1st away day - Padova

I have been to Padova today. There was a Caravaggio exhibition I wanted to see. On my walk into the centre from the station I checked with a lady wearing a fur coat, very Italian I was going in the right direction. Her English was wonderful - I had asked in Italian & we walked along together. She told me her son was a lawyer now working in London but he had done some training in Hull. She checked what I had seen - everything except the university so she took me there to check on the tour times. 3.15 today. I walked around the centre, looked at the market - the stalls are wonderful and here are some examples. Some stalls just sell fruit & others certain types of veg. Fascinating.

I made my way to the Eremitani museum & got a reduced price for both the Caravaggio & the Scrovegni Chapel - I know I have already seen Giottos frescoes four times but I couldn't not see them. There were five of us in my time slot which was great, many more in the previous & later groups.

Then I went into the caravaggio - ONE painting - they did this last year with Canaletto in Treviso & at the Academmia a couple of weeks ago there was one Leonardo drawing. But from the advertising you wouldn't know this! Anyway in the gallery there were some lovely Mangtegna's & a Bellini which were worth seeing.

I finally found somewhere for lunch, I didn't have much time & as it was after 2 o'clock I felt like more than a sandwich. In the small bar - no menu waitress just told me what was on offer today I had pasta with speck & cheese & a glass of good red wine all for E8. A bargain.


Then I made it ack to the university to book my tour - I asked again in Italian.

Padua is the second oldest university after Bologna. The students moved here because the church in Bologna was too much in control of the university there. It was founded in 1493. The courtyard is surrounded by a dual loggia & on the walls are some of the 3000 coats of arms of the noble students. We saw the special podium Galileo lectured from, the main salon & a smaller lecture room. Then we went to see the anatomical theatre. Our guide who was speaking in both Italian & English said the English speakers should go into the room first - I walked towards the door & she stopped me & said, no you wait for the Italian version. I replied no I was English. She said no I thought you were Italian, you booked the tour in Italian. I was THRILLED & told her so.

The table was in the bottom & there are six standing tiers above for students to stand & watch autopsies being performed. As it was illegal in that period there were no windows & the bodies were often raided from graveyards or were given by lectures when they died.

A fascinating hour.

Finally we saw the statue of the first woman to gain a degree - 1598. No other women got one at Padova for another 100 years - & much later in the UK.

The train back home was uneventful. I almost got into trouble going as I forgot to validate my ticket!!

Tomorrow it is an early start as I plan to get the train to Bologna.

Bible study, dinner & friends

Last night I was making my first visit this year to St. George's bible study. Of course I arrived at Church eight minutes before the start time. 12 minutes later Ian appeared then a text from Gaspare (he was running the class) to say he was late & just leaving Mestre! Zoe arrived & the three of us stood outside, luckily it wasn't as cold as the previous night. As everyone was going back to my appartment afterwards for dinner we decided to go straight there. I made drinks & we had fritelle & we did one hour on Mark 10 before starting on the wine.


Gaspare is my Italian friend from Church, Ian is also a member of Church, English & a painter who lives in Mestre. Zoe was here last year, she is working on her doctrate & undertaking research. We had a great evening, lots of chat & laughter.

Today when I was on the vaporetto I saw Ian painting, so I got off & went to see him - Zoe had just left having done the same. I got back on the vaporetto going in the opposite direction to the next stop, got off & came back to get a photo of him painting.




I also bumped into an American couple who had been at Church two weeks ago & in Camp Santa Marguerita Prince Charming. Venice is such a small city. Another couple of photos of a beautiful day here.





Tomorrow i was planning to go to Bologna but the sightseeing bus, hop on hop off only runs currently at weekend so I will go on Saturday. Tomorrow I will go to Padova to a caravaggio exhibition. Buona notte.

Bad hair & frustrating town

Venice in the snow

I know it's not as much as you've had in the UK but I wannt you to see we have some here

Venice is more than having a bad hair day - it's a bad hair town. I have worn a woolly hat most of the day as it was very cold and then it snowed. When I went inside & took the hat off - what a sight!

There is a wonderful little book that comes out monthly & gives all concerts, events, museums & all general information. I had been recommended the tour of the Jewish Cemetery. I had been calling the number listed for three days to book but not got through. I went to the web site & sent an email. No reply. Alarm bells were sounding but I thought I would just go over & try to get a tour. The cemetery is at the end of the lido. I got off the bus three stops too late, walked back, asked four people & when I got there it is only open March to October. So lunch, a walk, got wet, waited & at 3pm went to visit the newly restored Palazzo Grimani. I had telephoned to book, but that has to be 24 hours in advance. The tour times I was given were totally different from those listed in the book. You have to remember that when I called there were two options, for Italian press 1 for English press 2 & I spoke to an English speaking operative. When I got there, waited outside in the snow 20 minutes the tour is in Italian only unless the majority are English speakers. We were 1 French & me so the guide was speaking Italian. The Palazzo was beautiful but the commentary was too much for me to concentrate for over an hour. I said it would have bben good if they had a leaflet in other languages to take around with you. The guide agreed, but they had NOTHING! Not even a postcard.

Last night I went to the Circolo & the speakers' subject was Alfred Nicholson 1st baron Charnock (he was the father of Harold Nicholson). Alfred was a thick lad of impoverished parents who became Ambassador to Spain after various postings, mainly around the Balkan area. He wasn't the best speaker & went on a bit too long but the subject was interesting.

