By Sharlyn

Our Last Day in Venice

bysharlyn — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:26:18 +0000

This is our last day in Venice. Tomorrow morning at 4:30 a.m. we’ll be waiting on the canal for our water taxi. Always one of the highlights for me is a visit to the studio of Vittorio Constantini. He is an internationally famous glass artist, known for his replicas of bugs, butterflies, fish, shells, birds, and things of nature. He loves to show his visitors his most recent art. His wife speaks the most English of the two, and they both seem to enjoy meeting and talking with those who come into their shop.

You are probably wondering why I love Venice so much. Normally old buildings wouldn’t appeal to me in the least. I think my fascination with this city is because it’s a small community that is very connected. Small business and shops, small, walkable neighborhoods, neighbors who talk with one another from balcony to balcony. Another major reason I love Venice is the inspiration and creativity this city fosters. Students come here from all over the world to study various forms of art. The last couple of days we’ve visited with a student whose hometown is in Minnesota.

It will be difficult to leave here, but the best part about a good trip is that you have wonderful memories to carry back with you. And, when isn’t it good to go home and sleep in your own bed?
When I get home, I’ll share some pictures of the treasures I’m taking back. I’m hoping this won’t be my last visit!!!

CIAO, VENICE!!!!!!!!

Never a Bad Photo

bysharlyn — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:33:17 +0000

I’m not a great photographer. However, in Venice I really think it’s impossible to take a bad picture. It’s no wonder that at art shows around the U.S. and the world, that artists choose scenes of Venice as their subject. I thought I’d let you see some of the pictures I’ve taken as we’ve walked. No adjustment of any kind, no photo shop, nothing.

Tomorrow is our last day here. Hope you’ve enjoyed our trip. It’s always good to take a vacation, but eve better to go home with good memories and wanting to come back.

Reflections on Life in Venice

bysharlyn — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 19:20:22 +0000

This is the second extended stay I’ve had in Venice. Sometimes I take for granted that everyone understands some of the basic facts about life here. First, the only transportation is by boat or on foot. During our stay, we’ve seen police boats, garbage boats, ambulance boats, water taxis, and vapporettos. If you investigate the neighborhood shops, you can pretty much find whatever food you need, within a few minutes of walking. There are two or three grocery stores that carry a larger selection of food. They are still small stores compared to what you find in the U.S. When I come to visit, I always bring a couple bags of chocolate chips. They can’t be purchased here and neither can peanut butter. Both are always appreciated.

The arts are treasured here. And, everything is displayed and arranged with a flair. Food in a store window

Flowers outside.

And, of course, the artists themselves. Venice inspires them to create glass, jewelry, paintings and prints, masks, wonderful food, wine, hand printed papers, leather work, gondolas, hand made clothing, and music, just to mention a few.

It’s a one of a kind place. We have met wonderful Venetians as well as people from all over the world…Austria, Albania, Great Britain…all over the world. Can you tell I like it here?

Two more days, then we head for home. See you again tomorrow!

The Windows and Doors of Venice

bysharlyn — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:10:05 +0000

The architecture of Venice is one of its real treasures. The whole time I’ve been here I’ve been snapping pictures of the beautiful and unique doors and windows. I thought maybe I’d share some with you.

These are just a few. As we get closer to the end of our trip, I start to feel the need to take pictures of everything I can. So, as you can imagine, that means more stops along the way to photograph windows and doors!

The Windows and Doors of Venice

bysharlyn — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:07:01 +0000

To Market, To Market

bysharlyn — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 18:50:14 +0000

I know I promised more on Murano, but we went to the Rialto fresh food market and even though it was cold and rainy, it was packed with people. It’s just another place the Venetians visit and meet. We made some basic purchases. I hope you can see by the pictures what a wonderful place this is!

