Venice Day 2: Sunny!

View from the kitchen

View from our apartment, Campo Arsenale

It poured with rain last night but I think this must have cleared the air because when Mum came to wake me up this morning she reported the marvellous news that the sun was shining.  There followed a leisurely morning as I was up late after being so shattered yesterday, so we just relaxed in the apartment before heading out after a light lunch to buy our vaporetto tickets for the week.  Mum looked as if she was going on an expedition in three layers of clothing, walking boots and a rain mac on top, managed to convince her to shed one layer and put the coat back on over the top.  Such a contrast in the weather to yesterday! Sun, blue sky and not-Arctic breeze, made for a very pleasant walk along the Riva Degli Schiavoni to San Zaccharia vaporetto stop.  

After we had got tickets to the caught the boat over to Zattere, passing on the way the huge sculpture of disabled artist Alison Lapper by Mark Quinn, on the island of San Giorgio.  It's probably very un-PC to say so but I think it is quite hideous, and Mum felt the same - it is so big, seemed so out of place, and is really just not that attractive.

The purpose of our little trip was to go to Nico's to eat ice cream, and we sat outside in the glorious sunshine which warmed our backs and dispelled all thoughts of yesterday's horrid weather.  Had to take a photo with the iPad as I am for some reason unable to transfer them from my iPhone, and I would like to be able to post photos to this blog while I am here.  It was so bright I could barely see the screen, hence the rather bad composition of the photo below, but you get the idea.

After a while we meandered back towards Accademia, where Mum decided she would get the boat back to the apartment and I continued on alone to take photographs.  Walked up through Campo Santa Stefano through the back streets towards San Marco, from where I had planned to pick up the vaporetto, but when I got there I found so many photo opportunities that I just carried on walking and in the end didn't get back on the boat at all.

This year I am shooting with my D700 mm f1.4 lens, and in black and white only, in order to take a different style of photograph from previous trips.  It's quite a good discipline to only have one fixed focal length lens, and encourages me to see in a slightly different way.  Found myself shooting more candid photographs of tourists and other people, and was also pleased to find a bride in a long cream dress with her new husband and photographer in tow.  Also stopped to watch a giant cruise ship leaving Venice, a sight that always seems to capture people's attention, maybe because they are simply so big.

Back to the apartment by 6 o'clock, feeling very hot and sticky but would far rather this than cold and shivery.  Lovely refreshing shower then supper out at Paolo's again - we went quite early as Mum was tired and I was really hungry, sat inside as it wasn't quite warm enough to be out, and all very peaceful until a group of six Italians arrived.  From then on Mum and I could barely hear ourselves think! 

I had a Capriciosa pizza and green salad, the former was absolutely delicious with a fresh springy base, really flavoursome mushrooms, artichokes and ham, generous with herbs and not at all stingy with the mozzarella - I amazed myself by eating it all. Those of you that know me better will realise that this is quite a feat as I have a quite a mousy appetite - must have been all the fresh air and walking today :)