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Morning in Venice
The morning pipe is lit at 7:20 on the way to Canal Grande. Today another cat is sleeping in the flower box on the wall. The cat is friendly and polite and does not resent my intrusion. The colours of the houses along the canal get a warmer glow in the soft morning light. An espresso at the baker's makes the blood roll. Locals greet each other and say "Ciao", "Ci vediamo" and "Arrividerci". The Rialto MarketThe Rialto market has an abundance of vegetables, fruit, fish and shellfish of every kind. Some fish have been imported from the North Atlantic and others from the Pacific. There are sardines of different sizes, sword fish, crabs and many kinds of squid and mussels. There are even some small live snails. Heaps of shrimp jitter, and a single shrimp has jerked its way to some live crabs.
Zigzagging to St. Mark's SquareFrom Rialto there is only one stop to Ca' d'Oro, the golden house. From here we slowly zigzag our way to St. Mark's Square. It is pretty hot and Helle's left ankle is swollen from the mosquito bites it received the first evening in Venice. She limps - not good. Half-way we cool off with coffee and water. When we get to St. Mark's Square it is teeming with so many tourists that there is hardly any room for pigeons. We get a seat on a #1, get home and starts the AC. Gosh, it is hot today! At 12:30 I leave for a bite. Helle stays in the room to nurse her ankle and says that she can make do with crackers. I drop in at La Rivetta by Ponte dei Meloni. The waiter says it is even hotter inside, so I accept the table outside and order spaghetti carbonara and a beer.
There is a beautiful gondola in the canal, and many tourists stop on the bridge to take pictures. The gondolier in a striped T-shirt asks from time to time if they want a gondola ride, but has no luck. He is obviously bored and watches the worker who is digging just across the alley. The spaghetti is overcooked, there is no parmesan and it is with boiled ham and not bacon as the menu said. The beer at 5.5 could be colder and the whole thing is best forgotten. Ca' PesaroAfter siesta I go to see Ca' Pesaro, which has a collection of paintings and oriental art. You get off the vaporetto at San Stae and then it isn't far.
The collection of paintings is quite impressive. In particular I like Joaquin Sorolla's "Mending the Sail", which has a fantastic lights and shadows effect. There is also a Carl Larsson, "Matina", from 1904 and purchased in 1907. Carl Larsson is well known in Denmark from countless postcards and reproductions with children and Swedish rural romanticism. I cannot say anything nice about the abstract modern art, so [silence]. The collection of oriental art is on the third floor. The collection was founded in the beginning of the 19th century by some Austrian count on a world tour. I think the Italians got it as a part of Austrian war damages after World War I. It has enough weapons for a small samurai army, but there is a lot of 'traditional' oriental art too, and it is very impressive. It is also very hot up here. For me it is easy - I can leave - but the attendants are doomed to melt away slowly. I walk back towards San Polo through the maze of alleys and ignore the signs showing the way to Rialto. Following the inner compass I suddenly find myself in Campo san Polo. From here it isn't far to Bar ai Nomboli and a refreshing Coke. Evening in San Polo and at Da SandroWe have made a reservation at Da Sandro. We dined there a couple of times in 2004, and the place is recommended in "Chow Venice". We are seated outside. It is very hot and the air is completely still. I ask the waiter if it is colder inside, and a moment later we have moved. This is so much better! Most of the tables have been moved outside, but there are four left inside. Helle has spaghetti con ragϊ - good and plentiful. I have a vegetable soup, which is also good and plentiful. Very sympathetically the house red is cooled. Helle's main course is a piece of chicken, which must have dried in the oven overnight. I ordered my steak medium, but it is undisputably raw and rare below the tan. I humbly suggest that a bit more time on the grill would do no harm, but when it returns what seems like seconds later, it has just got a deeper tan. Well, why do waiters ask, and why do ignorant guests meddle in cooks' affairs? The cook knows best how not to fry a steak! Despite this controversy the steak is very good and tasty. We finish off with ice, coffee and grappa. We walk slowly to the Grand Canal. The night is black and quiet. A few lights and lanterns twinkle in the dark waters.
