Food and Music

May 13
Early morning breakfast by a Canal

I went last night to La Felice Theatre It was magical evening. Excellent conductor and I think he is German - Herbert Soudant and they did two Schubert Overture D major 590 and Luciano berio and Berlioz Trista and Overture B Cellini. He talked to us and I was as high up as you can go in that marvelous theatre so I didnt hear well and he told us to listen to two things and one was poetry of the music. At intermission we all went into the Café that is called Dante Room and there is very old painting of Dante that was uncovered after the fire. The system there is you pay for what you want and then give paper to one of the women working and they give you champagne, panini sandwich – all meat, or cappuccino or espresso and one woman is working that machine and its Illy coffee. Some people are at tables so they get the table service. I give someone my receipt for espresso and really I was amazed when I got it. This city really could benefit from some consultants setting up systems In grocery stores they keep all cash in metal box and end of day count it and do tally on their registers. Anyway the evening was marvelous and the music was superb – excellent orchestra, conductor and chorus
Im sitting outside apartment by open door onto canal watching as water taxis pass and some small motor boats. The water taxi is just like the taxi we know. As I was waiting for vaporetto after the theatre this water taxi pulls over and out came a woman then the driver maneuvered around and pulled back out and I see woman talking to well dressed man by the vaporetto stop and then he gets onto taxi and off it goes into the night waters.
Last night was Rush Hour in Venice. About 10:30 and this is by Piazza San Marco (just saw ambulance go by) and I got to the place just as one vaporetto leaving and he said 20 minutes for next. I was first there (I just saw private owned boat very nice) Well in no time there was a crowd – the boat came and there was crowd on it and then us and as we left I saw more people waiting for next one. It was packed and mostly I think Italians some tourists like me. Someone gets on with luggage and someone gets on with large baby carriage and small baby. Im outside looking at the homes on Grand Canal (Park Avenue). Then I come to my stop Ca d’Oro and Im almost home. What a wonderful evening.
Im beginning to pack and organize my packing. I sure hope I can get my bags on the planes with me! I sent back a lot – I have large bag with small gifts and that’s new and doesn’t include cheese and pasta gifts. I have 2 days what to do that’s wonderful and special …..

I haven’t talked much about one of my favorites – Food. Definitely most popular here is meat sandwiches panini , ice cream and pizza and of course espresso that they just call Café. Mostly people drink it standing at bar maybe with pastry maybe with panini sandwich like small roll or tettramini which is plain white bread without crust some are tuna and most with too much mayo.
There is marvelous fish and produce market right here – I just take this traghetto to cross Canal and that’s a gondola low end – costs about .50 and mostly you stand as two gondoliers pedal it across for the next group. Anyway the selection of fish is very fine includes salmon, tuna, swordfish, scamp, clams, mussel, octopus, calamari, Some fish I don’t think I know. Its all fresh and beautiful fish and I buy it. Yesterday I got salmon, swordfish, scampi, some kind of clam I don’t know out of the shell. I made excellent fish dish in pan with salt, red basil and fresh peas. For dinner I made rice. I had some stomach problem for few weeks and my good friend Janet told me to do watered rice. Im fine thanks to it.
Other night I went to local very popular place for dinner as a treat – not good – I order pasta w fish and he says its sardines and that set my stomach back into time warp. So I do better cooking my own meals. For breakfast I had eggplant I made with olive oil and added peas, capers and nice boiled potatoes with salt and basil and added some of the fish. Had that with toast. I have put together some excellent meals here just w olive oil, little salt, basil, sometimes adding anchovies, caper and olives. No cheese is my thing to keep my cholesterol good. I eat lot of rather plain bread – nothing fancy and no chocolate. Sometimes a croissant. I will buy piece of foccacio and toast it.
I found a health food store here near fish market and its really that. They sell tofu and very nice wheat breads and vitamins – I bought Calcium. Its quite popular place.
Well its time to post this blog and move on – what am I doing today Sunday?

To Venice from Florence Firenze

May 7 2007
Back Home

I was sorry to leave Florence and I was so happy to return to Venice. Its not easy to travel around – you go with as little as possible cause unless you do taxis you are carrying it all like a turtle. I was there 4 days and there was lots of rain – on 3rd day I was so happy to buy a black tee shirt – Fila. New clothing! Also I switched hotels 3 times. What I saw there its magnificent art. Its Florence. Its more cosmopolitan and current than Venice. A store sold ginger. A sushi restaurant absolutely outrageous prices. Cars, bicycles, loud scooters. Very interesting city. Their signature meal is that rare Florentine bisteak and couple next to me other night has huge plates filled with bisteak. I am sure it was good and its not for me.
I had to buy another train tik to get back to Venice. Couldnt use mine that I got online unless I left day earlier. No Way!
After lugging my bags from train station about 20 min walk I was thrilled to be in my apartment and just did a Stop change start and was outside on Sunday afternoon. I gave myself a day away from Art.
Decided time to unload send things home and get ready for return. I do not want to go home and next Tuesday I leave for Mestre by bus cause that gets me closer to airport for Wednesday return.
Today was a great day in Venice. Saw this marvelous exhibit Sargent in Venice and Im reading book City of Fallen Angels by John Berendt and he writes about Curtis family and their Pallazo Barbero. There was painting by Sargent of the Pallazo and the grandparents who bought it in 1800s and moved from US. I bought print of it. It’s a marvelous book
Then today took that boat from one side of canal to tother Traghetto where I stand for the ride and came upon outside by fish market preparation for a big party. Went to my café and watched and they had these marvelous Food Bouquets and it was grand. It was a gala party for an American company that is connected to food that’s all I know. Couldn’t slip in cause you had to have this tag. Took some photos and then I was stopped by their guards.
I had some difficulty calling US Airways about my return flights and I couldnt - they answered email dont you just love technology? I can travel with cheese and dried pasta!

Tomorrow is another day of 8 more ….
Today I went somewhere and actually returned taking a shortcut