Venice, Italy

Derek and I flew down to Venice on the first of October, and were there for two lovely days. It wasn't really what I had expected. I mean, there were canals and little bridges everywhere, and my professor wasn't kidding when he stressed the need for a good, detailed map (which we didn't have). It was just so hard to really wrap my head around the idea that Venice is a fully-functioning town without roads or cars. Crazy. Yet really quite calm and peaceful, even in areas with a lots of people.

Venice is spread out over many many little islands, tied to each other with tiny little bridges, and with the large Grand Canal winding through. The train and bus station are at the north west end of the town, with the only rail and road link to the mainland stretching across the water. Flying there was simple. We went with Jet2, a discount airline that flies direct Edinburgh to Venice two or three times a week. A short 20 minute bus ride and we were stepping off the bus and into Venice. Derek thought to stop me on our first bridge over a canal and we took our photo :) Then we made it quite quickly and easily to our hotel, Casa Peron, which was only a few minutes away. That was probably the easiest trip to the hotel for the whole of the two days we were there, and I was constantly losing my sense of direction.

There were two things that I really wanted to see while we were in Venice: the Piazza San Marco, a beautiful square with a large church, the Basillica di San Marco, and tall brick bell tower, and the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, a church I was told by my professor that we just had to see on an island across from the Piazza, with its lovely painting of the Last Supper by Tintoretto and beautiful views of the main island group of Venice from the top of the bell tower. Heading out of the hotel after settling in and having a few sandwiches (which we'd brought from home), we set out to find the Grand Canal. We ended up walking through a square full of locals, with a few market stalls (some selling freshly caught fish), university students and a really neat atmosphere. Only a couple bridges span the Grand Canal, and the Piazza was on the far side from us. We walked along what we thought was the Grand Canal for ages before coming to a point and realising that it hadn't been the right canal afterall (which in hindsight made sense, as it was far too wide to build a simple walking bridge across). And from this point we could kind of make out where the Piazza should be, but it was going to a bit of a walk along the actual Grand Canal to get there. This was the first indication that we were going to have some serious difficulties finding our way anywhere.

The whole day it drizzled on and off, so there were many times that one of us would be taking a photo while the other is holding an umbrella above the camera. But it wasn't too bad, and certainly didn't get chilly and damp the way it does in Edinburgh, or humid and damp like it can back home. We did find the Piazza and watched the tons of tourists milling around under their umbrellas. Hearing all the church bells and tower bells all ringing on the hour was a pretty neat experience. Then we walked through the fancy shopping areas, with all their expensive brands, and then came upon the Rialto bridge, with tourist shops all around it and on top. Another packed area, but smartly designed with paths for walking along the outer sides of the bridge (and the backs of the stores). Wandering around we came across a BILLA grocery store, and picked up a couple pears and two Cokes (excitingly they were caffeine free but regular, not diet, making them my second favourite food find of the trip). With these groceries we headed back to the hotel for a rest, and decided to go get a few slices of pizza for dinner. We walked back to the a pizza place near the Rialto and enjoyed two slices, one pepperoni and one prosciutto et fungi (ham and mushroom) -- so good! -- in a square near the Campo San Giacomo di Rialto. with our Coke. There was a definite lack of benches which made eating outside a bit difficult, but we managed. That evening we went for a walk through Dorsoduro (one of Venice's Sestieres) and along the water, seeing a glimpse of San Giorgio in the dark. Then to cap off a great day I had my first taste of gelato. I went with two scoops in a bowl: lemon and tiramisu. The tiramisu was amazing, with pieces of lady fingers and streams of espresso in the mix, and was actually so good that I decided to get it again the next night, but this time accompanied by strawberry, with real strawberries mixed in. Delicious.

Our second day in Venice began with breakfast at the hotel. A bit disappointing, mainly white buns with jam and two fruit-filled croissants. Not the greatest for those of us who avoid white flour and breads. We went to San Marco and were in line by the time it opened at 9:30am. The church is set up so that visitors walk around the sanctuary in an orderly circle that is roped off, and we had to keep moving, so it was hard to really take it all in, although I suppose one could always go out to the back of the line for countless trips around (as its free to visit). Then we went over to a vaporetti (waterbus) stop, got our tickets for the no. 2, and went on our first waterbus ride over to the island of San Giorgio Maggiore.

