Time off for good behavior

This week I celebrated my one year anniversary of my new knee. As a reward for getting through a pretty tough recovery last winter, we decided we'd get out to see some of the world this winter.  We planned a couple of escapes to places we've had on our wish list for awhile, so we're packing our bags and will be off  exploring.  One of the big motivations for us moving to Italy was our desire to see more of Europe. You can certainly travel cheaper from this side of the Atlantic. It's time to take advantage of it.

We spent 8 fabulous days on Santorini island in Greece at the end of September, kind of an early adventure- I know, I did say we were traveling over the winter. BUT- I didn't want to miss the opportunity for a little sun and swimming, so Greece ( phase 1 of the great get away)happened early.

Today we're packing our bags for Phase 2 of the explorations. Tomorrow morning we're headed to Prague in the Czech Republic for several days, followed by a quick overnight stop in Karlovy Vary before boarding an AMA Waterways River Cruise down the Danube on the 25th. The cruise starts in Nuremburg and ends in Budapest with several stops along the river in between. After disembarking, we have 2 more days in Budapest before heading back to Venice.  Here's our route:

Back in 1999 we did a driving trip through the Rhine and Mosel areas of Germany. Every day we'd see these long low boats cruising slowly up and down the rivers, and thought that would be a wonderful way to see the area. We filed that away on our wish list. Finally, it's time! However, instead of the Rhine or Mosel again, we chose the Danube river so we could see a few different cities en route.

I'm tickled pink at the thought of seeing some German/Austrian Christmas markets firsthand this year rather than just hear about them from friends. I'm super excited to finally visit Vienna, a place I've wanted to visit for more years than I can count. And I'm anxious to set foot in Budapest, one of my great grandfathers immigrated from Hungary. I hope they are ready for me! We are really looking forward to eating schnitzel's, bratwursts, strudel's and lebkuchen.  Mike is also ready to try some of those world famous Czech beers.

I recently got a new Ipad so I've been fiddling with making sure I can get my photos uploaded, and can create a blog post using it.  We should have internet on the ship along the way, I should be able to keep a travel journal of sorts.  Cross our fingers!

While I have a little adventure just ahead of me to look forward to, I have to admit I am  not happy to be missing Festa Della Salute on November 21. And Christmas lights have been going up all over Venice this past week. Babbo Natale will be hanging from windows and terraces by the time we return.   Most days I feel like I am on vacation, I don't really have a big pull to leave here. But, we do need to see the world.  What can I say, my heart is here in Venice. I'll have coming home to look forward to!

San Martino Day- November 11

On November 11,  it was San Martino Day here in Venice.  I love this holiday- it's kind of a cross between Halloween and Christmas, because the kids dress up in costume and they get presents. Well, just one kind of present, a cookie in the shape of a horse. Like this one:

This one is huge, about 20 inches tall, however they also come in all sizes with incredible varieties of decorations.  Another incredible thing about them is the price. A large one, like this, is around 45-55 Euros each. Smaller ones, about 12 inches tall are in  the 12-20 Euro range. Incredible! But what a great tradition!! About a week before San Martino day, all the bakeries have piles of horse cookies in the front windows, one more beautiful than the next.

On San Martino day, the children dress up with a cape- usually red - and a crown (like little super heros and heroines), grab their mom's pots and pans, lids and wooden spoons, and get out in the streets of Venice in small groups to parade around singing a traditional San Martino song.  They stop at all the shops where the shopkeepers give them candy.  See- like Halloween for us in the USA!

I googled Saint Martin, so I could give you an official version of what his claim to fame is. According to Wikipedia:

In the 4th century, Saint Martin met a starving, freezing beggar at the gates of the city of Amiens. He cut his cloak in two with his sword and gave half to the man. For that reason, Martin is a saint associated with the poor. It is also said that at the moment he tore his cloak, the sun came out and that is why an Indian summer here is known as an estate di san Martino.The 11th November is the festa of this favourite saint and traditionally the day when the novello [new] wine is opened.


This year, Mike and I introduced this Venetian tradition to our friends Jim and Cissie who have been visiting from Columbia, Maryland.  It was Cissie's birthday this week, so we took the opportunity to celebrate with one of these giant horse cookies instead of a cake.   We all sat around the dining room table pulling off hooves, ears, tail and assorted body parts until every last yummy bite was devoured. 

H & M finally opens in Campo San Luca

I'm off to explore the wonders contained in the newly opened H&M store in Campo San Luca.  It's where the former Burger King was.  I've been patiently waiting months for this! They originally announced a September opening, but it was delayed. Why is that a surprise? Everything happens on Italian time. Translation: SLOWLY. It will be lovely to have another alternative for clothes shopping right here in the city.

Ok- I have to run catch the vaporetto to Rialto. I'll report more on my return!

Ciao tutti!

OK - I've returned from my little adventure.  Here it is--- the brand new H & M at Campo San Luca, all 4 floors of it, all women's clothes and accessories!!  I did not get what I set out to shop for (new socks), but I did come home with a nice new pair of blue jeans. Grazie, H & M!!!

And, one more fabulous photo before I exit.  My view of the Rialto bridge as I waited for the vaporetto about 4:30 today. It just doesn't get much better than this.

Berlusconi's gone!

As a dual citizen, I get the pleasure of participating in the politics on both sides of the Atlantic.

Saturday November 12, 2011 will be remembered in Italian history books as the day Silvio Berlusconi, the Prime Minister, resigned, after 17 years in office. Having spent the last 4 years living in Italy, I cannot believe the public allowed him to remain in office that long. What term limits do they have over here?  Just in the last year or so Berlusconi's behavior (or lack of) has been a major embarrassment to the country. Sorry, but there isn't a good way to sugar coat Berlusconi's misadventures and sex scandals.  Absolutely scandalous!!!