Friday 22.06.2007 The morning pipe is lit by the Grand Canal at seven thirty. Two waterbuses meet in the soft morning light. They have no passengers at this hour. I go for a walk in the side streets, have a cup of coffee at the baker's and we say "arrividerci" as I leave. Accademia
On the way to the vaporetto stop workers shuttle back and forth with wheelbarrows. From one ship they transport sand and cement, and into another they unload rubble. Transport is difficult in this city and although still early the men sweat profusely. We take the waterbus to Accademia and visit the art museum. The number of paintings is overwhelming. We quickly pass 'Mary with child' in countless variations and reach the paintings with motifs from the painter's own time. You could stay close to one of the groups that has an expert to interpret and explain what they see. Or you can use your own senses and dwell when something captures your interest. On the vaporetto back there are many tourists with luggage. It's in the direction of the railway station and Piazzale Roma, where the buses are. When we get off it rains lightly, although the sun is shining. We seek shelter at Bar do Portes in the alley from San Silvestro to Campo s. Aponal. Locals chat and greet others who pass by. In Venice you don't just meet in the parking lot or the supermarket. The postman passes. If there is no letterbox, he drops the letter on the doorstep and kicks it through the crack below the door. After a short rest in the room it is time for a lunch-panino at Bar ai Nomboli. Helle goes home for siesta, and I go to Scuola Grande di San Rocco. This is where you can use a mirror to watch the paintings on the ceiling. Back in our own neighbourhood I find Circolo al Buona Forchetta in Calle Perdon 1295. The restaurant is recommended in "Chow Venice". It is open for lunch, and I make a reservation for tonight. I try to be more specific and suggest eight thirty, but she just says that they are open from seven and indicates that we can come when we please. I enjoy a pipe by the Grand Canal before the siesta. A big seagull rests a moment on a pole before flying. Beautiful bird. A Walk to Dorsoduro
At four I walk towards Dorsoduro. A bookstore near the university has many books in English. They are mostly classics, and Marco Polo's travels seems appropriate. The sun has burnt the clouds away, and the translator's introduction to Maco Polo's old story is enjoyed with refreshments in Campo san Polo. Supper at Circolo al Buona ForchettaWe're going home tomorrow and pack what can be packed now. After an aperitif at Bar ai Nomboli we're at restaurant Circolo al Buona Forchetta at eight. There is nobody around, so I pop my head into the kitchen with a "Buona sera!". Fish soup for starters, fegato alla veneziana for me and scaloppinni alla fantasia for Helle. The house red turns out to be a bottle of Valpolicella Classico. The food is ok. The soup has both bite and bones. The portions of the main course aren't big, so the meal will probably be expensive. The coffee (espresso) is horrible and sweet, and having had a sip I leave the rest as hazardous waste. I ask the waiter why they have sweetened it before serving. They haven't, he claims - it is from a machine. In other words: 2 x 3 + 12 % = 6.72 for some instant ready-mix. At least the grappa is good. We are charged 120 , of which the 18 plus 12 % is for the wine and 6.72 (12 % included) for the instant waste. Another couple has got wine in a carafe, so to call the expensive Valpolicella the house red ("Vino rosso della casa" she actually mumbled when going through bottles) is, well... The wine was nice and probably worth the 20.16 , but I don't like being cheated. On the other hand: maybe I should be grateful she did not pick a Brunello or Amarone at 80 as the house red. We walk to Canal Grande in the dark evening. Five gondolas flow slowly side by side and turn synchronically. A man sings 'O sole mio' accompanied by an accordion, and flashlights go off. Distilled romance. Saturday 23.06.2007. Home Journey
Today it is the multi-coloured cat's turn to sleep in the flowerbox on the wall. It purrs a "good morning". We are going home today, but as a kind of promise I say "Arrividerci" to the baker when I have had my espresso. We go to the cheesemonger and buy Parmesan. He hands out samples for tasting and says proudly that his Parmesan is 2 years and 8 months old. It is delicious and has so much more aroma than the plastic wrapped immigrants in Danish supermarkets. A mature Parmesan is also drier and harder. At the deli we buy pancetta, Italian bacon. The lady kindly cuts a piece of the indicated size and vacuum-wraps it. Demonstration in VeniceThe last is packed, the hotel bill is paid and we get on a vaporetto for Piazzale Roma. After a few stops we're stuck because of a demonstration. A demonstration in Venice is (of course) a lot of small boats sailing the Grand Canal with banners, flags, signs and megaphones. I never learn exactly what the demo is about, but I guess they are hunters protesting against a reservation, where they are not allowed massacre the birds. Then one can wonder how that fits with their slogan, which is something like: "No al parco - si al ambiente" (No to the park - yes to the environment). The demonstrationen causes a 10 minutes delay, but that doesn't matter, because we have plenty of time. To the Marco Polo AirportFrom Piazzale Roma bus nr. 5 goes to the airport every 15 minutes. There is lots of room and our suitcases are not in anybody's way. At the airport however there is not lots of room. It is crowded, and there are too few seats. SAS' check in counters (#16 and 17) do not open until 1½ hours before expected departure. It takes forever to check in. It is so slow that I time some: it takes up to 10 minutes for a couple with only two suitcases. Some are quicker, but the slow procedure is the reason we depart with a half hour delay. Why check in does not begin earlier (as with other airlines) is the big question. Fortunately we pass security quickly and get back home with no more trouble.
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