A little happiness and light....

Yesterday, what began as a very uneventful normal day, turned out to be one of the best.

First, I had a hair appointment over near the Frari. I have to say I was mighty thankful NOT to have to walk all the way over there from way down in Sant'Elena in the rain!!  The vaporetto strike scheduled for all day yesterday was miraculously postponed. So, doing the happy dance and yielding my little purple umbrella, I hopped on the #1 vaporetto headed down the Grand Canal.

Since we've moved, I haven't quite gotten my timings down right to use the vaporettos to get from one place to another. I used to have everywhere I needed to go timed perfectly. I knew which boat to get on and exactly how much time I'd need to arrive in time. I was about 5 minutes short to make it to my appointment on time yesterday, and it was driving me a little nuts as the boat pulled up to San Toma. I made a dash off the boat, and glanced up at the clock on the wall ( wouldn't it be great if there was a clock on the wall near every boat stop? )- it read 10:25. My watch said 10:30.  Wow, if this clock is correct, I thought,  I just might make it in time if I make a run for it. In the rain, with umbrellas up, that's just not possible. All of us were doing what I call the umbrella dance through the narrow calles. Someone tips their umbrella to the left, you tip yours to the right and hopefully you both can pass. I was only a few minutes late.  I entered the hair salon voicing my apologies to Simone, my hairdresser.  " Don't worry!", he shouted.

Simone was singing at the top of his lungs along with the Italian music coming over the radio, as was his other client, a woman sitting in the chair next to me. This didn't let up the entire time I was there. Simone was in rare form, singing and dancing. I said, "Wow, you certainly are happy today".  His response " Yes, it is raining today, I don't like the rain. So I sing, I'm happy. "

I left Simone's headed to the fishmonger in Campo Santa Margherita, needing to purchase some fish for dinner. Paolo, the fish guy, yells to me "Ciao, Carol! "  (that's right, no one can say Karen here!).  I've still got a silly grin on my face from all the happiness back in Simone's shop, so I continue to grin and return Paolo's greeting.  We discussed some fish choices, I ended up selecting some salmon and some shrimp. While Paolo was cleaning my shrimp he was singing.  What is it with Italian men and the singing??

We completed the fish transaction, Paolo telling me he was giving me a little break on the total.  I had a Euro in change coming back to me, I told him to keep it. He wouldn't hear it, pushing a Euro back into my palm. Then he says," I've got customers now , or we would go have a drink. Next time, we will  have some nice red wine together, yes? " Yes. I'm not a big drinker, but I will have a glass with Paolo. I turned to head to my next errand and Paolo turned back to his stall, singing.

Later in the afternoon, Mike decided to do alittle DIY project we'd been putting off- installing new lamps over the sink in the bathroom.  Our new apartment came "vuoto"- empty- which means there were no light fixtures in the whole place, except for the 2 large Murano glass chandeliers in the living room and one bedroom. Scattered through the rest of the apartment were light bulbs dangling  from wires for light.  I don't know what it is with DIY projects, but they are never as straightforward as they seem to be. There is always some fluke. Always. And, not to be contrary, this one reared it's ugly head before too long.

Mike measured from the top of the wall to where the fixture was supposed to go, and also from the side of the wall to the fixture, and made sure he marked the same measurements on both the left and right sides of the wall above the sink, as we had 2 lamps to install, one for each side. As careful as he was about the measurements, when he had the holes drilled and the bracket that holds the lamp screwed on to the wall, the two brackets , one on the left and one on the right, were not level.  Duh!  The wall isn't straight. It slopes from left to right slightly, causing the newly drilled holes on the right side to be slightly below the ones on the left. Crap. Mike tried to re-drill the holes on the left to make the whole thing level, but for some reason, the drill would just not drill through the wall. Whatever he was hitting behind the plaster was solid.  He tried on the right side, same thing. The darndest thing is that he was able to drill both sets of holes originally without this kind of trouble.  We did the only thing we could do before we both started to scream- we walked away from it for a few minutes to chill out.

After awhile, we went back into the bathroom, looked at the wall, and both agreed we'd install the lamps just the way the holes were, slightly off level and be done with it.  The lamps got installed, looking absolutely gorgeous, if I may say so myself .  There are now 2 of these hand crafted Murano glass lamps by Marco Rubelli hanging above our sink, made along with a similar pendant lamp Mike had installed previously  in the middle of the bathroom.  So, be warned, if you come to our apartment, the lamps in the bathroom above the sink are slightly off level.  I don't care. They are up. They are beautiful. We are happy..   (Note: Prestige di Marco Rubelli, Fondamenta Daniele Manin, 2627, Murano)

After the lamp installation ordeal, neither one of us had the energy or inclination to cook dinner. The salmon would wait for the next day. We put on our coats and walked down the block to the local restaurant, Vecia Gina's, for pizza. I swear this place makes the best pizza in Venice. I'm not kidding. It's an old place where all the locals on Sant'Elena hang out day and night.  Very rustic, very local.

We devoured the pizza,  taking time to relax and have a good laugh about some of our bad luck with home projects.  Around 9pm, Gina's closes up. They lowered the louvered blinds outside the place, and lowered the lights. We didn't need to hurry to leave, everyone already inside was ok.  Barbara, (pronounced BaH-ba-ra) one of the waitresses, brought a red checked tablecloth over to the long table next to ours and began to set the table for six.  Red checked tablecloth, green paper napkins, plastic cups all around. She was getting the table ready for the staff to sit down to eat.  While she was doing that, the music on the radio was cranked up a notch, and all the staff were singing their hearts out  along with the radio.  They were still singing later when we left.