The Church of San Giorgio Maggiore was lovely and quiet, practically deserted, and we were able to wander through it, taking in the lovely paintings and architecture at our own pace -- the complete opposite of San Marco. The painting of the Last Supper really struck me, as it was so beautifully detailed, and massive, and also taken from a different perspective (from an angle rather than straight on), so as to be quite different from the familiar image. While visiting the church was free, it cost a couple Euros to take the lift up the bell tower, but it was worth it for the lovely views of Venice and the surrounding area. It was a sunny clear day so I got a few great photos of the city. Afterwards we walked along the dock to the edge of the islands public space, then hopped on another waterbus back to the main islands of Venice.

For lunch we'd decided to pick up some bread, cheese, meat and fruit at the BILLA and haed back to the hotel to make and have our sandwiches. Unfortunately we took so much time getting lost that we finally decided to sit down on the nearest bench (in Campo S. S. Apolstole), washed our hands in the water from our water bottle, and I made two ham and cheese sandwiches on my lap. I will say, Italian wholemeal bread is lovely! I miss it. Recharged, we headed back to the hotel, had our fruit, and dropped off the rest of the groceries.

We timed how long it would take to get to the train station in the morning via two different routes and tried to look for clues to remind us of the right route in the morning (ie. this bridge, not that one). Planning for dinner, we checked out Pizza Del Volo, a pizza place highly recommended and crazy cheap as listed in one of my guide books, located in Campo Santa Magueriti, but wow had the prices gone up in the year since the book was published, so much so that it wasn't for us. We wandered around the residential area of Dorsoduro, went inside San Rocco Church after a bit of people watching, then went back to the hotel for a dinner of sandwiches, an apple, some Pringles (brought from home due to their great traveling abilities), and Coke.

In the evening we sat on the steps in front of the train station down by the water of the Grand Canal as the sun set, watching the boats and gondolas go by as loud popular music, mainly corny love songs from movies it seemed, was played by a couple Native Americans selling cds to tourists (I've seen the same sort of thing here in Edinburgh down on the Mound). Other than the music it was a really relaxing was to pass the time, and a great place to people watch. I should say something about the gondolas I suppose. They were a frequent sight, long and black with drivers in striped shirts steering tourists along the biggest and smallest canals. There were groups of them all lined up together in a organised state, and individual drivers on the smaller canals trying to strum up business by charging slightly lower rates. When I say lower, I mean perhaps 80 Euros for 45 minutes rather than 100 or more that they would charge at the major centres. Either way, they were out of our price range, but I didn't really have a desire to go in one, and much preferred being able to take photos of them docked along the canals, or floating by.

As night fell we peaked our head in the large church next to the train station, but mass was on so we didn't go in, and then walked along the north side of the Grand Canal, not along the Canal itself much because its built up right to the water's edge in many places, like buildings all over the city, but through the touristy areas. I took a few nice photos from the Rialto bridge of the lit facades in the evening before grabbing a slice of pizza and some gelato. We went back to room, snacked, and packed for the morning's early trip to Rome.

I loved Venice. I loved the small-town feel of the place. I loved how safe and comfortable we felt as we wandered around. I had gone there with the hope of it being a relaxing trip, with only 2 things I specifically wanted to see, and the plan of walking around getting lost with Derek and seeing beautiful, unique sights, and I got that all. While I occasionally got a little tired and frustrated at getting lost on our way home after hours of walking, overall it was a lovely, peaceful time. The buildings were so amazing, often built right into the water, sometimes with little bridges going right into their doors, or with a backdoor (or maybe front door?) opening out to a docked boat. The bridges were so cute and so varied! I took many, many photos of them, and of us on them. Everyone I know who'd been to Venice had told me that I'd like it, and they were most definitely right. I can't wait to go back.

Quick Catch Up

So much has been going on the past few weeks! I've seen the Pope, flown down to Hampshire for a conference, and travelled to the continent with Derek. I've decided to give you a quick run-down of the first two events in this post and keep up the suspense about our trip. It should be worth the wait!

