five hours in venice or, ciao italia

for some reason, the earth has tilted in such a way that nyc is significantly closer to the sun now. it's sweltering. supposedly the heat wave lasts one more day. tonight ej installed my air-conditioner. now i just won't leave my a/c for the next 24 hours.

so, venice.
last wednesday, ej and i took the train to beautiful venezia. of course, we packed snacks.


deerdog posed amongst the pomodori.


when we arrived, we walked the labyrinth to piazza san marco. this was the first venice photo of the day.


so much to look at.


so many narrow walkways to explore.


imagine living where the streets are canals and your car is a boat.


just park out front and step into your house.


walking along, we saw fancy buildings,


piazzas that made me feel as if i were on the universal studios back lot tour,


dogs out for a walk,


and tourists.


lots and lots of tourists. this one was very enthusiastic about visiting italy and wanted the world to know.


because the way to the rialto bridge and piazza san marco were thoughtfully marked with signs, there is a parade of tourists following the exact same route.


and all along the route, of course, the shops cater to foreigners.


the best item i saw was a calendar. it was next to this one, which i would kind of expect, of gondoliers.


what i didn't expect, was a calendar of priests. young, handsome priests.


i wasn't sure if these were actual priests or not. some of the photos look like they caught them off-guard as they were coming from hearing confessions, but march looks as if he's been working on this moment in the mirror for a long time.


navigating through the throngs of tourists was a challenge to my patience. we really wanted to get to piazza san marco so that afterward we could break away from the crowds.


this is my window.


part of my Dogs of Venice series.




venice was definitely the most touristy part of our entire italy trip.


saw a lot of this.


and this.


i just liked these signs.




our first glimpse of piazza san marco!


and there's the church!


and the people! so many people.


i was hoping the threat of rain would deter them, but once again, turisticus animalis proved to be a much more resilient creature than i had anticipated.


i started to embrace the idea that each and every one was simply another opportunity for a photograph.


ej was less enthusiastic about the crowds.


there were lovely distractions.


and eventually, we had to admit that we were tourists too.


unfortunately, there were no photographs allowed in the church of san marco, but we did shuffle through in a steadily moving line. it was dark in there. the mosaic floor was warped from flooding and age. walking in the front door was free, but every little chapel or staircase had an admission fee. we didn't indulge.

back outside, even though it was overcast, there was a glare.


i love how the tree thoughtfully reaches out its branches to cover any embarrassing bits.


killer pigeon comin' at me.


i can't say no to the doggies.


there were churches everywhere. we didn't go into this one.


but i loved the outside of it.


here on a wall of some arbitrary building, anyone can make a monetary offering to the Virgin Mary.


i had to take a photo of this guy. he was so smartly dressed, complete with ascot.


there were hidden hotels that faced the grand canal.


by this point, we were making a concerted effort to find the streets where the real venetians lived, sans tourists. it wasn't easy.


we passed this open door and it was beautiful inside, but i wasn't sure if it was the entrance to someone's home or if it was the lobby to apartments or what.


and then we stopped on a bridge. i was compelled to watch gondola after gondola pass with their load of happy tourists. perhaps it's cliche to ride in a gondola in venice, but really, these are probably people who have seen venice only on tv and in movies and dreamt of going there, and for years saved up their money, and when the dream finally becomes reality, what else would make it complete but a ride in a gondola through the canals? it's really kind of sweet that so many people from around the world share that same desire.


so here they are, living the dream, sipping their champagne and greeting the foolish tourists who are watching from a bridge.




i think these old ladies were pretty excited about their handsome gondolier.


this gondolier does not seem to be into it.




somehow the romance of it all is tainted when the sheer quantity of boats makes it look like a ride at disneyland.


in case you were unsure whether or not this is a catholic country.


even though we saw plenty of canals, i couldn't stop taking photos of them.


we were finally finding some open spaces and rewarded ourselves with gelato. it was cold and sweet, but it did confirm that not all gelati are the same. this one had nothing on rigoletto in milano. maybe they thought that foreigners wouldn't notice.


this leaning tower reminded me of mexico city.


but what's down this way?


i was so happy that we ventured to this spot! and thankfully, ej had his video camera because it sounded like we were facing a music school.


we heard a violin squeeking out a tune, and someone taking a voice lesson, and a soprano practicing an aria.


