The Venice Experience

Another Earthquake!!!

noreply@blogger.com (karen) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:19:00 +0000

Early this afternoon, another terremoto (earthquake) shook our apartment. What the heck is going on in Italy this week?? The epicenter was again near Parma, and about the same intensity as the first one a few days ago. Fortunately for everyone in Italy, no damage was suffered as a result of either of these events. After everything was over, Mike and I had a little discussion about what it might have been like if the epicenter had been here in Venice. Surely we would have been covered by our building. It's 4 stories high, and we are on the second floor. It's got lots of marble, brick and big thick wooden beams throughout the whole building. After thinking about all this, I now have an escape plan in mind should we need it in the future. I'm grabbing a big trash bag, throwing my computer, passport, phone and money into this. Then I'm grabbing the dogs and we're jumping into the canal. I am betting the canal is safer than land in a situation like this.

The anniversary - 4 yrs ago today the adventure began

noreply@blogger.com (karen) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:21:00 +0000

Today is a special day at our house! Four years ago, we arrived in Venice to begin our new life. Where have those 4 years gone? Goodness, they have just flown, it feels as if it were just yesterday I walked into this apartment for the first time.

I spent most of today reflecting on everything we've been through- from all the planningto selling all of our possessions and actually getting ourselves here, to making a life in an entirely new country, not knowing one single soul other than ourselves or knowing the language. Sometimes I look back and wonder "What were we thinking?" I know the answer to that. We wanted to get out of the rat race and live a simpler life before it was too late.

My life coach, Bill Pullen, sent me this wonderful message this morning -- "Wow, 4 years. You are a powerful example of the willingness to courageously pursue your dream."

His words reminded me of one of the most important lessons I learned during this process - I had found the courage to pursue a dream, and make it a reality.

I just want to share with everyone reading one thing- if I can find that courage, anyone can. No matter what you dream of, YOU are the one who can make it happen. There is no luck involved, it's all your own hard work, dedication, and the courage to keep at it until you succeed.

The tax man cometh and a terremoto (earthquake) this morning

noreply@blogger.com (karen) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:47:00 +0000

The letter you see above from RAI, the Italian TV networks run by the Italian government, was delivered yesterday by our post woman. Here's a little tidbit you should know about if you are ever thinking of living in Italy- if you have a TV in your apartment, you must pay a special tax to the Italian government of 112 Euros per year, just to have the luxury of plugging the TV into an antenna. Isn't that something? Fortunately for us this wasn't a shock . (It was a shock when we initially saw it spelled out in our lease! ) Can any American imagine getting taxed on their TV's every year??? Tomorrow we'll be making a stop at the Post Office to pay the RAI tax. There's something every day, huh??

Speaking of something every day- this morning a little after 9am I was sitting in bed enjoying a cup of tea while checking email on my iPad when I felt a slight vibration. It lasted only about half a minute. I thought it was unusual, had no idea what it could have been and wondered for a second if it could have been an earthquake, but quickly dismissed it. I put it out of my mind, until later this morning when I read the newspaper to discover there had been an earthquake of magnitude 4.9 this morning centered in the Mantova, Parma, and Emiglia area that reportedly was also felt all over the Veneto area. I can confirm that, I felt it. Did anyone else?

A little bit of Maryland comes to Venice

noreply@blogger.com (karen) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:02:00 +0000

We had an unplanned festa at our house tonight! Earlier this morning, while at my fish monger in Campo Santa Margherita to pick up a piece of salmon, I noticed he had a small pile of blue crabs- Maryland blue crabs! Wow, this was an incredible surprise. I could not leave there without some, so I asked for 6 of them also. My fish monger says, "Oh, you like the Dungeness crabs?" Sorry- these are Maryland Blues. I had to set him straight. We got into a little discussion on the difference between the two crab types. As usual, we were doing this conversation in half English, half Italian. I was speaking the Italian, he was answering me in as much English as he knew. This then led to a bigger discussion of where I lived in the US. Maryland, of course! He impressed me with his knowledge of US geography. He knew exactly that Maryland was between New York and Washington DC, and that they were on the East coast of the US.

As he was slicing my salmon, he asked where I was born. When he found out I was from New Jersey, he had to know if I watch some show on Italian cable called Jersey Girls. I think he must have meant Jersey Shore or Real Housewives of New Jersey. I just had to laugh. What an unbelievable conversation to be having with my fish guy!

I was so excited to share my good fortune with Mike I just about ran home. We've never seen Maryland Blue crabs in any of the fish stalls we've been at in Venice in all the years we've been here. There are very few things we miss about living in the US, but high up on that list would be Maryland crabs and sweet white corn. We don't dwell on the things we miss, because there are so many other wonderful things here, especially foods, that we also love. We can always find things to step in and take the place of any of the items we might miss on occassion. However, today, to find these crabs was just like getting a little prize. If anyone had watched us eat dinner tonight, they would have thought we hadn't eaten in days! We devoured those 6 crabs.

My six crabs, fresh from the market.

All cooked up, ready to be eaten!

After the feast...Buonissimo!!

Tomorrow morning, I will be back at my fish mongers to see if he has a few crabs left, or if he can order them for us. Now all I need is a few ears of white corn!!

Postscript to last nite's post -- We've just come from the fish monger, with the last 6 crabs in hand! He had them under the counter. When he saw us approaching, he flashed us a big smile and said "You want the crabs" and pulled them out for us. Wow, are we ever happy!! And, he tells us that although these particular crabs are not readily available, if we let him know when we want more he will put in an order and hope he can get some. Guess what we are eating again tonight ???? That's right!!!