I ended the day as I had begun it- with Italians singing. Happiness.  Good day. One of the best.

Dear O's and Raven's - I still love you, but I'm watching soccer now

Soccer is a big thing over here. There is just no way I can get around it, but I admit, I have tried. I have tried (a few times) to watch and understand the game, but the thrill has alluded me. I've tried to avoid it, but there is  no way that is  possible. People in my neighborhood watch soccer matches (calcio) outside in Campo Santa Margherita. Everyone is outside screaming and yelling during all the matches, and when this happens, I have actually started to feel a little left out of things. The solution was to try a little bit harder.

The whole world is watching the Euro2012 matches, and so I joined in. I made sure I was aware of which teams were playing who, and kept track of how Italy was doing.  Last night, being the semifinals between Germany and Italy, I even watched the entire match.

I surprised myself- I learned a little about the game. By mid game, I was wishing I had painted my face green, white and red! Already by half-time (hmm, is that what it's called?) Italy had scored 2 goals both by Mario Balotelli.  If Mario Balotelli was not already a household word all over Italy before last night, it certainly is this morning. Even I now know who he is! I would not be surprised if this guy is short listed for sainthood this week.

Italy held off Germany for the entire match, right up until the last 4 minutes of - what was that, overtime? We didn't understand how extra time was added on, and it seemed unfortunate, since the score was 0-2 Italy by the end of regular time.  Germany squeaked in a goal, ending the game at 1-2.

Italy's Mario Balotelli - photo by ANSA

Italy will face off against Spain in the finals on Sunday. I WILL be watching. 

A Karen by any other name....

A few weeks ago, I noticed I was hearing quite a lot of "Ciao, Mike" being yelled out as we walked around the city. Shopkeepers, baristas, gondoliers, fish mongers- they are all shouting greetings to my husband. I love that we are feeling like part of the neighborhood, however, truth be told, I was a little jealous that I wasn't hearing "Ciao, Karen" as often.

Shortly after this, Mike and I were in a local cafe in Campo Santa Margherita a little after lunch when our local fish mongers walked in for a drink. First thing they yelled when they stepped through the door was "Ciao, Mike!"  When they approached our table, I asked them their names. I don't know why, but after all this time, neither Mike nor I knew them. They introduced themselves as Paolo, Riccardo and Gianni. In return, I told them my name is Karen. Paolo says back "Carol".  Mike and I both said, "No, it's KAREN".  "Oh, Ok,... Carol", Paolo returned.  We gave up.

Every time I pass through Campo Santa Margherita since that afternoon, Paolo yells out "Ciao, Carol!". Even if I am just turning the corner, way down the campo, he lets out a loud "Ciao, Carol".   We've tried correcting him, but to him, I am Carol, no matter what.

This morning, as I made my way to the vaporetto at Ca'Rezzonico the campo was still relatively empty, with just the vegetable and fish mongers setting up. When Paolo looked up and saw me coming, he yelled out "Ciao, Carol!  I snapped a photo just as he started singing "Carol, Carol, Carol.....". Really, he was singing. I wish I had thought to record him!

I smiled the whole rest of my walk to the vaporetto, and the Cheers theme song came to mind,
"You want to go where everybody knows your name" .  I'm there. 

A little bit of Maryland comes to Venice

We had an unplanned festa at our house tonight!  Earlier this morning, while at my fish monger in Campo Santa Margherita to pick up a piece of salmon, I noticed he had a small pile of blue crabs- Maryland blue crabs! Wow, this was an incredible surprise. I could not leave there without some, so I asked for 6 of them also.  My fish monger says, "Oh, you like the Dungeness crabs?"  Sorry- these are Maryland Blues. I had to set him straight. We got into a little discussion on the difference between the two crab types. As usual, we were doing this conversation in half English, half Italian. I was speaking the Italian, he was answering me in as much English as he knew. This then led to a bigger discussion of where I lived in the US.  Maryland, of course!   He impressed me with his knowledge of US geography. He knew exactly that Maryland was between New York and Washington DC, and that they were on the East coast of the US. 

As he was slicing my salmon, he asked where I was born. When he found out I was from New Jersey, he had to know if I watch some show on Italian cable called Jersey Girls.  I think he must have meant Jersey Shore or Real Housewives of New Jersey.  I just had to laugh. What an unbelievable conversation to be having with my fish guy!

I was so excited to share my good fortune with Mike I just about ran home.  We've never seen Maryland Blue crabs in any of the fish stalls we've been at in Venice in all the years we've been here. There are very few things we miss about living in the US, but high up on that list would be Maryland crabs and sweet white corn.   We don't dwell on the things we miss, because there are so many other wonderful things here, especially foods, that we also love. We can always find things to step in and take the place of any of the items we might miss on occassion. However, today, to find these crabs was just like getting a little prize.  If anyone had watched us eat dinner tonight, they would have thought we hadn't eaten in days!  We devoured those 6 crabs. 

My six crabs, fresh from the market.

All cooked up, ready to be eaten!

After the feast...Buonissimo!!

Tomorrow morning, I will be back at my fish mongers to see if he has a few crabs left, or if he can order them for us.  Now all I need is a few ears of white corn!!

Postscript to last nite's post -- We've just come from the fish monger, with the last 6 crabs in hand! He had them under the counter. When he saw us approaching, he flashed us a big smile and said "You want the crabs" and pulled them out for us.  Wow, are we ever happy!!  And, he tells us that although these particular crabs are not readily available, if we let him know when we want more he will put in an order and hope he can get some.  Guess what we are eating again tonight ???? That's right!!! 