it was great! so we sat down and had a snack and enjoyed Behind the Scenes in Venice.


to the left


to the right

finally some peace and quiet.

when we continued on our way, i smiled at this sign because it made me think that she specialized in dr. seuss.


someone thought there was plenty of room between these two buildings to fit a tiny, skinny building.


we'd been searching for the name "tagnoli" because that's the last name of ej's oldest friend. we never found it, so we settled for his first name.


i think the Dogs of Venice should be a calendar.




the grand canal.


as i was trying to take a photo of myself in my traditional manner, a helpful tourist asked if i'd like a photo of myself. this has happened before. this time i declined.


this shop was closed, but they sold cool mirrors. we're standing outside the doors.




and then we found this quiet little courtyard. some older woman was just coming home for the day. it must be odd to find people taking photos of what is essentially your yard.


and your laundry. i kid. it wasn't her laundry, it was someone else's.


was this cobbler row at one time?


the token cat amongst all the dogs.


and then it was time to catch our train back. we hopped a ferry which is essentially their bus.


nice bus route.








what a crazy, wonderful water city.


the happy people waiting at a bus stop.


passing under a bridge we say goodbye to venice.


when we get back to milano, we remember that de santis is open until midnight, so we head over there to pick up a quick dinner for while we pack, and a couple extra sandwiches for our flights back. this right here is poetry in motion.


hiding behind bowls of mozzarella and ruccola, our delicate slices of salame await.


artichoke hearts, pomodoro, funghi, brie...don't hold back.


this was a regular customer who wanted to know why i was taking photos of the sandwich guy when he was ugly and had sausage hands.




the Sandwich Guy is master of all that he surveys.

he shook hands with us when we left and wished us a buon viaggio. i didn't think his hands were sausage-y.

the next morning, we didn't have electricity in our apartment and it doesn't get a lot of natural light, so i was hoping i wasn't forgetting anything in the dark. i realized that i hadn't taken any photos of our apartment, so i took a few quick ones before we left. please forgive the flash.




that old cross beam has been there since the dawn of time.


once the bags were packed and the photos taken, we had to leave. we took the malpensa express train to the airport. you can see that milano cried when we left.


unfortunately, ej and i were not on the same flight back to new york, but i enjoyed alitalia. they don't charge for wine (i stuck with water),

they actually gave out peanuts!! i was excited.


the food was pretty good. i had the fish. that's it under the green sauce. i'd eaten my de santis sandwich at the beginning of the flight, but when they came around with these trays, i didn't want to miss out on anything, so i ate this too. the flight attendant came by with the drinks after this and laughed that i always seemed to be eating when he walked by. so true, so true.


and every seat has its own remote control, so once i figured it out, i watched a few movies. it helped to pass the time .


when i got back to brooklyn, my roommates had cleared out. i breathed a sigh of relief.

martedi: our day of rest

i didn't wake up until 5am this morning! that's an improvement.
we're in the middle of a heat wave here in ny and it's unpleasant. all my windows are open, as i was hoping to let in some cool morning air, but there doesn't seem to be any cool morning air available.
i sweat. i'm sticky. it's just unpleasant.

this past tuesday, ej and i were exhausted and decided to take it easy and stay in milano for the day. we ended up walking just as much as we would have if we'd gone elsewhere. we started the day with a cappucino at the little cafe near laura's house.


italians?
could be. could be.


after stocking up on caffeine and baked goods, we strolled through an outdoor food market. i'd been there once before, and was excited to show ej. he bought himself some olives.


i bought tomatoes. i was searching for the sweet little tomatoes that come from sicily, and although these were tasty, they were not the ones.


the shortcut back to our apartment. it's empty at night and filled with scooters during the day.


i'd been wondering what it was like behind those closed doors that are everywhere and that hide secret courtyards where people live, and now i know. this was our entry door that keeps out the riffraff.


and this is our courtyard. the building is 400 years old.


we dropped off our purchases and headed back out.
this is one of the warnings on subway doors. i think it says something like, "don't let this happen to you."


my view of ej from my seat on the subway.


this dog was obsessed with the opening and closing of the subway doors.
he barked at every stop.
every. single. stop.


the ipod family.
i thought i was being discreet with my camera, but apparently not.


