clue where it was!
There are so few trees here that I have noticed the dogs don't know what to do with them. So they ignore them. And squat anywhere. Poor, stupid dogs.
I have lots of pictures, and will take you along with me on my wander, but first we have to take a few minutes to make fun of Murano glass.
Have you seen this stuff? Venice is lousy with it - likely because the island of Murano is just a field kick off shore.
It's that hand-blown, multi-coloured stuff that looks like somewhere, somehow, a glassblower mated feverishly with Dali on acid. It keeps me from getting married, frankly. Some ass would use it as an excuse to give me Murano glass.
Now, some of the stuff isn't bad. They make some nice beads, and some pendants that are mosaics that resemble stained glass windows. Nice. Small. Understated. I have some and like it.
But they couldn't stop there.
You name it - they have made it out of glass in Murano. They have run out of things to replicate, and have resorted to making balloon animals out of glass.
Some of the other delights on offer?
Any takers for a glass dentist, truimpht after an extraction?
How about Picasso's Inukshuk (non-Canucks will have to Google).
Now I feel better!
Speaking of beautiful objets, Miss Karen, I keep finding footwear for you! These may work during the renovations! And they're from Timberland, so you may find them at the mall!
Enough! Let's go on a walk!
Venice is a place where Nobody Knows Your Name. It's not Cheers, it's Harry's Bar, and with the celebs that have shown up here since Papa Hemingway, they don't know or care who you or I are.
Harry's Bar is located near San Marco, in a small tangle of streets full of "Chi Chi, Pooh Pooh" stores like Chanel (who are ridiculous!), Botega Veneta, Pucci and the like. They sell silly things in stores too pretentious to actually have any merchandise, and which are empty of everything except angry, emaciated sales professionals. They sell stacked stilleto shoes in a town - hell, Country - where you don't dare walk in anything except track shoes. I mock your stores, your merchandise and your sad, sheepish customers! Mock!
The thing about Venice is there aren't a lot of horses. Likely never were. So the tie-downs aren't on the walls, they are on the sidwalk, and they are for boats.
(Note to self: watch carefully when backing up to focus a shot - you may get wet.)
Still finding that doors, arches and hardware catch my eye, I can't help taking these.
Venice is filled with literally thousands of stores, kiosks, carts and street merchants trying to get your money. They sell only a few things, and you see them over and over and over again. They are: purses, scarves, Murano glass, postcards and calendars, snacks, and masks.
This is one of the more fabulous masks, and Miss K, come get your own damn mask, I'm not bringing it carry-on!
A walk in Venice takes you to strange places. To my grateful surprise, this one was a bridge.
Venice has yard sales. Who knew? Who knew they have yards?
Pretty much the same crap we have, too. (No Venetian copper - I checked.)
Dead ends abound here - either in water, houses or hotels. You just have to backtrack.
The occasional courtyard is a surprise.
No, it's not the camera. This place really does look like it's falling over. Very. Slowly.
This one is pretty typical.
This one... all deliveries at rear, please.
Every walk eventually ends at the Rialto or San Marco. Here, we're back at the Rialto. Those looking closely will notice that I have sucked out and hopped on a Vaporetto. This is a view from the water.
Venice is great on foot but really needs to be seen from the water for maximum 'wow'!
This place lives or dies by the canals. Nothing happens without them. There are no motorized vehicles at all. Here, someone is getting a new washer /dryer.
These are the wheeled garbage carts that are more visible in the residential areas. People walk there garbage here...
... and a scow with a hoist collects it.
Maybe it's because I'm here alone, but the romance of Venice has been somewhat washed away, in no small part because of the grafitti and commericalism, and I'm now getting very interested in the logistics. I haven't seen a storm sewer (I guess they just let it flood), fire hydrants or fire department. I don't know how it works... but it works.
And it's still pretty gorgeous!
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