Today's walk - Aqua Bassa

Last night as I was closing up the shutters I noticed a thick fog had rolled in around our canal. I wondered what morning would be like.  We've had an unusually mild winter so far in Venice- pretty mild temperatures, very little fog, no ice or snow yet, and only one morning of high water. Weird season, actually, but I am not complaining. I'm a summer girl.

In the morning, my first order of business was an appointment at my hairdresser's, Simone.  His salon was FREEZING this morning!!!  I had checked the weather when I got up, supposed to be 33 degrees F. At Simone's I think it was colder, and my hunch was right, he explained that his caldaia (the water heater) was not working when he arrived earlier.  Yikes! I shivered through the whole event. 

On my way home from Simone's I noticed a familiar gondola parked right in front of the Frari. Alessandro!!!  I haven't seen him since early fall. I looked around to see where he was standing, hoping it really was him today. Sometimes gondoliers who are not working will lend their boats to other gondoliers. This was clearly Sandro's gondola, but where was he?  Aha! There he was having a coffee in the window of the cafe at the foot of the bridge. When he spotted me, he waved  and motioned for me to come in. We had a coffee together and caught up a bit. I'm excited, he is going to check around to see if any of his friends will be rowing in the Volo in Silenzio on the last night of Carnevale to hopefully secure me a seat in a boat for less money than the official tickets are being sold for.  After kisses and hugs, I left Sandro to his work and I headed off to Campo Santa Margherita for a stop at my fish guys. 

I love my fish guys! While I waited a few minutes, they peeled and deveined my kilo of gambero (shrimp) for me.  Makes my life really simple come dinner time. I also stopped at the vegetable stall, then met Mike at Mood Cafe for a cup of tea and a little light lunch. By this time I was freezing. Today is the coldest day we've had so far. I checked on my iphone- the temperature was now 26 degrees F or  -3 C!!!!  It wasn't too warm inside Mood either, but better than being outside.

I had one more errand to accomplish before I could get home and warm up. Mike and I both walked together to Giustinian so I could drop off my request for prescriptions at my doctor's office.  My doctor has a new system now, which I am very grateful for. Instead of having to wait in the queue at his office each month to renew prescriptions, I can drop off a letter in his mail box, then return the next day to pick up the prescriptions. 

On our walk  home from the Dottore's office, I snapped a few photos of the unusually low water in the canals today. On a typical day at  high tide, the water level is even with the highest dark line you see on the canals. When it's low tide on a normal day, the green area on the canal wall is visible.  During this period of  very  low tide, the water is so low the last stairs are visible.

Even the algae is out of water today by several feet. Very unusual.

And the steps at my own water door (photo above) are completely out of water. This is the first time I've seen those bottom 2 steps. Fortunately, most boats are flat bottomed and don't require very much water. I can't imagine all the boats that would be run aground otherwise. Italy has had all the ship problems it can handle for one week!

Oh boy,another go round with Vodafone

I thought I'd start this blog off with a happy photo, cause my day yesterday wasn't all that great. Enjoy one of my favorite views in Venice of the Rialto bridge on a recent afternoon.

Yesterday, I had to deal with Vodafone - again.  I avoid this like the plague. Vodafone is the company we have our mobile phone and internet service with.  When we originally set up our account with them, we went to the store at the foot of the Rialto instead of the one closest to our apartment, because at Rialto there were a few employees who spoke English better.  Every time we have a need to deal with our Vodafone account, the clerks who work at our local Vodafone shop refuse to help us. They always direct us back to Rialto, citing as a reason that we must go to where we set up the account. We have always thought this was nonsense, but  not knowing any better, we do what we are told.  We've learned the hard way you just don't argue with these people.

So- yesterday we discovered mid day that our phone service had been interrupted. Mid day. Great. Vodafone is closed for siesta and wouldn't be open until 3:30.  Not wanting to go back to the Rialto area a second time that day (I had been there in the morning too), I went to our local Vodafone shop at 4pm, hoping they might be able to save me a trip to Rialto. I did this, but mind you, I was expecting the worst.

I knew that to get the phone service turned back on I was going to have to make a payment at the Post Office in cash, but I needed to know how much money was needed.  All I wanted was for the woman at the local Vodafone store to look up the account and tell me the amount. I was already geared up for the long line I'd incur over at the Post Office. It was not going to be a good afternoon.  On top of that,  I already knew that she was just going to look at me and say "You need to go to the Rialto office".  Still, I slapped a smile on my face (all the while gritting my teeth at the same time), and asked the woman to please help me.

Here it comes, I thought to myself. Why didn't I just go to Rialto to begin with??  Hope against hope, I'm always the optimist. Or maybe I am a masochist and I'm fooling myself!

After making my plea for help, this woman tells me she will find out how much I owe and I can make the payment by credit card right there.  What?  Say that again, per favore?? Did I understand you correctly?
This cannot be!!!  The reason I say that is because I had already been told by Vodafone many many times that we could  never pay our account by our US bank issued credit card. Our payment had to be from an Italian bank account, or on an Italian credit card. We'd gone round and round and lost this battle with Vodafone long ago.

Again, this woman says she will do it. I hand her my phone, she calls customer support, she gets the amount owed from them, and asks me to hand over my credit card and my documentation.  In two minutes, everything is finished and my service is restored.  It turns out I probably could have done all this myself if I could have understood the Vodafone customer service voice menu system. It's impossible- the Italian recordings speak at breakneck speed. I am completely at a loss if I have to deal with any menu system here. This woman, for whatever reason, decided she would help me out, and I am grateful beyond belief. I was doing a happy dance in the Vodafone store. I don't know what this woman ate for lunch, but it made her very cooperative.  She never had been before.

