we (KBD) just got back from venice where we met my parents who are traveling in europe. we planned the trip some time ago before we know that arel would have a school trip to Vall de Nuria in the spanish pyranees) so he couldn't join us. i think he would have really liked venice. i saw a few small groups of kids in boats there... and i imagined him as one of them.
i had a good, relaxed time in venice--- it reminded me in a few ways of our time in esouria in morocco last year. very very mellow, slow. elegant, yet a bit shabby --- my favorite sort of place.
day 1.
my dad has talked about glassblowing for as long as i can remember... and has always wanted to check out the glass blowers on the island of murano, just off venice. we headed out there. it is very touristy... but was oddly quiet when we got there---especially once we got off the boat and a few meters from the dock. an official-sounding guy stood on the quay as we got off the boat telling us the murano glass factory was the first right. of course there is no one murano glass factory... but several.. and his job was to make it sound like there was but one. the one he works for. no murano but murano! we found a factory that gave a demonstration of glass blowing and sculpting..... i love the rich orange color of molten glass..
my parents bought kristin a couple beautiful necklaces of murano glass. so it is definaely possible to find interesting work there. but for the most part and for my taste most of the glass i saw was runofthemill and not interesting.
the stop just next to murano on the vaporetto (water bus) is the cemetery. it is on Isola di San Michele, a former prison island surrounded by walls. igor stravinsky, josef brodsky and ezra pound are buried there. i did not see one, but i imagine the special funeral gondolas are an amazing sight. here is my dad there.
|
kristin had the nice idea for dorian to water some plants at the cemetery with one of the watering cans for this purpose
|
we rode back and got off for some lunch in a restaurant in a large garden. i liked this ad nearby. so i got inside.
|
not your classic venice photo.. but i loved the way the water lapped on the steps.. and made the algae move. it reminded me of my general laziness and contentment there. |
day 2
my mom really wanted to go check out what is apparently the oldest jewish ghetto. it was a few blocks from our apartment in the cannaregio district. according to a guidebook i bought, the word comes from getti which were cannon foundries. the ghetto has a pleasant plaza with synagogues, a museum, an old-age home which doubles as a guest house serving kosher food.
we then made our way to the peggy gugenheim collection that no less than five people had recommended we visit. it is on the grand canal in the home of gugenheim. it was the perfect size for a museum... one floor... and a very very pleasant place to hang out.
here is a neon sign in the courtyard. at the peggy gugenheim.. "changing place, changing time, changing thoughts, changing future" apt.
|
one of MANY spritzes drunk for ariege. ariege, john, stella and hugo went to venice after we hung out together in barcelona and costa brava a few months ago.
|
my dad talking to some dude in the courtyard. i saw a book later in venice called "art addict" about guggenheim... on the cover she is sitting in this great chair.
|
a different angle reveals more neon. in english: "If The Form Vanishes Its Root Is Eternal".
|
guggenheim |
i broke off from everybody who went back to the apartment. i just walked around. i went back to st. marks. and found a little bar nearby. the barman was making this artwork. i joked with him that it was for the bienale which was on it's last weeks in venice.. it is perhaps the most prestigious (if you're into that sort of thing---prestige, that is) art event in the world. he seemed to like that. and he offered me the venetian price on my drink (not the tourist price) ( a 50 eurocent savings)
day 2 was friday night and the first night of the holiday of sukkot---so my parents went to synagogue. dorian, kristin and i went for a drink. and then we cooked a tasty meal of pasta at the apartment. i bought a good bottle of proseco to go along with it. the five of us ate and drank. it was good.
day 3
we started day 3 with a gondola ride. and it turned out to be a great idea. dorian wanted to do it. a gondola can get you off the larger canals and into some really peaceful spots. we were able to see families getting going in the morning... get some peeks into little private courtyards.