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bending_sickleDay 1 - Saturday, June 23 - Venice
When we finally got to Mestre, we got lost. Terribly, terribly lost going down every street trying to find our hotel. Eventually, after much yelling at the TomTom and squinting at street signs, we found our hotel. We didn't even have time to get out of the car before it started raining. Then pouring. Then hailing, great big golfballs of ice. A cat streaked past us as we huddled in the car listening to the thumping on the roof.
Eventually it cleared up and we got all settled in, then it was off to the train and off to Venice! It was a nice ride, all water and boats and posts standing in the middle of the water acting as highway signals.
The first thing we did in Venice was stand in line for boat tickets (which are some 7 euros if you're a tourist and only 1 if you're local, which is nice). We'd just barely gotten in line when a family of three - English tourists - came up to us asking if we wanted tickets. I had a moment of "You can't be serious. It's a trick!" but they were and it wasn't. They were honestly giving us their day pass boat tickets - valid up through the night - because they were leaving Venice just then. Darling people.
So we took a long boat ride around the outside of main Venice and ended up at the Doge's Palace, currently a museum.
This took up most of the afternoon, so we only had time for an excellent dinner and a walkabout. We kept up with the Spain vs. France football match by stopping at a few bars and peeking at their televisions - well, not so much peeking as "oh, your television is out on the street for all to see, how lovely" - then took the train back to the hotel to the accompaniment of screaming children.
St. George is everywhere. This is but one of many from the trip.
The real one, in the Palazzo del Doge.
Ponte di Rialto
Ponte dei Sospiri
Basilica di San Marco
ibid
Palazzo del Doge
A "Lion's Mouth" postbox for anonymous denunciations at the Doge's Palace in Venice, Italy. Text translation: "Secret denunciations against anyone who will conceal favors and services or will collude to hide the true revenue from them." (Wiki)
The lion symbolizing St. Mark and, in context, Venice. It is everywhere.
Fireplace decoration. It's a boat. With a boar's head. Awesome? Yes.
Wee little dragon on a gun.
Chastity belts meant business!
* Thomas Mann
When we finally got to Mestre, we got lost. Terribly, terribly lost going down every street trying to find our hotel. Eventually, after much yelling at the TomTom and squinting at street signs, we found our hotel. We didn't even have time to get out of the car before it started raining. Then pouring. Then hailing, great big golfballs of ice. A cat streaked past us as we huddled in the car listening to the thumping on the roof.
Eventually it cleared up and we got all settled in, then it was off to the train and off to Venice! It was a nice ride, all water and boats and posts standing in the middle of the water acting as highway signals.
The first thing we did in Venice was stand in line for boat tickets (which are some 7 euros if you're a tourist and only 1 if you're local, which is nice). We'd just barely gotten in line when a family of three - English tourists - came up to us asking if we wanted tickets. I had a moment of "You can't be serious. It's a trick!" but they were and it wasn't. They were honestly giving us their day pass boat tickets - valid up through the night - because they were leaving Venice just then. Darling people.
So we took a long boat ride around the outside of main Venice and ended up at the Doge's Palace, currently a museum.
This took up most of the afternoon, so we only had time for an excellent dinner and a walkabout. We kept up with the Spain vs. France football match by stopping at a few bars and peeking at their televisions - well, not so much peeking as "oh, your television is out on the street for all to see, how lovely" - then took the train back to the hotel to the accompaniment of screaming children.
St. George is everywhere. This is but one of many from the trip.
The real one, in the Palazzo del Doge.
Ponte di Rialto
Ponte dei Sospiri
Basilica di San Marco
ibid
Palazzo del Doge
A "Lion's Mouth" postbox for anonymous denunciations at the Doge's Palace in Venice, Italy. Text translation: "Secret denunciations against anyone who will conceal favors and services or will collude to hide the true revenue from them." (Wiki)
The lion symbolizing St. Mark and, in context, Venice. It is everywhere.
Fireplace decoration. It's a boat. With a boar's head. Awesome? Yes.
Wee little dragon on a gun.
Chastity belts meant business!
* Thomas Mann
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no subject
Date: 2012-07-17 07:08 pm (UTC)2. Ok, fair is fair, the canals and bridges and everything are beautiful and awesome. This is why I like classical old cities and architecture.
3. "ibid" = Adam Sandler as The Waterboy, 16th Century edition.
4. The PO Box for the secret messages looks like something from a Harry Potter castle. The mouth probably hisses at you too, or speaks Parseltongue, or some crazy shit. Italy built stuff with awesome in mind, yo.
5. Lions may symbolize Venice, but that's not the only place they represent.
6. re: #4 above, yes, a boat with a boar's head is, indeed, awesome.
7. Dragon's head on a gun? It's so tiny! Like St. George went into a dragon nursery and cut off the heads of some wee baby dragons and then said, "Ye knowe, this would look pymp on my flyntlocke. Wyrde."
8. VAGINA DENTATA DO NOT WANT EVARRRRRR
no subject
Date: 2012-07-17 07:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-17 08:07 pm (UTC)