I'm about to leave the store when she asks if I want to make future payments by credit card also?  What, are you kidding me???  She is volunteering to do even more for me?? Sure, that would be fabulous. She gets back on the phone with customer service, and in two more minutes has updated my account so that now all payments will be on this credit card.  I'm thinking to myself I need to go directly to the church around the corner to light candles, and do not pass Go.

After just about kissing this woman and multiple "Grazie mille's", I did immediately duck into San Pantalone, lit a candle, and said a quick prayer of thanks to God, and to the Vodafone God, and one last prayer for the health of my Vodafone woman.

Then, I made that phone call to Mike (yes, the phone was working!) and  invited him to the mini-celebration I was about to have for myself in Campo Santa Margherita. This called for a prosecco!

BTW- I did not speak one word of English during my entire time in the Vodafone store. Perhaps this woman finally took pity on me because I have been trying so hard to speak the lingo???  

Goings on at Ca' Hendersoni

The mozzarella shaped like a pig was just too good to pass up.  Look closely, it really is shaped like a pig.You just don't see these every day :) These are hanging in one of the booths at the mercatino over at Campo San Polo. When we were there on Saturday, we got the great news the booths will be open until the end of Carnevale!!!! We've really been enjoying wandering over to San Polo to watch the local kids ice skate and also buy artigianal products like sausages and cheese.

OK, the holidays are just about over (still need to get through Jan 6, Epiphany and La Befana) and life is returning to normal around our house.  Today we woke up to discover a window in our living room had been broken over the holiday, most likely by someone partying just a little bit too hard on New Year's Eve.  Our living room windows overlook two canals, and our apartment is right on a busy thoroughfare leading to and from Piazzale Roma. Anyone leaving St. Mark's square on New Year's Eve heading back home to Mestre by bus would have opportunity to throw something at our window.  Why? Who knows! Just another one of life's pleasantries. And how's this for a kicker. Normally we close the window shutters, however we left them open because our Christmas tree sits right in this window.  From now on we will be closing our shutters for sure.

Fortunately, we only rent the apartment. Fixing the window will have to be dealt with by the landlord. I can't even imagine what gyrations we'd have to through to get one of these windows replaced,as they are very old, and very huge. Luckily, there are two sets of windows in each window in our apartment, which must have been an early attempt at double pane windows,so we aren't getting cold air through the house. The broken window is on the outside set of windows.  Even though Venice is the home of glass, I am betting the cost of a new window sure to be astronomical. I'm already imagining a large piece of glass being floated down the canal by boat! With any luck, this will be handled soon, and I'll let you know how it all turns out!

 Speaking of the landlord, we completed our annual renewing of the lease process yesterday. I love how this all goes down!  It's very simple. He emails us, usually one or two days before the end of the year (our lease goes January to December), and tells us that if we want, the new year's rent will be 100 Euros more per month. We email back and say we think that's too much. He emails back and says "How about 50?". We say ok, and the deal is completed. This year, it was even simpler. He emailed and said "50 Euros more a month". We said "Done".

Today it was alittle wet and overcast here in Venice. But not so wet that we couldn't get out and walk.  We were headed over to Santa Marta, which is located on the westernmost tip of Venice. The Venice farmers market that used to be held at Piazzale Roma was moved to Santa Marta a few months ago, and I wanted to check it out. If you look at the map below, the section on the far left that is yellow and grey colored is the part where we were headed.   (This map is from the Comune di Venezia website. I am surprised to learn that they consider the area where the churches of San Sebastiano and Angelo Raffaele -4 and 5 on the map- part of Santa Marta.  You have to click on the map to see the complete area, I think. Sorry about that.). Santa Marta is an old area of Venice where there used to be an old cotton factory and other warehouses. It's close to the port of Venice. Today, many of the old buildings have been converted into University departments, including a theatre.

While at the farmers market we bought fresh eggs stacked up in a basket, and met the young man at the egg booth who also takes orders for chicken, guinea hens and gallina. You sign his order form, include your phone number and he will call to tell you what day he'll bring them over to Venice. Fresh guinea hen is sure to be on our dinner menu very soon, now that we have a source.  Today there were only about 5-6 stalls total, including the egg guy,  fresh vegetables, cheese, meats- sausage, pork chops and cotelchino, and a wine vendor.  I usually try to shop at Rialto market, but on Mondays in the future I will make sure I get to Santa Marta to support these vendors too.

To leave you on a happy note, and give you one more little tidbit about local Venetian culture, here's a You Tube video of perhap's Venice's premier musical group, Ska-J, singing one of their earliest hits, Santa Marta. The lead singer, Furio, lives in Santa Marta, and frequents our neighborhood and Campo Santa Margherita often. You cannot miss Furio with that great hair!  It's a catchy little tune, sung in Venetian dialect (with English subtitles included).  Enjoy!

A Christmas gift from our Butcher

It's a HUGE holiday weekend here- Christmas Eve, Christmas and then Monday, Santo Stefano day.Santo Stefano day (Festa di Santo Stefano) is the celebration of the announcement of the birth of Jesus and the arrival of the 3 wise men. Three important holidays back to back, and that translates to  LOTS of eating.  So, we've been getting ourselves prepared  for the last few days.

