A precious and marvelous couple of days spent in a magical city. Friendly restaurant and wine bar owners, winding tiny streets, many many little bridges, handsome and snappily-dressed gondoliers, expensive prices, glass beads and antique shops aplenty, brisk and cool air off the water. Une ville minérale with remarkably little greenery. The locals do as they might with window boxes, potted trees, etc., Enormous public squares, piazzas. Lovely and easy to drink wines, many a variation of salt cod, shell fish laden pasta, black squid ink, creamy polenta, thick and sweet chocolate, hotels up five flights of stairs. And everywhere, tourists like us -- many French speakers, many English, a few German and Dutch... No, we didn't blend too well with the locals, often with our guides and maps in hand. But, we moved and swirled about this tiny island, shared the crowded boats, and took in the otherness of this city caught between the Byzantine and Europe.
2 comments:
oh lucky you! I'm dreaming of a weekend in Venice. it's not for this spring :-(
but there are so few true "venezianos," you are carrying on a long fabulous tradition of tourism in venice! if you get a chance, try Donna Leon's mystery novels that take place there - I am not usually into crime novels, but she lives in Venice, and her main characters are venetian - the detective, his wife of aristocratic descent ... the descriptions of the food and coffee alone keep me entertained.
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