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.

The most beautiful Venetian travel journal

Every time I travel I take a travel diary - something to record the activities, the places, the food, the events. The whole memorable experience. I usually take something light and easy to carry. Not this time. No, the next trip to Venice I will be taking this beautiful hardback book published by Murdoch Books. Murdoch focus on production and quality. They do some exquisite work. And this one is no exception.

The description on Amazon is relatively flat and doesn't really tell you how gorgeous this journal is: A companion to the bestselling Venezia by Tessa Kiros, A Venetian Journal encourages food lovers who travel and those who explore the world via recipes to map their own journey, recording favourite recipes and memorable cooking and eating experiences. Structured around the classic Italian meal: Antipasti, Primi, Secondi, Contorni, Dolci, A Venetian Journal features the photographer Manos Chatzikonstantis' personal selection of photographs from his frequent visits to Venice with Tessa and fragments from her own journals as she sought to imbibe the very essence of the world's most romantic city. Key points: lavish recipe journal using atmospheric food images from Venezia; a beautiful keepsake and gift; heavily embellished, with the addition of illustrations.

Of course we have the Venezia cookbook that was published first. I'm ashamed to say the only things I've prepared out of it are the alcoholic drinks! (My friends will not be surprised by that!) We love making Bellinis and pretending we are in Harry's Bar. Ah, sweet memories.

Which brings me back to the travel journal. This gorgeous journal by Tessa Kiros will keep me busy for the month. Not only can I write about my experiences but I can use it for recipes. The thought of going to Rialto (a hop, skip and a jump from where we are staying) and cooking a traditional Venetian recipe from the book sounds wonderful! But the book also has other lovely features. It has clear envelope-type pages where you can put in pieces of paper you might collect - recipes even. The book comes with it's own tear-out postcards. I'm thinking of putting one up on the fridge in the apartment as a little joke. Marvel at the beautiful picture and then go outside and realise I'm living it!

I won't blog from Venice but will use the travel diary on my return to share the highlights.

I wish the trip was tomorrow. But it's not. I just have to dream about returning to sweet Venice for a little bit longer....