What happens next will be interesting for Italy. An interim PM , Mario Monti, was appointed rapidly, and the next scheduled election isn't until 2013.  Several austerity measures requested by the EU will be pushed through by Monti  soon. I'll be watching for Italy's reaction to those.  

I'll also be watching to see if a public election is called for sooner than 2013. Wouldn't it be something if Berlusconi decided to run again?

First Aqua Alta of the Season

Here it is- the first high water (Aqua Alta) of the season in St. Mark's square this morning. We've all been waiting for this, patiently!  The duckboards have been stacked around the city since the beginning of October in anticipation. We've had a couple of false starts- a few inches now and then right outside the main doors of the Basilica. But this morning, at 5:15 am, the sirens went off for the first time this year. Honestly, I couldn't wait to get out in it!!

New Vaporetto line numbers

Recently, ACTV announced a renumbering of several vaporetto lines, effective November 2, 2011.  Here's a handy chart to help make the transition. I can't even imagine what kind of havoc this is going to cause with all the maps of Venice having the old numbering system on them. I still see maps with Line 82 (changed to number 2 several years ago) on them. All very confusing for tourists, I'm sure.

Everything looks pretty easy enough, except for whatever they did to the LN line. It's now 10, 12, 14 and 14L ??

 It will be lots of fun for awhile. I'd better print this chart out!  

A little adventure in Campo San Barnaba

Yesterday on my way home, I discovered a little flea market  going on in Campo San Barnaba.  There were several tables of "stuff" laid out in the square, manned by three white/grey haired Italian men, most likely Venetian, of course!  During my days in the USA, I was always drawn to antique shops and flea markets. For years I drove a Jeep SUV big enough to handle any spur-of-the-moment purchases I couldn't resist bringing home. Now that I am in Venice, carless, those spontaneous acquisitions aren't possible.  A) I don't own a car anymore, B) we live in a rented, furnished apartment, and C), even if I did find something to buy, I'd have to get it hauled home somehow.  Option C hasn't been such a big problem for me, as everything I have ever looked at in flea-market stalls in Venice has been incredibly expensive. That's Venice.

Mike has been wanting a small bookcase for the office/study/spare room.   We've looked at Ikea, but honestly Ikea is not our style of furniture. We've looked around locally, but the few things we've seen both old and new have been too expensive for what we need. Until yesterday. At this flea market, I found a nice little bookcase. Upon closer inspection, it was just the right proportions for the space we needed. In addition,  both the color of the wood and style would go perfectly.  I didn't notice any price tag, so I called over one of the little old men and asked "Quanto costo?  (how much?).  "Trenta", he says. Not believing what I heard, I asked,   "Trenta?????" (30) Oh my God, this is Venice- I was expecting three hundred euros would be the answer.   He laughs and says, in Italian, of course, "50 is good too, you want 50?"   "No, Trenta is fine", and pulled out my wallet before he changed his mind. I now owned a little bookcase.

I called Mike to come bring our little dolly and bungee cords down to the campo.   As I waited for his arrival, I had a lovely conversation in Italian with two of these guys.  We talked, as best I could in my still not fluent Italian. When Mike arrived, we loaded our new bookcase up, and began to wheel out of Campo San Barnaba. One of the little old men yelled to me, "I'll be here until Tuesday!". I might just have to return!

Almost Venetian

Usually I leave my hairdresser Simone's place feeling pretty good, cause he can make my unruly hair do remarkable things- but this week, I left with a big grin on my face. Simone always takes the time to keep me up to date on things going on around town he thinks I would be interested in attending, or introducing me to his friends and acquaintances who pop into the shop. This time, during introductions to another friend of his, he added , "Karen è quasi Veneziana" (Karen is almost Venetian).  Made my day!!!

Ponte della Costituzione

It seems Ponte della Costituzione just can't stay out of the news.  Not even a year ago, it made local headlines when a group of local boys drove a small car over the bridge.  This week, it's a damaged marble piece on the Piazzale Roma side of the bridge. It makes me sad to see this as I pass by each day. I wonder how in the world anyone managed to break off a piece of marble.  And I wonder how it will be repaired, if at all. For a bridge so new, it certainly has it's share of problems. 

An unexpected Venice meetup

I've blogged a few times about my meet ups with people who have been keeping track of my adventures in Venice through my blog, but this one last week takes the cake.

My typical day includes a lunch rendezvous with my husband Mike in Campo Santa Margherita, usually at Mood Cafe. Max has become my favorite local chef, and if you are a reader of my blog, you know I really like his cheeseburger! The other day Mike and I were just finishing our lunch  sitting in a booth at Mood chatting, when over the back of the booth we hear " Is this Karen?", in English.  We both turned our heads around, to find a man smiling over at us.  There was no one else in the place so he must have meant me.  "Yes, I'm Karen".  I turned to Mike to ask him if he knew these people, because I didn't.  Mike shook his head no.  I was baffled, but soon enough the mystery was cleared up.  "I'm Andrew. I read your blog."

Aha!  Andrew often leaves me comments, so I recognized the name.  He explained that he was in town with friends, and he had put tracking down Mood and Max's cheeseburgers on his list of things to do, having learned about Mood from my blog posts. So here he was.  When he entered the place, he heard Mike and I talking in English, and thought maybe, just maybe there was a slim chance that English speaking woman could be me.

We had a lovely chat with Andrew and his friends while Max was cooking up some burgers. I usually meet people who have come across me on the internet, but it has always been pre-arranged.  To have Andrew stumble over me by sheer coincidence was beyond anything I could ever have imagined.  What's that line of Humphrey Bogart from Casablanca " Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine."


Thanks to Andrew, I've had a Casablanca moment of my own.