A day trip to Burano

Yesterday was a lovely day in Venice.  We knew rain was forecast for this week but that Sunday should have been fine.  And it was.  So we headed off to Burano.  It was somewhere we had never been to (ok I lie, on our last trip in 2008 we got off at the Burano ferry stop and caught another ferry to Torcello, which was absolutely amazing, so technically we have been there)  Anyway, we made up for it yesterday.

We had a longer than expected ride from Riva de Biasio (our vaporetto stop on the Grand Canal) as the vaporetto we could take to Fondamenta Nuove wasn't in service.  So we hopped on the number 1 vaporetto, packed with tourists, and squeezed in for a few stops, getting off at Ca'D'oro and weaving through the back streets and campos of Cannaregio to FN.  We then got on the LN ferry that stops at Murano first and then heads to Burano.  It's about a 40 minute trip, slow (20kms an hour the maximum speed).  I love going past San Michele - the cemetery island - particularly when it's misty.

We arrived at Burano close to lunch and had already been tipped off to TRATTORIA AL GATTO NERO on one of the canals.

It was a bit cool so we decided to try our luck at a table inside.  Did we have a reservation?  No, but they cleared a table for us and we knew we got lucky!  We decided to splurge.  For antipasti we chose the degustazione option and three plates of seafood came out, some cooked, some not.  There were prawns, mussels, vongole, a scallop (with tomato and olive oil on top -- delicious!), smoked salmon, baby octopus, razor clams and langoustine.  Plenty to share for E26.00.   We then shared the homemade taglioni with spider crab.  Add on wine (the house wine was superb), a bottle of san pellegrino, and an espresso, well let's just say it was a bit of a splurge!  But worth every second of it.

We then strolled around and of course I took dozens and dozens of photos.  Burano is a photographer's heaven.  So much colour and light.  And you look for the light in the water.  You wait for the reflections.  And they are beautiful.  I would love to see it on a really sunny blue sky day.  That must make the place sparkle!

We shopped - and yes I bought a scarf (yes surprise surprise however bit disturbing in that it was my second shiny shiny glitzy one this trip, but it was lovely - and colourful!).  I also bought a print from the local artist.  Just a cheap momento of the place.  A handful of postcards later and another walk around the square and a few of the canals, and we were back on the ferry for the long but relaxing trip back to Venice.

On the way back the sun shone directly on my face - and it was beautiful.

A day of shopping, food, wine and music

Last night we went to see a performance by Interpreti Veneziani at the Chiesa san Vidal, across from Accademia.  For E25.00 each it was a lovely night out, easy listening, in a beautiful location.  According to our Lonely Planet guide the venue is no longer functioning as a church, instead it is the concert hall for Interpreti Veneziani.  The church was built "as a monument to the glories of God and two Venetian dogi".  Inside were some lovely paintings and sculptures but I regret not walking around a bit more before we found our seats (right in the front row!).   I'm sure I would have enjoyed looking at all of them.

When the concert had finished we had no problems hopping back on the vaporetto 1 and heading back down the canal.  It was quite cool but there were still lots of people about.  I was disappointed the canal wasn't very lit up at night, particularly Salute.  It's such a grand statement that church.  So beautiful at the mouth of the Grand Canal.  A masterpiece. 

Speaking of masterpieces, the Rialto Bridge is always spectacular.  I love the area.  The hussle and bussle.  The bridge, the shops, the view.

We actually spent most of yesterday around the Rialto area.  We left our apartment around 10am and wandered the back streets enroute to Fanny, which is where we've picked up leather goods in the past.  We also had to check out a small shop that sold model gondolas and kits for DIY.  Unfortunately the ready-made one was E110.00 so that didn't exactly encourage a sale.  We realise a lot of work went into it, but still a bit on the expensive side for us.

We weaved around the streets and back canals, with me stopping every 10 or so minutes to snap at something that grabbed my eye.  Everywhere you looked were glass shops, jewellery outlets, mask shops, leather, shoes, tourist stalls.  Every corner there's something to look at.  I got stuck in a scarf and jewellery shop for a while (yes how surprising) but didn't end up acquiring anything (even more surprising!).

