Sunday 16 March 2014

Venice Again: Day 7: Creatures on the Town

Last full day in Venice - sob! - but sunny and divine. We all went to Bar Melograno again, where Mum did a painting and Clare and I read books on our Kindles. My little friends Mr Raffles and Mr Stanley also decided that they had not spent nearly enough time sightseeing in Venice and insisted on being taken out to see said sights.



Mr Stanley and Mr Raffles enjoy their first Venetian spritz.


"We rather like this".

Mum contemplating the lagoon.


Posing in front of Campo San Giorgio

Best pals.

After lunch I caught the boat to San Marco, wandered up the calles to purchase another silver bangle from Claudia alla Fenice to add to the collection, and then got back on the vaporetto to San Toma from where I just walked, looking in various shop windows on the way. Not referring to map and no real clue as to where I was, but it is so hard to get truly lost in Venice and eventually I found myself at Ferrovia. Slightly footsore but pleased to have taken some reasonable photos on the way, treated myself to an icecream and caught the No. 2 back to San Marco.

Shop window decadence. 

Amazing and terribly scary glasses.

Killer heels.

More killer heels.


Creepy masks.


Shop door.



Nice.





Santa Maria della Salute from the opposite side of the Grand Canal.

Tourists in gondolas.

Gondoliers hard at work.

Rather rubbish self-portrait in mirror of boat.


Ferrovia water taxis.

Mr Raffles at Piazza San Marco.

Campanile San Marco.

Doges Palace and the Basilica.




Mr Stanley with some gondolas.

Mr Raffles and Mr Stanley with the Bridge of Sighs.



Moon over the Arsenale.

Goodnight Venice!

Saturday 15 March 2014

Venice Again: Day 6: Trundling Trolley and the Cimiterio

Awoke to swathes of fog this morning, although it seemed as if the sun was trying to break through, but as I had planned to visit San Michele (the cemetery island) I was quite pleased as the subdued light would suit the subject matter.

Mum's drawing/painting in her diary for the 'Postcards from Venice' series of her new leather gloves.

Mum and Clare in the kitchen for the morning coffee ritual.


Arsenale Bridge.


That's a big crane!

Clare in the Coop as we purchased some final groceries.

Bar Melograno on Riva dei Sette Martiri.


This hot chocolate was SO thick that it was impossible to drink and had to be consumed with a spoon.



Clare and Mum at Bar Melograno.


Me rocking the shopping trolley full of groceries from Coop like a proper Venetian!

All the steps on the bridges are slightly less fun though....

Trundle trundle.....

Fondamenta dell' Arsenale



Lunch at the apartment.

Isola di San Michele, the cemetery island. This man seems somewhat put out that the Grim Reaper is looking over his shoulder.

Didn't enjoy my time here as much as I might have done, since all too aware that I shouldn't be taking photos (there are signs at the entrance saying so) and worried that some grumpy Italian would leap out from behind a gravestone and tick me off. Looking furtively over my shoulder before taking either iPhone or Nikon photo was not really conducive to creativity and relaxed 'seeing'. Consequently all photos a bit ho-hum and not all as carefully composed as they could be due to my haste.


I've photographed this one on a previous visit, I love it, and I'm sure the girl on the right was already dead when she was photographed.




Magnificent gold ballet shoes on the grave of a young girl who was obviously a dancer, based on the photos of her on the tombstone.

Beautiful stone angel.


How to cram in many monuments into a small space.







Sergei Diaghilev's memorial.





The military section of the graveyard.





Love this angel, what a beauty.


Day 7: Creatures on the Town