Thursday I spent the morning at the Rialto fish market picking up everything we needed for our Christmas Eve feast. Traditionally, Christmas Eve  (Vigile di Natale) is the day Italian families usually eat fish. The Christmas Eve dinner in most parts of Italy is called the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Seven courses, all fish. We're not going quite that far- but we will have some smoked salmon, shrimp, oysters and baked salmon.  We'll be stuffed at that point, but must leave room for a traditional Italian Christmas dessert- Panettone!

Another mission on Thursday was to find the duck breasts we're making for Christmas dinner. Mission accomplished.  By the time I finished marketing on Thursday, I had just about everything needed for the weekend food fest.  When we double checked our cooking plans after I got home from shopping all over Venice, I discovered there were a few items still needed, so I sent Mike out with a list yesterday afternoon.

Mike's first stop was the butcher's to pick up some sausage for Christmas morning breakfast. As he was paying, the butcher gave him a Christmas gift- a Cotechino!!!!

I've seen them in the grocery store, and knew what it was, but have never eaten one. Cotechino is a traditional Italian meal served on New Year's day. It's sausage like, made of pig parts and lots of spices including mace, cumin, coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove and cayenne. I had to look up a recipe for it.  You pierce the skin with a fork, wrap it tightly in foil, and either simmer it in water for several hours, or cook it in the oven. When ready to serve, you peel off the casing, slice it in thick slices and eat it while it's still hot with either polenta, lentils or potatoes.  Guess what we're eating for New Year's??

The butcher on the corner by the Scuola dei Carmini ,who has been open a little under a year now, has been one of our favorite new additions to our little neighborhood. Besides the fact that he has the best meats, this is another opportunity for us to shop local, and develop a relationship with the owners.  For us, one of the draws of the Italian lifestyle has been the little mom and pop stores.  We love being able to pop into the wine store, the cheese store, our local fish guy, or the butcher on a regular basis. It's a good life.



Buon Natale a tutti.

Table Wars in Campo Santa Margherita

 The peaceful existence we'd come to know and love in Campo Santa Margherita is unfortunately a thing of the past, at least for now.We're in the midst of  full blown Table Wars, and it's getting uglier every day. For days on end in August and September there were articles in the local papers discussing either the previous night's events in the campo, or the status of the situation at the mayor's office.  And, most days, we'd see the local police out measuring the tables and chairs at each establishment, making sure that they were within regulation. No one can extend beyond the space they had been approved for, and were paying for.  Anyone who had an infraction was the recipient of fines levied on them, often to the tune of them being assessed every single day.

These lovely ladies have their tape measure out in front of Mille Vini wine bar, and are busy calculating the bad news of the day.

What's happened in Santa Margherita this summer actually  is two distinct things, in my view.  First, there are congregations of large numbers of students and young people in the campo, late into the night and early morning, making lots of noise, bongos included. This has ticked off the residents of the campo big time, and they took their complaints to city hall.

Someone at city hall, in their infinite wisdom, decided that the root cause of the noise and ruckus is the cafe's and bars being open after midnight selling alcohol. So, what did city hall do?They mandated that no alcohol be sold after a certain hour, and actually closed down the pizza place, the gelato shop, and the kebob shop after 11:30 pm.  After much back and forth between city hall and the shopkeepers of the campol, they decided the gelato shop could stay open later. He doesn't sell anything that might contribute to this. Sadly, the late night noise continued, almost nightly.  I suppose city hall got angry at being ignored, so they retaliated.  Our officials declared there would be "Zero Tolerance" for any infractions of city rules--- and they enforced this with a vengence in Campo Santa Margherita.  And thus, the beginnning of  what I have nicknamed "Table Wars".

There are a few newer cafes and wine bars in the campo who had applied to the city for permission to have tables outside in the campo.  Let's face it, in warm weather, establishments need tables outside to attract customers, especially in a campo like this one.  From what I understand, the permits had been applied for, but not yet processed.  As the weather got warmer, and permits had still not been issued, tables were put in the campo anyway, with the hope that permits would soon be in hand.  In the meantime, we had the noise issues, and the city hall crack down. First there was a rash of fines being issued. Police were in Campo Santa Margherita every single day with tape measures in hand. We laughed when we saw them, but for the new cafe and bar owners, this was no laughing matter.

Next thing we know, the city has conducted a sting operation of sorts. They swooped down on Campo Santa Margherita and confiscated the tables of the establishments who were in violation of having tables without permits. Lawyers have been hired, there have been several meetings with city hall, and still no resolution. Here we are, at the end of September with no resolution, still.  And in the meantime, these new shop owners are suffering with reduced revenue because they have no tables outside, not to mention big lawyer bills.

At my favorite new place, Mood, they are really feeling the pinch.  Their business is way off, and they fear they may have to close soon.  I find this to be a horrible shame, as these young men are hard working, industrious Italians, trying to make a go of their business. If they go under, I know what will open up in their location within a week- another souvenir shop selling imported junk.

I certainly have gone from outsider to local during my time here, haven't I?

It's Ferragosto ! Italy is closed today.

Today, August 15, is Ferragosto.It's a national holiday in Italy. Basically what that means is just about everything will be closed, and Italians will be heading to either the beach or the mountains for a long weekend. Ferrogosto is a celebration of the harvest, and also a celebration of the Assumption of Mary into heaven, and dates back to Emperor Augustus. I haven't quite figured out how they mixed a religious holiday with a pagan
festival, but, they did. 


This morning around 8:30 am, I took trash out, and was surprised to see the trash collectors were actually working today. I was sure they would not be. My street was empty. Completely empty, except for me.  This is an even bigger surprise, as I live on a main thoroughfare near the train station and Piazzale Roma. At that hour of the morning, on any normal day, there would be a stream of people making their way to other parts of Venice, having disembarked both buses and trains. Not today. It looked like Venice was a ghost town. 