I did manage to part with quite a bit of money at my favourite shop on the Rialto Bridge - Rivoaltus.  Everytime we have visited Venice we can't help but buy things here.  The people are lovely and the shop has some lovely notebooks and journals, pens, pictures.  I managed to control myself and not buy any of the journals this time, however we still have more than three weeks here and my resolve could still weaken!  Time will tell.

As we were in the Rialto area I checked a restaurant tip from an industry colleague.  We followed the instructions to the church of San Giovanni Crisostomo and then the little alley opposite.  We weaved down and around and came out a beautiful old courtyard.  And there is was Taverna Del Campiello Remer, hidden away in a picturesque spot.

For E20.00 we had a buffet lunch, pasta, wine, water and coffee.  Absolute bargain and the food was scrumptious.  Personally I could have spent all afternoon at the buffet.  And the wine was very easy to drink - I dare say we got ourselves a little bit tipsy!

A day of shopping and an evening of classical music.  It was a lovely way to spend the day.

Feeling at home already

Well it's been an interesting couple of days. Firstly, it feels like we've been here for weeks - not days. We feel so at home in Venice. There's something magical about it.

Even though it's my fourth trip here, we decided on the first full day to take vaporetto No.1 down the Grand Canal. Yep, for the fourth time! You know what?! It never loses it's charm. Everyone who arrives in Venice should do it. It's a wonderful experience. There's a photo opportunity everywhere you look. Whether it's boats, people, palazzo, bridges, side canals. It's a masterpiece.

However I did laugh when I realised the closer we got to St Mark's Square, the more gondolas we saw!  It was very touristy and a bit over the top for my liking but it's Venice!  What's Venice without gondolas? 

Of course, we did have a handsome Italian gondolier pose for us. I felt like such a tourist taking his picture but I just couldn't help myself!

But we don't want to be tourists!  That's not the plan! We're supposed to be locals for the month (locals, mind you, who know a handful of Italian words and have no knack for learning languages!) Oh well, hopefully sometime during the next four weeks we will pick up more than knowing menu items, everyday pleasantries, and "il conto, per favore" when we need the bill!

Anyway, back to the Grand Canal....  as we have no itinerary and have seen all the major tourist sites (multiple times!) we decided to stay on the boat, which went out to Lido. Of course Lido pretty much shuts down outside of summer so we just strolled around for a while then headed back into Venice. We got off at the Accademia stop and found somewhere for a late lunch. We ended up at Osteria al Vecio Fornier where we had cichetti. The E3.00 coperto (cover charge) EACH was a bit much. We can't remember cover charges being a big thing on prior trips. Maybe because they charged less, I don't know. We normally don't eat the bread so we aren't hit with the bread charge, but we have been hit twice with this "coperto" so need to be a bit more on the ball!  The food was fine but I wouldn't rave about it. 

After lunch, and to my surprise, we realised my favourite scarf shop was only a short stroll away. (Everyone who knows me, knows how I love my scarves and shawls!) Needless to say I shopped myself stupid picking up several scarves - one simple and every-day, one for work, and one that's a bit shiny shiny for evenings out. We also bought some glass jewellery for nieces and god daughters - easy presents for Christmas, and not a strain in the luggage.  And of course, I picked a few earrings for myself.  Afterall I have a terrible tendency to lose them (must have something to do with those scarves I'm sure!) and for E5.00 they were pretty without being expensive.

We then went back across Accademia and booked tickets for a Vivaldi concert on Friday night at the Chiesa di San Vidal performed by Interpreti Veneziani. Tickets were only E25.00 each which I thought was a bargain. I'm very much looking forward to it. The program is:

Concerto for violin, strings and harpsichord op. 7 n. 8
Concerto for bassoon, strings and harpsichord RV. 484
Concerto for violin, strings and harpsichord op. 9 n. 8 "La Cetra"

I can't wait!  An evening on the town.  Venice, Vivaldi, a wonderful old church and my shiny shiny new scarf. 

In my happy place.

