Venetian Glassy-Eyed Wanderings

Monday, October 1, 2007.

By now, you’ll have read some of the details on Adam & Jen’s blog, re Venice http://jenadamadventures.blogspot.com/. And hopefully were amused by a vid clip or two. Here’s a quick bullet list of impressions and events for my first day in Venice:

- lots of winding streets in Venice, but as Adam and Jen will attest, just follow the signs and you’ll eventually find your way (note, this doesn’t really apply in some parts of the Dorsoduro district, which has more schools and centres of higher learning and artist studios. I guess they expect arty- and student-types to be able to find their way. Unfortunately, I haven’t been a student for years, and have questionable artistic skills, so got lost quite easily.)
- but getting lost in Venice is fun
- the canals are beautiful, which goes without saying
- the Rialto Market is like a Venetian street version of Granville Island—lots of fruit and veggie vendors, and booths and stalls filled with souvenirs and art for sale
- Santa Maria del Glorioso is amazing
- Peggy Guggenheim museum was also amazing—saw my first Jackson Pollock up close and was almost overcome (or maybe I just got dizzy from staring at all the paint splatters). Discovered another painter, Carlo Carra (an Italian futurist painter, 1881-1966), whose painting, “The Galleria in Milan,” was absolutely amazing and totally blew me away, wish I could find an image of it (Carlo Carrà, The Galleria in Milan (La Galleria di Milano), 1912, Oil on canvas, 91 x 51.5 cm, Gianni Mattioli Collection (on long-term loan to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice))
- missed the Gallerie dell’Accademia, rats. Ah well, will visit next time I’m in Venice...
- lots of gift shops everywhere selling masks
- more gift shops selling jewelry made with Venetian glass
- Jen even spotted Venetian blinds in windows once or twice! Honest!
- drinking wine on the canal at night and calling out to passing gondolas is a fun activity
- drinking good wine and eating truffle cheese is an even funner activity!!
- (not finding that yummy truffle cheese again anywhere in Venice was not so fun…)