I've just returned from a walk to Campo Santa Margherita. Almost everything is closed. Fortunately, one of my favorite caffe's, Imagina, chose to remain open today, and I was able to have a very relaxing cup of tea and cornetto con marmalatta. 

Agosto, in Italian,  means August.  However, I think it secretly means "vacation". Shops close for most of the month, not just this holiday weekend.  All over Venice, and I'm sure this is also all over Italy, shop after shop has a "Closed per Ferie" sign on the door.  Here are a few samples, taken a couple of days ago, all on one street near Campo San Pantalone.  I half expected to see  one  "Gone Fishing" sign somewhere!

Buon Ferragosto, tutti!!

The Max Burger-- my latest food preference!

I raved about hot dogs recently, so it's only fair that I  sing the praises of another local find that has rapidly become a huge hit with us.  Not long ago Mood,  a new bar/caffe,  opened in Campo Santa Margherita .  There have been a string of unsuccessful attempts at new food establishments in the campo during the past year, and we've been sad, and disappointed to see them go under so quickly.   When Mood opened, we were quick to become regular patrons.

Nicolo and Max, the guys who run the place, are just really nice, hard working guys. We encouraged them early on to do whatever they had to do to get tables outside in the campo. Without those, how could they compete? We think that was a huge part of the problem with the other bars that folded.  This week, tables showed up outside Mood, and they are filled up whenever we go by the place. Bravi, Nicolo and Max!!

What makes Mood a bit different is the food Max has been making. To say the least, he is innovative. They are serving club sandwiches, sandwiches with eggs on them, burritos, tortillas and a variety of interesting cicchetti (Venetian finger food similar to Spanish Tapas). This isn't standard fare for any of the caffes in Venice.  They also have a terrific selection of beers, including Sierra Nevada and Brooklyn- also not easy to find in this city. This past week, Max told us he was going to add Cheeseburgers to the menu, and asked us to give them a try.

Mike and I purchased Max's very first two cheeseburgers , and WOW, we were sold as soon as we bit into them.  Max has created the perfect burger!  He's using freshly ground meat from the new butcher down at the end of the campo (the one I've been crowing about also!), and it's cooked to perfection. Not overdone, just right.  I have no idea where he's getting the buns, but they also are just great.  Even down to the catsup and mustard, Max is doing it exactly right.  We loved them!  We quickly renamed them " The Max Burger", and added our special endorsement " EX-Pat Approved!".

If you find yourself in Campo Santa Margherita anytime soon, I urge you to find Mood.  Enjoy a bit, say hi to Max and Nicolo, and tell them we sent you!

My first Italian eye exam

Yesterday I experienced yet another "first"... an eye exam.  I have no idea why I believed this would be routine and ordinary. I should know better by now!

My first clue should have been that the appointment was in the same old hospital building where I got hopelessly lost in the basement.  I clearly remember that thrilling adventure!!!

I arrived at Giustinian, the old hospital building in Dorsoduro, on time, and found my way to the right location for my appointment, miraculously. This old place is enormous, and generally empty. Trying to find someone to ask directions is not even an option.  I searched all the signs for "Occulista", made my way to the second floor, and continued looking.  Relieved I appeared to be in the right location, I took a seat in a small waiting area along with 2 other Italians.

About 10 minutes later, a woman appeared in the waiting room and called my name, preceeded by "Signora".  I still have trouble responding to that, it always takes me a second or two, then I figure out .. Hey, they mean me!  I followed this nurse or whatever she was down the hall, and entered a dark room. Why does this always have to be so spooky in this building??  Also in the room was a woman in a white lab coat-it became apparent she is the eye doctor.  The doctoressa invited me to sit down behind one of those eye examination machines.  Before things got started, I apologized that I had forgotten to bring along my glasses.  The doctoressa proceeds to lash into me in rapid Italian which I roughly translated to be something along these lines " HOW CAN I CHECK YOUR GLASSES IF YOU DON'T BRING THEM!!!!!!  "  She is not happy with me one bit.

Ok, I apologized again, then asked if she could please just do an eye exam, as it's been 2 years since I've had them checked and I think I need the prescription adjusted. Yes, she can do that.  Whew.. I have made it through the first hurdle, all the while praying to God that there aren't any more to come.

The doctoressa uses this machine, into which I peer while she adjusts a few dials.  What I see on the other end is a hot air balloon out in a field. The whole thing starts out kind of fuzzy, but clears up as she adjusts a few dials.  Ok, she is finished, and motions for me to follow her.  We move to another office near by.

I sit in a chair, and she puts a pair of funny glass frames on my face. They were huge, with thick rims around the eyes, and thick armpieces. This was not  anything like the equipment I was used to my American eye doctor using. (Sidenote:  I love Dr. Blandina, my American eye doctor. And at this moment in time, I was really really missing her!)  Into the front of these "glasses" she slides some different lenses, and asks me to read the eye chart on the opposite wall.  I read with the right eye, then the left. She makes an adjustment on the left side lense, we try again, then she says "OK".

The doctoressa sits at a desk across from me and begins asking a few questions - what medications do I take , when did I come to Italy, where did I live in the United States , and why am I here.  These weren't needed for her forms, she was just curious. I'm used to this by now, so I humor her and answer her questions.  Every doctor and nurse I've seen so far has had the same curiosity.