As I wrote about last time, Pope Benedict XVI started off his state visit to the UK in Edinburgh, and a friend and I had long ago agreed that we had to find a way to see him. It was too amazing an opportunity to miss. I mean, how often does the Pope ride down the street a few blocks away from your house? But it turns out that not a lot of people thought that way. Determined to get a good viewing spot along Princes Street, we agreed to meet at 8am. Watching Breakfast on BBC I saw from the live shots that the street looked deserted except for those heading to work, so I texted my friend to let her know that it looked pretty empty and we likely didn't have to worry. We met at 8 and there was absolutely no one along the barriers, so we headed up to a first floor Starbucks and sat at one of the windows overlooking the street and the Castle to keep an eye on the 'crowds'. We saw one group of about 6 guys and girls about our age, but like us they kept coming a going.

Around 9 we decided to do a bit of shopping, as there was still no one around. By 10 groups were forming, so we found a great spot across the street from the art galleries and the Mound. We were right at the corner of the barrier, so that not only would we be able to see everything in front of us, we could also look down the street towards where the Pope would be coming from without a line of people obstructing our view. At one point a number of black cars with black windows sped along escorted by police cars and the crowds got a bit excited, as in one of those cars was the Pope on his way to meet with Queen Elizabeth II at Holyrood Palace. About 45 minutes before the Pope arrived was the St. Ninian's Day parade. It consisted of a number of bagpipe bands, groups of children from St. Ninian's schools across Scotland, and people dressed up as important figures from Scotland's history, including Scottish saints, Robert the Bruce, Mary Queen of Scots, and many others. Then came a long break and we all waited. Derek and my friends boyfriend texted us updates from news programs as to where the Pope was and what he was up to.

Suddenly we could see the flashing lights of the police escorts, and there was the Popemobile traveling not terribly slowly down the street towards us. I took two photos, but also tried to take the time to look at the Pope. We were lucky that he turned towards our side of the street right before reaching where we were standing. It felt really special seeing him. Crowds of about 3 or 4 people deep cheered as he passed by, so the atmosphere was really exciting. And it felt like he looked at us, saw us, and then just as fast had passed by. In my photos I could see men in suits walking fast alongside the Popemobile, but I never noticed them. I did see that he was sitting in a comfy looking white chair and had two men lower down in front of him in the glass pod. That was pretty neat, seeing that he's not alone in there.

So that was a really neat experience. We're so glad we went, but the 5 or so hours I spent out in the sunny but chilly, windy Scottish weather had me sick in bed within a day, and Derek and I were both on antibiotics by the next Monday. But I think it was worth it, and am really glad we went.

Much less exciting was my trip to a conference in Hampshire. It was like nothing I've ever done. I flew down to London from Edinburgh on a 7:05am flight, and we landed around 8 at Heathrow's Terminal 5 (the new one). I then hopped in a car I'd booked earlier, driven by a very nice and funny guy, and headed down to Jane Austen's neck of the woods about an hour away. The conference was located in the Chawton House Library, part of a sixteenth century manor home and estate, in the middle of nowhere a down the street from Jane Austen's house. It was a beautiful sunny day, nice and warm, and made it difficult to want to head back north.

The conference was pretty good. I arrived in time to do a bit of mingling with the 2 dozen or so other attendees before the programme started. The conference was on West Indian planters, a topic so closely related to my own research that I felt I couldn't miss it, even though it was so tough to get to and took half my year's research budget. I made a very good connection with a prof from the University of Houston, who told me I could email him anytime. Unfortunately another individual with a similar topic as my own who was supposed to speak at the conference dropped out, so I didn't get the chance to meet him or hear about his latest research, but he and I have an emailing relationship so I can always email him for info if I need it.

At the end of the day I was picked up by the same driver and headed out before the dinner began (which would have cost me £40 to eat!), but not without realising I'd left my jacket (with my passport in it) on my chair and needing to be driven back to pick it (thankfully we were only about 4 minutes away when I realised it!). I had lots of time to explore Terminal 5, where I strolled through Harrod's, checked out the menu of Gordon Ramsay's restaurant (which sold little lunch boxes for people running late for a flight!), and looked longingly at the stretch of posh shops (Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., etc.) before hopping on a 9pm flight back to Edinburgh. I'd left Edinburgh and came back in the dark, which felt a bit odd. It was good to be home and felt a little unreal that I'd been to the south of England and back in a day. What an adventure! But I didn't know then that within two weeks I'd be on another plane!...