Last year, this year

I have noticed quite a number of differences in Venice between my two visits. Some are about the city and others are my way of life.

The weather last year was very cold & very wet. I wore at least five layers everytime I went out & was often cold in the apartment. The water came up - aqua alta as well as down. Pantomime week there was flood alerts several mornings but the water didn't come very high. This year until today there was two half days of rain in my first week. There has been many more sunny days and although it has often been cold in the shade there hasn't been the rawness thhere was last year. I have been able to sit outside lots of times for lunch or a coffee.

People. Last January was much quieter than it has been this year. 09 the only people around & certainly on the gondoli were from SE Asia - there are noticably less from that area of the world & more from Eutope & the US - economies must be improving.

Shops & bars - there are more open this year and because the weather has been drier there are more tables, chairs & people outside. In the shops there is already spring stock arriving. Last year it was only just coming in as I left.

Me. I have had a very different time this year. The pantomime obviously made a big impact and took up one week. This stay has been less frenetic, less running around sightseeing and much more relaxed, people orientated visit. Because I knew people on arrival there were calls to me made and arrangements to see each other. I have had several friends to my apartment for meals and have been invited to others homes. Walking around I often see people & we go for a coffee or a glass of prosecco, shopkeepers wave to me as I go past & I don't have to say what I want in bars. I must have gone totally native as I don't notice the men in orange trousers anymore!

When I go the Church or to the Circolo I am accepted as a regular and not a visitor.

My days are easy and I have spent more time relaxing and reading in my apartment and have cooked more and eaten out less. It has been a very different stay. Not better, not worse just different and wonderful.

Fairy Sparkle's magic worked!

This afternoon I was sat in a bar having a spritz when there was a knock on the window - it was Magnus & Ambrose.

Magnus was so excited to see me I went outside to talk to them. I was told my magic had worked - the fishing flies & a Donald Duck & bumble bee costumes were under their pillows this morning. The thanked me very much & hoped would be going round to see them again soo. No doubt they have more wishes!

Caught up

Sorry I had a blog siesta. I did begin but uploading the photographs takes quite along time.

The weather has been wonderful this week - very cold but with a beautiful blue sky.

Monday I went out for a trip round the lagoon to a church St Pietro di Castello on the other side - it is actually the cathedral church of Venice. Then i went to look at a 5* hotel Il Doge that I had been told about. It has a hidden garden & a great view over to Murano.

Then I walked through the Ghetto and had lunch at an Isreali restaurant. he meze starter would have been sufficient.

The skyscrappers ov Venice and my delicious meze

In the evening I went to the circolo and the speaker was talking about the air quality of venice. They monitor the cruise ships as the pass through the Guidecca canal and have found that although they do contribute becuse they use better quality diesel they are not bad as the small motor boats & vaporetti.

Fairy Sparkle makes more magic!

Last Sunday I went to see Magnus (on the left) and Ambrose and to have lunch with them. Magnus knew I lived on his way to school and kept asking if Fairy Sparkle might lean out of the window and wave Sparkle Magic over him? He is wanting some new fishing flies. I took along my wand and some Fairy Sparkle magic dust to sprinkle over him, wave my wand and make a spell. Ambrose wasn't going to be left out and wished for a Donald Duck costume, process repeated.

The boys had made me some delicious biscuits and had dressed in their best clothes, including Ambrose in a tie for my visit.

Mummy Kristin had made a lovely lunch for me and I had a wonderful time.

Making all those spells was exhausting!

Carnevale food

Here are galani and fritelle.

The galani look like sheets of lasagne pasta, the recipe is very similar but then they are deep fried and covered in icing or caster sugar.

Fritelle are a cross between donuts and choux buns. Veneziana have currants in them and there are also ones filled with ricotta, crema & zabaglione and dusted with icing sugar. The shop puts them onto a gold or white tray and then they are wrapped like a parcel & tied with coloured ribbon.

They are only avaqilable from Epiphany to the end of carnevale. The reason is that normal pasta & donuts are boring and by making them sweet and full of good, rich ingredients sweet the excess of this period runs into the typw of food eaten

I have bought a recipe book with both of these in so they could be on the list at Kath's Perfect puddings

Bologna

I left early to get the 08.30 train. During the nght snow had fallen & everything looked very pretty. Even going through Mestre, not the prettiest of places with snow on the trees it looked magical.

First I took a bus tour around the city, got my bearings and some information of Bologna's history. We went out of town & up the hill to get an overview - had the weather been better it would have been clearer. Here there were parks & in summer a lovely area.

Origionally Bologna had 120 towers. Some built for security others to anoy their neighbour. My tower is taller than your tower! Now there are only about 12 & not all straight. You can, I didn't climb the 600 steps of the taller of these two towers.

Here is the Church of San Pietro in the main square - this is the peoples chuch & does not to "The Church" (Catholic)" Inside on a fresco is an interpretation of Mohammed. After the twin towers three weeks later a bomb was left by the chapel that contains tis image. it was found & made safe.

Bologna is also famous for its covered walkways there are 45 miles of them. All are different as each was built by the property owner. They enlarged upstairs to accommodate more students. There are over 100,00 living here - the oldest university in the world.

Cafes can spill out onto the covered areas and pay not extra rates as they own the land & have to allow public right of way.

This is one of the oldest extensions, made from wood. For safety reasons the town council wanted them built of brick.



This is the piazza with the seven churches. All are interlinked.

Bologna in Emila Romagna is renowned for its food. Parmesan cheese, Parma ham, salamis etc.

Parmesan cheesesDuring the afternoon I took a 2 hour walking tour around the city and I was the only client so it was exceptional value for E13.

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.