Next, the doctoressa explains she is going to put drops in my eyes. I'm not sure I understood her correctly, she was speaking at warp speed, even though I had explained to her I need her to speak slowly. What I think I understood was she was going to dilate my eyes, so she could look or measure the retina. I wasn't going to argue her, I was along for the ride.  Yes, sure , whatever, give me the drops.  She puts the drops in my eyes, then tells me to go wait outside in the waiting area for 10-15 minutes.

When recalled into the examination room, I was told to sit at a different machine this time. The doctoressa started with the right eye. This intensely bright light beamed into my eye, so bright that it hurt, I could barely keep my eye open. Once again, the lovely doctoressa is screaming at me "KEEP YOUR EYE OPEN".  "LOOK LEFT" ,... "LOOK RIGHT"..."LOOK UP"... "LOOK DOWN".  She switched over to the left eye. I had even more trouble keeping the left eye open. She grew tired of trying to deal with me., turned off the machine, threw up her hands and said "It's too difficult".  She is clearly not happy with me once again. Yes, I got that. I prayed that she would not bring out a ruler and smack me, because I was feeling just like I had been a naughty child who was summoned to the principle's office. Why is it Italians make me feel this way whenever I make the slightest little goof????

She wrote out a prescription for my lenses, handed it to me, and told me to come back for another visit next year.  I mumbled a "Thank you" and left quietly.  I figured out how to get myself out of the maze of this building and out onto the street. My eyeballs hurt so much from whatever that last machine was!  I was thinking I probably would find some excuse not to return the following year, and I was saddened that I had not found a friendly eye doctor here to take the place of Dr. Blandina back in Baltimore.

Thankful that I had managed to maneuver yet another Italian first, I treated myself to a cup of tea in Campo Santa Margherita.  Yes, one more experience under my belt. But this was only part 1. Next I am going to have to deal with shopping for new glasses.  I can only imagine what kind of nightmare (lol, adventure) that will be.   Make that two cups of tea. I needed it.

Simple pleasures

Here's my simple pleasure from yesterday. I'm smiling about it today still!

After having my ususal cup of tea at Imagina Caffe in Campo Santa Margherita, I made my way to the counter to pay the bill. Standing next to me, also waiting to pay up,was one of the neighborhoods more colorful characters, a fairly well known elderly artist, a Venetian gentleman who must be in his late 70's or early 80s.  I see him frequently here, and in the past we've always exchanged hellos.

Yesterday,  he said hello to me in English, I answered him back in Italian.
Also in English, he asked me how I was.  I said fine, and in turn asked him how he was.
He answers back, in English "Now that I've seen you, better".
I just laughed, and said, "You know, in America, we would say that was quite a line! "
He smiled back, and answered, "Illusion is everything. We need it, don't you agree?"
"Absolutely", I smiled back.
With that, he said, " See you later, baby", and went off on his way.

Domenico, behind the counter, overheard the conversation.  I commented to Domenico that this is one smooth character ! Domenico grinned, and replied, "That's how that old man is always with some young woman!"

I'm still grinning over hearing "See you later, baby" out of the mouth of this old Italian man. Gotta love it.

Another new addition to our neighborhood

Not long ago, a new butcher shop ( macelleria) opened in Campo Santa Margherita, right across from the Scuola Grande dei Carmini. This came as a shock to us, as the majority of shops opening up all over Venice are ones that cater to the tourists- selling magnets, postcards, and imported masks or glass jewelry.  Shops that tend to the daily needs of locals are shutting down, not opening. So having our new butcher is a blessing, and we make a point of patronizing his shop often.

The other day  as I was running my daily errands, I stopped in at the butcher shop, with no particular plans for what I was going to buy.  I was hoping I'd see something behind the glass case and be inspired for dinner that night.  My inspiration did come, but in a very unexpected way.  As I waited, I paid attention to what the other customers were ordering. One woman asked for twenty meatballs. I looked into the display case, and sure enough, there was a large stack of meatballs- large, round, mouthwatering meatballs. I watched as the butcher counted out all twenty for her.  She paid for her order and left. The next woman ordered 15 meatballs. I began to wonder if these women all knew something I didn't know!  When it was my turn I could not control myself.   "Dieci polpette"  (10 meatballs) came out of my mouth, almost without me knowing what I was doing. Yes, ten went home with me.

Dinner was spaghetti and meatballs.  After eating my meal, I knew why everyone was buying meatballs from our new butcher. They were delicious!  The perfect blend of beef and veal, along with some herbs. Now I know where to find homemade meatballs just like my mom used to make.  Life is good.

Changes in Campo Santa Margherita

This is Campo Santa Margherita, the largest campo in Venice. It's far from the maddening crowds at the Rialto and San Marco. It's where you will find real Venetians going about their daily lives.  It's one of the few places you will find fish vendors and vegetable stalls, and it is also the one place in Venice where caffe's and bars are open past 11 pm.  Well, it WAS the one place. All that is about to change.

Recently some new regulation was passed, probably at the request of residents of the campo, that prohibits loud noise and the sale of alcohol after 11pm. Each infraction will carry a 500 Euro fine. This is going to impact a few of the businesses in the campo that stay open till around 1:30 am. I'm eager to have a chat with our local caffe friends who will most likely suffer a bit of business because of this.

While I understand the neighbors perspective about noise, I am not in favor of forcing these businesses to shorten their hours and stop selling drinks.  It just seems excessive, and I think it will change the whole feel of Campo Santa Margherita. Thumbs down from me on this one.

PRIX comes to Dorsoduro

Thursday afternoon on my walk home from FateBeneFratelli, I wasn't too far from our apartment when I noticed a girl standing on Tre Ponti wearing one of those big tent placards on the front and back of her.  She was advertising the opening of a new Prix grocery store opening up in Dorsoduro!!  Wow, what a great surprise!   And the opening date was the very same day.  I made a mental note of the address, and continued on my way.

