Perso a Venezia - due- Acqua

Venice is blissfully car less. The streets are tiny cobblestone mazes turning this way and that usually ending in a charming plaza which usually house outdoor cafes. Luckily Venice is also quite small, it doesn't take very long to go anywhere on foot. Which is quite nice because the little cobblestone streets are filled with all manner of shops, from cheesy carnival masks,

to high end fashion shops and Venetian delicacies.

 (Obviously we're not going to eat puppy, but I couldn't resist)

And as famously known, the other street options are canals.

This is the Grand Canal which is quite wide and circles the city; it is flanked on both sides by grand palazzos of yesteryear, Throughout though there are hundreds of charming little canals traversing the streets.

Here's where the traffic happens,

because other than on foot the only other way to get around is on a water vessel. And there is no more iconic a water vessel in Venice than the gondola.

And as touristy as it is and it sounds there was no way we were leaving here without a gondola ride.

I'm beginning to believe this magic business!

Perso a Venezia- uno- (Lost in Venice)

I have an Italy story. For years I had this grand scheme/vision/dream that one year we would rent a villa in Tuscany during Thanksgiving. I would bring my Mother and the rest of the family would join us for an unforgettable holiday. Apparently I was the only one who thought it would be unforgettable, whenever I would bring it up I was met with silence or just plain ignored but I persisted year after year. I was certain that this would take place so we never planned a trip to Italy in the mean time. Then my Mother died and there went my dream of a Tuscan Thanksgiving and I never thought about Italy again, it was a bad omen. Then a couple of years ago while reading Paul Theroux's "The Pillars of Hercules" where he travels throughout the Mediterranean as cheaply as possible and has nothing positive to say about almost every single place he visits...until he arrives in Venice: "Venice is magic, the loveliest city in the world...." Really? If someone so ornery can say that then there must be something to it and right then and there I decided, I need to see Venice! We began to plan. Taking into consideration the over crowded conditions that one always hears about we decided it would be best to go in September where the weather would still be nice and the crowds would be somewhat diminished. We arrived on a cloudy Saturday morning and lugged our luggage to the "vaporetto" stand. The water bus. We pull out into the lagoon into the water traffic and suddenly there it is,

with its canals for streets, all manner of boats as transportation and distinct European facade. And magic it is. However, our awe is soon transformed as we disembark at our stop at noon, "Piazza San Marco", the heart of the city where the Basilica stands along with the Doge's Palace surrounding a very large square which is filled with wall to wall people and is partially flooded. Our mission is to drag our luggage through these throngs (lifting it through the flooded spots) across the square and then find our hotel. This is not fun, the masses do not move, they can't. So we push, pull, lift, push, push, push our way through and suddenly I hate Venice. People told us not to stay in this area but being that it's the center it made sense, now not so much. We get across finally intact and I follow my map reading, go one block, make a right at a main street (it's a little wider than the rest) go one block and turn left on a VERY narrow street, go about twenty feet and there's our hotel. We are on the top floor and barely fit in the tiny elevator. I open the window and breathe. What have we gotten ourselves into?

Our first mission is to find our way to the opera house because I was able to snag tickets to the famed Venice opera house La Fenice, something that made me start a bucket list, for a performance of La Traviata. My directions from google maps are complicated. The guy at the desk takes one look and shakes his head, "no, just go across the square and then go straight, there will be signs." Only one problem, big parts of the square are flooded and while it is possible that I can get through by tiptoeing on my ballet flats it will not work tonight in my high heeled sandals. There's got to be another way! My map reading mind starts to work. I know, we go one block over from the plaza and walk straight towards the lagoon, make a right on the main walkway with all the tchotchke stands walk a bit past the square, pick a street, make a right, go a couple of blocks, make a left, then a right and there it is:

Smaller than I pictured, in a small elegant little square and barely any people around! That was easy. We're exhausted. We flew out of Newark Friday night at 6:00 PM, it is now 2:00 PM on Saturday, 6 hours ahead, and we've been non stop since landing. Time to relax with a little vino and my first pizza in Italy

in an outdoor cafe just steps from Le Fenice and just across a bridge from tonight's dinner reservation. We keep walking straight, make a left, then a right and we're on our street. Easy peasie!

The opera is an unforgettable experience,

and we have magnificent seats. We walk over for dinner at Caffe Centrale,

the soprano from La Traviata walks in and sits two tables away. We walk home in a cloud. Day one is in the books...and suddenly I love Venice.

Summer's End

I've never dreaded the end of Summer. Growing up in Miami that was the perpetual season, hot, humid, hot, a cool day here or there, hot, rain in the afternoons, hot, bad hair thanks to the humidity, hot...did I mention hot? Having lived in the Northeast for over 30 years though I've learned to appreciate the fun in the sun season a bit more. I look forward to being able to go outdoors and spend time just lazying about after being cooped up during the Winter, watching the garden bloom into color, taking leisurely walks and practically living on the porch.

We pretty much did that during the Labor Day Weekend. The official end of Summer when the beaches shut down, not really just no lifeguard, the town pools close and....most importantly...you can't WEAR WHITE! Well the beaches were closed by Friday thanks to Hurricane Hermine wreaking all kinds of havoc on the riptides, temperatures were cool, in the 70's, and the wind picked up making the crepe myrtles beat constantly on the windows. It was humid due to the storm so the bugs were out big time. Sitting on the patio was a danger zone regardless of how many citronella candles or bug detectors were put out. The porch was somehow a refuge and works well for lazy meals,

(That's a roasted brussel sprout, bacon guacamole I stole from a Mexican restaurant we just discovered! Brussel sprouts, who knew? Scrumptious.)

like above mentioned brussel sprout, bacon guac, pico de gallo, steamed shrimp and homemade corn tortillas. I could do this forever!

The wind died down by Tuesday and the temperatures shot up into the 90's. Suddenly it was mid August again. The AC went back on, I live in flip flops and shorts....and yes WHITE! (but not white linen).

Today is a scorcher but nature knows the date, my flowers are fading fast so I cut a bunch of rubdekia to keep Summer indoors.

I'm making one of my favorite Summer dishes, an aioli platter, which reminds me of late Summer days in France,

(that's not mine, it was in Marseilles)

and dream of far away places....

Then I remember! The last day of Summer is September 21st! Fun's not over. And, I can still wear white!