We arrived in Venice shortly after midday.  We were greated by a representative of Lux-Rest Venice at the ticket office in Piazzale Roma and were welcomed to our apartment in San Croce.  I nearly fell over when I saw it.  For months I've had a photo of the canal on my wall at work (thanks Google!).  And finally I was staring at the real thing.  I had to pinch myself.  Even more so because I've joked for months our apartment was the red building in the photo.  How true that was!  I couldn't believe it! 



After going through all the formalities with the apartment, we headed off in search of somewhere to eat.  We weaved through the back alleys and came across a small place called Trattoria Taverna Capitan Uncino.  Most of the tables were occupied by local workmen and it didn't take long to realise we heard no accents other than Italian -- which was great!  A local joint!! The menus were extensive and it took a while to decide what to order.   In the end I went for a tagliolini with mushrooms and truffle.  It wasn't at all bad - a little expensive at E18.00 but that was okay.  A bottle of aqua frizzante and an espresso later we were off again to explore the local area. 

In the next hour I took about 100 photos!  San Croce is an area of Venice we haven't explored previously.  To my absolute delight the rain stopped and blue sky appeared.  Again, I couldn't believe it.  (I have a running joke about the weather in Venice - afterall it took me three trips here before I experienced a sunny day.  And the forecast was supposed to be rain, rain, rain, rain for the next week or so.  A little bit of blue sky made my day!)  So I snapped away.  I absolutely love the canal we are on. 

There's magic around every corner.  I really don't think you can take a bad photo in Venice.  There's so much beauty and interest.  Whether it's in the water, the bridges, the boats or the decaying old buildings and magnificent churches.  There's colour everywhere.  And gorgeous reflections.  Light and dark.  Movement and silence.

At the end of the day however I feel like I'm home.  Actually I know it.  The headache I've had for the past two days has stopped.  It stopped when we arrived.  Afterall I'm now in my happy place.  And have 30 days to enjoy it.

Only a few days now and I have driven EVERYONE insane with this countdown (so much so that a colleague has a photo of Venice outside her office with a big red cross through it!).  I can't recall ever being this bad -- I desperately need this holiday!  

As you know, it's in honour of my mum who passed away on the 24th April.  Before she died I said to my partner I wanted to go to "our happy place" when mum went.  That place is Venice.  When I made the comment I thought mum would have another 1-2 years, not 1-2 months.  I was relatively strong during that period, able to organise the funeral and do the eulogy, but as the months go by I've really weakened.  I can't look at a photo of her without crying, I can't listen to songs that remind me of her because they make me too sad.  I've weakened over the months and I need the Venice trip to recover and heal.  I think mum would be really proud of that.  She would understand.  She did something similar when my step-father died.  Hopped on a plane and tried to find herself again.   

Thirty days in Venice to just "be".  I really love that idea.  For the first time ever, a holiday isn't planned to each hour of each day.  Well, actually I lie.  We've got a few days in Rome first and I've booked Galleria Borghese (and you have to nominate a time!).  The day after we'll probably just stroll around and spend more time in places we've enjoyed previously.  I want to really discover the Roman Forum and the other half wants to do the Collosseum again.  But when we get to Venice, there's nothing.  No plans.  We can just enjoy and soak it up. 

Thankfully we have friends that love Venice and they have given us some wonderful tips.  We've pre-booked a weekly transport card - and the toilet card! - at much cheaper rates than if we had sorted them out on arrival.  We've already been alerted to a vaporetto strike on the 19th November and the Feast of della Madonna della Salute.  As we want to just blend into Venice during the month, we'll make sure we watch the procession over a pontoon bridge to Salute.  Venetians give thanks at the altar for ending the great plague of 1631.  I also found out it is customary on the day to eat the castradina, a mutton-based traditional dish.  We'll check that out too. 

Oh and I have adopted a Venetian alias - no longer will I be Rachael, but I'm changing my name to Veronica.  Veronica Franco was a poet and courtesan, in an age when courtesans were the most educated women in Europe.  I read a book on her and Hollywood attempted to recreate her life in the movie Dangerous Beauty (A Life of Her Own) with Catherine McCormack (absolutely stunning as Veronica), Rufus Sewell, Oliver Platt, Jacqueline Bisset and many others.  I loved it.  I'm making sure my favourite pieces from the Soundtrack are on the ipod so I can enjoy while I'm away.