As soon as I got in the apartment, I went to my computer and checked the address of this grocery store. 2448 Dorsoduro is just one bridge away from us! I remembered being in a Prix on Giudecca awhile ago, and recalled that is was a sort of discount store.  This is very good news for us.

The local grocery store in Campo Santa Margherita, the Punto, has been closed for about 5months now for renovations, and it will be several more months before it reopens.  Our other choices are the Billa on the Zattere, or the Coop at Piazzale Roma. Both are a bit of a hike hauling a grocery cart.  Mike particularly dislikes going to the Coop because not only is the Coop always crowded,  Piazzale Roma is also always crowded with people. It's a pain in the neck trying to navigate with bags through there.

Like everything else in Venice, food is expensive. The only alternative is to take the bus out to Marghera to shop at Panorama, the Italian version of Sam's club or Wal-Mart. It is cheaper. But then you have to deal with the bus and all your parcels getting home.  Not easy.

The new Prix being around the corner might just be a blessing in disguise. It's funny, we had no idea they were opening here, even though we walk by here just about every day. Mike and I walked over Thursday afternoon to check it out. There is no store sign outside yet even, but we knew to look for # 2448. The place is tiny, just two check out counters, and the space between the 3 aisles is very compact. But it does have just about everything you might need, even some fresh meat and vegetables. Not a huge selection, but enough for you to get what was necessary. We prefer to get our meat from the local butcher, and our vegetables from the stalls in Campos Santa Margherita, but just the same, it's good to know this is here.  Prix seems to specialize in weekly deals, alot of 2 for 1 or 3 for 2 types of promotions. For things like toilet paper and cleaning supplies, this is just perfect. All the prices are lower, so this will really help us stick to a food budget for a change. I can imagine every pensioner (retired person) living on this side of Venice will be at Prix along with Mike and I!

For us, Prix is a great location, nice low prices, and they have terrific hours- every day of the week from 8:30 am to 8 pm, with no hours off in the middle of the day for siesta.  We're loving this.

Welcome to the neighborhood, Prix!

Laureate festa last nite

Around 5:30 pm yesterday, I was feeling like I needed a little air. It didn't take much to convince Mike to join me for a walk to Campo Santa Margherita - the enticement of a beer at Imagina Cafe was all he needed! The campo was already crowded with all sorts of people and live bands getting ready for the last night of carnevale celebrations when we arrived.

From the outside, Imagina Cafe looked pretty quiet, which was just what I was hoping for. Once in the door, however, we discovered a fairly large party going on in the front room. There was no doubt what this was-- a graduation party. Here in Venice, they are called Laureate festa's, organized by friends and family in a local bar or cafe for the graduate. There are certain level degrees called Dottore, and these are the ones celebrated with a Laureate party. The graduate is made to walk around the city with a laurel wreath (what else?) on their head or around their neck, they are typically dressed up in some outlandish getup almost like a Halloween costume, and their friends make them do pretty awful tasks. My favorite part is when the whole assemblage starts singing at the top of their lungs a special song "Dottore, Dottore" as they march along the city streets. It reminds me of sorority and fraternity hazing. My Italian tutor Marzia tells me that this does not happen in other cities. I like that it's unique to Venice.

We see alot of these Laureate parties. Last night was the first time we were ever invited to join one. When we got inside the cafe and saw this party, we also noticed that our doctor was in attendance too! Our doctor has his office in Campo Santa Margherita also. We see him regularly, both in his office or walking in the neighborhood. He never looks up when he is walking, and even in the office he is fairly brief in all conversations. So last night Mike and I were incredibily surprised when the doctor approached us, with a huge smile on his face, said hello and invited us to have a drink of prosecco with them. He was the father of the Laureate!! We were going to decline his invitation, but he wasn't having any part of it. He spoke to us in Italian and English, handed us drinks, then brought his son over to meet us. Our dottore was very proud of his son! He also offered us desserts, lovely little pastries from - where else- Tonolo. He could see that I was going to decline the dessert, so he laughed and told me not to worry about my cholesterol tonight! Wow---he not only knew who we were, but he remembered my ailments!!

It was pretty much the end of their Laureat festivities, but we enjoyed being included for a few minutes at least. This was way more than just a polite glass of prosecco, this was another sign that we're being accepted into the community, and by the last person I would have ever expected it from!

Campo Santa Margherita

If you have been reading my blogs, you know by now that we not only live close to Campo Santa Margherita, but also that it's become like a second home to us. This is where we buy our fish regularly from the fish vendors who have stalls here Tuesday thru Saturday. It's where we buy our vegetables and fruit when we don't have time to plan a trip to the Rialto Market, it's where we walk the dogs, it's where we hang our for coffee or a glass of Prosecco. We even have our weekly Italian lessons at a caffe in this campo.

In the heart of the Dorsoduro sestiere you will find Campo Santa Margherita, one of the largest campos in Venice. Campo, by the way, is the Italian word for field. The campos, for me, are like the heart of each little neighborhood. Santa Margherita also has the most lively night life, with caffes staying open till around 2am most nights. Just about everything else in Venice is closed up by 11 pm.

Right smack in the middle of the Campo Santa Margherita is this water fountain. There are water fountains throughout the city, in campo after campo, with the best fresh - and free- drinking water. I always carry a bottle with me and fill up when I am out walking. But only this one has the mermaid carved on it. I like to think the mermaid is on it as a symbol of our friendly fish mongers.