Keep in mind that this market operates six days a week right on the canal. Everything is brought in by boat. I think you can probably get every fruit or vegetable you can imagine, all sorts of seafood, fresh meats and cheeses, as well as spices. Bakeries are not far away. We have eaten meals out, but we have also taken turns cooking here in our apartment. We have eaten well. Italians as a whole eat far less meat than most Americans. Butter and/or margarine aren’t served in restaurants, olive oil takes their place. Olive oil and balsamic vinegar serve as salad dressing. Desserts are small. Food is delicious. You rarely see overweight Venetians…they walk everywhere. Coffee and wine are basics and we have all picked up their habits. Check out some Italian recipes…you’ll love them!

A Day in Murano

bysharlyn — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:03:30 +0000

I haven’t really mentioned the arts in this part of italy,but it’s one of the major reasons I keep returning to Venice and Murano. We spent the day in Murano today and I’m never disappointed. As a beadmaker, I get more wonderful ideas and inspiration from being there than you can imagine. Venice has its own share of glass artists, mask makers, painters, musicians, paper makers, leather artists and many others. If you have art in your heart, this is the place to come. And, if you’re a glass beadmaker, then, a visit to Murano is something you’ll want to do at least once.

As you stroll the canals in Murano, here are some of the works of art you might see.

We were also able to visit the Abate Zanetti Glass School which is generally not open to the public. We saw a great video that explained g lass blowing and glass bead making and saw demonstrations of both. This is a photo of the outside of the school.

If you love glass, I hope that sometime you’re able to visit Murano. More tomorrow about the Venice arts. Have a great evening!

Reflections on Florence

bysharlyn — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:55:54 +0000

We enjoyed our visit to Florence but we were glad to return to Venice. When we arrived in Florence, an Italian friend of Nancy’s, who is also a tour guide, met us. She said she had never seen so many people in town. Not only was Florence crowded, but, probably because of the many people, it didn’t seem as clean as Venice, and the car traffic was terrible. Since there are no cars in old Venice, we have no concerns about car traffic, only how far our feet will take us.

And, according to several Italians we’ve spoken with, the economy is struggling here too. Many people are leaving Florence and many shops are closing. Taxes are increasing, making residents very uncertain of their futures.

One of the wonderful things about Florence are the street markets. Needless to say, on our second day, we explored many of them. Because Florence is known for its leather, I think we each purchased something in leather. Scarves of all types are popular, Italian pottery, and tourist trinkets.

One the things I enjoy most about Venice is the sense of community that comes with the Venetian way of life. The lack of cars certainly enables the community to connect with people as they handle their daily business. Another place where people talk are the coffee shops. We are regular morning visitors at a particular shop and we’re getting acquainted with some of the locals.

It’s been a cold,wet day in Venice. We did some exploring and are now back in our warm apartment with the smells of our dinner warming us up. Internet has been unreliable, bit hopefully, I can provide you with pictures of Murano tomorrow.

We’re in Florence

bysharlyn — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 19:03:10 +0000

We arrived in Florence on a Eurostar train at 11 a.m. this morning. Nancy’s friend, Elena showed us around all afternoon. We just finished a great dinner, with wine, and now we,re resting dour weary feet. We have nice motel rooms, but it’s almost like we’re hidden away. It’s up 97 steps, down about 10 steps, up 5 steps and then we’re in our room.

This is a picture of the duomo from the roof of or motel.

This is a picture of the “fake” David. Tomorrow the other three in our group will go to the Academia to see the real David. Nancy and I have both seen it and it was wonderful!

We’ll be shopping in Florence tomorrow, then, back on the train in the afternoon. And, for all you glass people, Murano on Thursday. Tomorrow it will be a week since we left!

Have a great day, talk with you later!

Our neighborhood

bysharlyn — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 17:46:13 +0000

I love the experience of renting an apartment. You get to know your neighborhood and neighbors.
Here is the entrance to our apartment.

We’re situated on a small canal, across from a hotel. We have a small balcony and out the window we are kind of getting acquainted with our neighbors. I tried taking a picture of the lady closest to us,but when she figured out that’s what we were doing, she went inside.

She likes to come out and check her plants as well as the neighborhood. Another window a little farther away likes to check on things as well.

The rest of these photos are views from virus windows or taken on the walkway on our canal.

Tomorrow we head for Florence on the Eurostar train for a quick trip. We can’t wait to see what we can find there! Stay tuned!