since we were in milano, it only made sense that we'd have our late lunch at the best sandwich shop on the continent. de santis came through again. what would we do without salame?


right after we ate, they closed up shop until the evening. that's our sandwich guy at the door. ciao, sandwich guy!! we love your work!


we thought we'd be smarties and have a couple of canoncini for dessert from the excellent bakery near the duomo, but we were foiled when we found the place closed and this notice on the door. we were there on june 3, unfortunately.


dejected, we wandered over to the church of san ambrogio, which i'd visited with javi early in the trip, but i wanted to show ej the crypt and heck, it was right down the street from where we were now staying. there are so many excellent details inside and outside of this church. yes, the duomo is amazing, but san ambrogio is just...cool.




someone left their dog outside while they had a look around.


how could we not say hello? once we were inside the church, some church monitor walked over to ej and told him in no uncertain terms that he cannot leave his dog outside the door. even though he was speaking italian, we knew exactly what he was saying. the real owner hurried over and rescued poor fido.


the old man to the right of the statue was just wandering around, smiling. if you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can better see the paintings on the pillar behind him.


jesus says no to tourists.




these are photos from a sarcophagus near the altar. my theory is that these are some of the twelve apostles and that the guy in the middle is doubting thomas. doesn't he look like he's doubting?


it's a heavy sarcophagus, as they tend to be.


blue eyes for centuries.


for some reason this angel reminds me of wallace and grommit. i think it's the hands.


finally, it's time to take a break from our day off. a short break because we had to catch a train to bergamo to meet hanna and pg for dinner.


once we arrived in bergamo, hanna and pg met us and the four of us took a bus to the old part of the city high on the hill, bergamo alta.


old school bergamo. not much has changed.


even though it was dusk, it was still possible to see the beauty of the buildings.


these wooden beams have been holding up this building for at least a couple of weeks.


peace, charity, and love.


while the others were in search of a restaurant for dinner, i wandered over to a crazy pink church. at least, i think it was a church.


before the last light faded from the sky, i took these photos of some of the possible-church-building details.






and then i was flagged down for dinner. hanna was craving pizza, so pg found a place that served it. that restaurant turned out to be an excellent choice.


i could not have been more thrilled with my choice of zucchini and zucchini flower risotto. so fresh, so creamy, so flavorful. pg complimented what he thought was my ability to order the best meal on the menu. i think i just got lucky. really lucky.

i probably could've eaten another plateful of this. easily and happily.

hanna waits patiently for her pizza.


ej starts off with an appetizer of the cured meat bresaola.


and, of course, i had to help him.


but nothing could deter me from the true task at hand -- my risotto. with each bite, the joy of life became more and more clear to me. i was transported to a place where the italian angels get their food. my heart began singing an aria -- in italian. i was dumbfounded and brilliant in the same instant. i'd found nirvana in a plate of risotto.


finally, ej's ossobuco with polenta arrived. i have never had so many opportunities to eat veal as i did in italy, and this dish just blew me away. the meat was so tender and the sauce so flavorful, that i couldn't imagine having to leave a place that offered that quality of ossobuco and that kind of amazing risotto. and it wasn't just the atmosphere, as beautiful as it was, that heightened my taste bud experience. that food really was so thoroughly satisfying, that i was completely content.


it was so nice to see how much hanna and piergiorgio enjoy each other's company.


they first met when hanna was about 20 years old and working in switzerland. they dated, but eventually life took them in different directions.


they married other people, had families, built their lives, and when life took another turn and they both found themselves single again, pg found hanna through the internet. they reconnected.


and now they're together again.
i just love that story!
for some reason, the look on pg's face here reminds me of jack benny.


our lovely evening turned into an elongated ending for our day of rest. we all took the bus down the hill to the train station only to discover that the last train of the day had left about five minutes before that. the whole reason why we even met hanna and pg in bergamo was so they wouldn't have to drive the hour into milano, and now it quickly became apparent that the only way we were getting back to milano was by car; pg's car. ej and i felt like idiots for not checking the times of the return trains. i should've known by then that not every city is like ny. most cities do sleep and trains do stop running. pg and hanna were very good sports about it. we were grateful, and embarrassed.

when we said goodnight to them, it was goodbye because we wouldn't see them again in italy. not this trip, anyway. we had only one day left in our italian adventure and we knew exactly what we were going to do with it -- go to venice.