Trip Number Four - here we come x

Three weeks and counting

It's only three weeks until we're off to Venice again. It will be trip number four for me and will be the longest, at some 30 days in La Serenissima. I mentioned it to an industry colleague recently and they looked at me and said "30 days in Venice, you'll be soo bloody bored!". I was horrified! Most people remark about how envious they are. Many want to share their favourite sights, their favourite memories. However this is a different trip, as it's in memory of mum. I actually made another colleague cry when I told her the reason for the trip - she thought it was a beautiful idea and having lost her mum two years ago, wished she had also done something to honour her mum's memory and spend time recovering and healing.

With three weeks to go until the next visit, I'm starting to think about what to do. Normally when I travel I have a schedule of sights I want to see, places I want to go, things to do, food to eat, shops to explore etc. This time I've highlighted bits and pieces in a guidebook but there's no real plan. We're going to live there and just soak it up. Literally, afterall it will be during Acqua Alta time! Cold, rainy, flooding. Great for photography!

I've actually never been to Venice in the peak tourist season. It has soo many visitors at the best of times, the thought of tens of thousands more just makes me shudder. It's nice going in off season. The queues are less, you can roam the streets without being pushed day in, day out. Mind you, they still get busy, but it's not the same. And of course, from what I gather, the smells are different. Then again, we've been there while they've been doing work to smaller canals and I can't say that was particularly pleasant, but throw in the summer heat and tourist overload, I'd rather have off peak any day!

That said, there are problems. From November onwards many of the bigger shops and prominent restaurants close for the winter. Places like the Hotel Cipriani and their dining establishments are closed. Opening hours are different. Day trips need additional research as many attractions shut down totally. Reduced daylight hours do have an impact, you can't deny it. It gets dark earlier. You need to be prepared.

But we don't mind. I have very fond memories of the last trip to Venice when we went out to Torcello. It was misty and cold. On the vaporetto from Burano there was no one onboard but us. When we got off at Torcello we walked our way around a canal with not a person in sight. We crossed a bridge and went into the Cathedral that was founded in the 600s. The Byzantine mosaics from the 12th century were mind-boggling. The only other visitor to the Cathedral was a cat who purred away and led us around the church. It was a local, no doubt, and we loved the way it sat on the charity box. We were free to observe the mosaics in silence. It was glorious. As we left the Cathedral we saw some other people who had come in on another vaporetto. It was still misty and cold, but for a while it was all ours. It was magical.

Having seen all the major attractions in this glorious city, we have no plans. We will have time to spend shopping. We can soak up the place without being rushed. We can blend in. We can be at one with the magic. I can't wait.

Staying in Venice

Only three months until the next trip to Venice. This time it will be for a month. A whole month! We can't wait. We know it's going to be cold, wet, rainy, misty, foggy, flooding. But we don't care. It's a month in Venice.

The flights and the accommodation are booked. We're treating ourselves to business class flights and we've used the same organisation for the apartment - LuxRest Venice. Barbara Carron was so helpful in finding somewhere that suited our needs. She did the same a couple of years ago when we organised an apartment not far from St Marks. The reason I mention Luxrest specifically is their commitment to finding something that works for you. Other apartment websites simply expect you to go through their websites and look at every single apartment. To me that's the easy way out. I want to list requirements (i.e. be on/look out to a canal) and have the estate agency actually do the work! Then I'll go on a website and check out all their suggestions. And Barbara's suggestions have been good in the past. We hope the next apartment - this time in San Croce - will work well for us.

Here's some photos taken from the last apartment:





And here's the link on Luxrest if you're travelling to Venice and want an apartment in the heart of the city, a hop, skip and a jump from St Mark's Square: Ca'Francesca where these photos were taken from.

When we get to Venice in a few months I'll be blogging regularly. Then you can see photos from our next apartment! We actually didn't have San Croce in our top three sestieres but it's where we've ended up. I've been playing around on Google to get a feel for where the next apartment is. We are thinking it's somewhere around here. Excellent!