Anyway back to Venice being a frustrating city.... I also found out last night that all museums are free on Wednesdays to holders of Imob cards (vaporetto pass). You really have to work hard to find out information, double check as it may not be correct and ferret around to find out what benefits you can get.

Beautiful day

Yesterday I had a friend for lunch... I made chicken curry...... I did find some fresh corriander -a small bunch - E3. In the butchers I bought 1/2 kilo minced beef, one osso buco and 2 slices of fillet steak - E24! it isn't cheap to eat at heome here. I was looking for some lamn to make a casserole for another friend this week. i found some at the supermarket Punto. 1.4 kilos - wait for it......E34. Gasparare is not having lamb casserole.

Late afternoon I could see there was going to be a lovely sunset so I took off on the vaporetto to the Lido. The photos today are from yesterday morning on the Grand Canal & sunsets over the Lagoon.

Another website

Below is the website of St George's bible study. There is a report of the pantomime
from Gaspare.
http://www.anglicanvenice.org/

The fog

What a difference a day makes. This one is Sunday afternoon.

The following are Monday afternoon.

But the city still looks wonderful. (In my eyes anyway).

Around the lagoon in the fog

I am still fighting off a cold. But this morning I set off at 08.15 to go to Treport. It is on the mainland towards Lido de Jesolo. Here you haven't to be in a rush to get anywhere! It took me three boats, a bus & over two and a half hours to get there..... and there was nothing. A small not very good market & I struggled to find a bar. I got the wrong vaporetto so went to Burano, had a 45 min walk around then back to Treporti. 45 min wait there for boat to St Erasmo - not even a bar or shop there so a 50 min wait for boat to Murano, changed for P. le Roma & changed again for Zattere. I got home t 5.15pm. Cold & tired. I did take a few photos.

Exhausted - but famous

Last week has caught up with me this afternoon. I had a great morning... in the fog. More later.

A few final panto rambles.

Yesterday morning I set off to the supermarket via the news stand to purchase Hello. Sunday Fuvio had tried to sell me the Russian edition. On my way there I bumped into Prince Charming then I retired to Gino's bar for a cafe americano & a frittelle. Whilst I was giving my order an Italian lady was staring at me, I thought I had jumped the queue. She said to me "you are Fairy Sparkle! You were great, we loved the show" I have fans!!

After The Thursday morning performance Cinderella & I went to lunch with the Venice Ladies Group who had been to the show. I had met a few of them, but I have been invited to join the Venice ladies who lunch!!!

Sunday lunchtime we had a curtain down party at the home of one of the cast & Laurie our director was presented with a pumpkin cake.

Laurie & her husband Howard.

A week of being Fairy Sparkle

Photos of the pantomine Cinderella. It was GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rehearsals began last Monday at 11.00am. Several of the cast had not met each other & for a few of us it was our first production with the Pantalon Players. The photo below is of the stage door - small dark one next to the lighter brown door.

The next photo is of the theatre entrance!!! Absolutely no sign or indication. To show people where to go at performance times we had a goose (costume from Mother Goose) at the end of the calle. At night she had a lantern.

As the theatre had a class each afternoon we could rehearse until 1.30 then returned at 6.30pm for as long as it took. Everyone was very friendly & supportive. I had the bulk of my lines with Cinderella & Roshanna who was playing that part & I got on really well. Tuesday & Wednesday afternoons we went back to my apartment to go through the two scenes we had together. One was quite complicated as I had a line - something happend - for long periods. Roshanna was great. We continued practising the lines walking too & from the theatre - we got some strange looks! Monday evening my little forest friends - magpie, silk mothes & glow worms attended. Now it was easier to block this scene with the people present. At the end the carraige had to appear - the first time was chaos but it all improved with practice.

The costumes were wonderful. here are the two ugly sisters, Baroness Stoneyboke, Cinderella's stepmother & the dance teacher. I understand they had been trawling ebay & visiting drag stores. One had a laced corset - lots of colourful language being laced into it. I do have a photo but thought it best not to publish! One had had two teeth made to go over his own, a padded bottom to give him a "womanly" shape & great wigs & shoes.

Here I am in my costume. The tutu was voluminous but went really well with my reduced price leggings from M & S & the top from Wallis. I had a braclet bought for Christmas which went perfectly the whole thing received many compliments.

Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday evenings we couldn't get into the threate till 6.30 so the dames, Cinderella & I went to a cast members' apartment to make. The Men especially got some strange looks walking to the theatre!

Here are my silk moths, Magpie & glow worms.

My first entrance was from the rear of the auditorium & the first time I walked outside to go round there it felt quite surreal... here I was in Venice, dressed up & it wasn't Carnivale, & I was taking part in a very English pantomime.

The cloak did not quite cover the tutu but enought to still get gasps & a couple of times a round of applause when I unveiled. At one point Cinderella says she didn't recognise me. I was showing photos of me & my costume to Fuvio at the Accademia news stand & he said - "why don't you dress like this all the time"? I was able to give the answer from my lines "we fairies have many disguises. If I went round like this all the time I'd never get anything done, people would keep stopping me, can I fix this, can I mend that"

Here is the transformation scene when I am sending Cinderella to the ball.

Finally the Prince gets his girl.

The finale!!