Today's walk - Aqua Bassa

noreply@blogger.com (karen) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:50:00 +0000

Last night as I was closing up the shutters I noticed a thick fog had rolled in around our canal. I wondered what morning would be like. We've had an unusually mild winter so far in Venice- pretty mild temperatures, very little fog, no ice or snow yet, and only one morning of high water. Weird season, actually, but I am not complaining. I'm a summer girl.

In the morning, my first order of business was an appointment at my hairdresser's, Simone. His salon was FREEZING this morning!!! I had checked the weather when I got up, supposed to be 33 degrees F. At Simone's I think it was colder, and my hunch was right, he explained that his caldaia (the water heater) was not working when he arrived earlier. Yikes! I shivered through the whole event.

On my way home from Simone's I noticed a familiar gondola parked right in front of the Frari. Alessandro!!! I haven't seen him since early fall. I looked around to see where he was standing, hoping it really was him today. Sometimes gondoliers who are not working will lend their boats to other gondoliers. This was clearly Sandro's gondola, but where was he? Aha! There he was having a coffee in the window of the cafe at the foot of the bridge. When he spotted me, he waved and motioned for me to come in. We had a coffee together and caught up a bit. I'm excited, he is going to check around to see if any of his friends will be rowing in the Volo in Silenzio on the last night of Carnevale to hopefully secure me a seat in a boat for less money than the official tickets are being sold for. After kisses and hugs, I left Sandro to his work and I headed off to Campo Santa Margherita for a stop at my fish guys.

I love my fish guys! While I waited a few minutes, they peeled and deveined my kilo of gambero (shrimp) for me. Makes my life really simple come dinner time. I also stopped at the vegetable stall, then met Mike at Mood Cafe for a cup of tea and a little light lunch. By this time I was freezing. Today is the coldest day we've had so far. I checked on my iphone- the temperature was now 26 degrees F or -3 C!!!! It wasn't too warm inside Mood either, but better than being outside.

I had one more errand to accomplish before I could get home and warm up. Mike and I both walked together to Giustinian so I could drop off my request for prescriptions at my doctor's office. My doctor has a new system now, which I am very grateful for. Instead of having to wait in the queue at his office each month to renew prescriptions, I can drop off a letter in his mail box, then return the next day to pick up the prescriptions.

On our walk home from the Dottore's office, I snapped a few photos of the unusually low water in the canals today. On a typical day at high tide, the water level is even with the highest dark line you see on the canals. When it's low tide on a normal day, the green area on the canal wall is visible. During this period of very low tide, the water is so low the last stairs are visible.

Even the algae is out of water today by several feet. Very unusual.

And the steps at my own water door (photo above) are completely out of water. This is the first time I've seen those bottom 2 steps. Fortunately, most boats are flat bottomed and don't require very much water. I can't imagine all the boats that would be run aground otherwise. Italy has had all the ship problems it can handle for one week!

My new best friend

noreply@blogger.com (karen) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:13:00 +0000

I bet you thought I was going to tell you all about a new shopkeeper or barista who befriended me this week. I wish! I made a promise to myself that I would push myself harder to improve my Italian this year, and in doing so, I've been working on developing some new daily habits. One to two hours a day I am pouring over my Italian workbooks, listening to audiotapes and recording myself. I'm also reading a book in Italian! I chose an old favorite of mine- Nancy Drew's Mystery of the Broken Locket! Don't laugh, I realize this book is geared towards 10-12 yrs old, but it's right up my alley.

According to some Italian proficiency tests I took recently, I'm at an intermediate level. Still, I find myself horribly deficient. The Nancy Drew book is forcing me to really work at it. I've been making some good progress, although a bit slower than I would have liked. My process is pretty simple- I attempt to make out the text on my own with the hopes of being able to read and understand as much as I possibly can. Then, I break out i Ragazzini, my trusty Italian-English dictionary, and start looking up the words I don't know. Then, I take a tea break! I have two new notebooks- one for nouns, prepositions, adverbs etc, and another for verbs. Anything that is new to me I am writing down in my notebooks, along with examples of how the words are used. I don't know if you can tell from the photo, but i Ragazzini is about 4 1/2 inches thick. I'm not only getting a mental work out, but my arms are also benefitting from all the lifting.

At the rate I am going, I expect to be finished with Nancy Drew in about a month. I thought I had a pretty extensive vocabulary already, however, to be honest, I think my new notebooks will be full up before the book is finished. The system seems to be working for me- except for bumping into some verb tenses I'm unfamiliar with. Passato remoto for one. I'm still struggling over the use of Passato prossimo and Imperfetto! You know that saying "You can't teach an old dog new tricks"? Well, folks- Karen is an old dog. Trying to learn new verb tenses is just not easy. However, determination and hard work will see me through this. I am committed to becoming more proficient. Notice I was careful not to say fluent?

Now, the only other thing I need this week is a few words with the Patron saint of learning Italian!

Postscript added Friday morning- I know this is going to sound weird, but it's true. Last night in a dream, the identification of the Patron saint of Learning Italian was revealed to me. Its Spiro Agnew! I woke up shortly after that tidbit of information was divulged in the dream, so I unfortunately was unable to get back to the dream to find out if there was anything else to it. When I told this to Mike this morning, he commented that this was surely a sign I am supposed to turn Republican. Sorry, but I don't agree.

Stuff - catching up this week

noreply@blogger.com (karen) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 17:38:00 +0000

I posted recently about the vegetable boat at San Barnaba closing up. The photo above was taken on their last day of work, Dec 24. The photo below was taken yesterday. Same boat, same spot, pretty forlorn looking. Venice is changing, more rapidly that I care to admit.

And below is even further evidence of it- Farmacia Morelli in Campo San Bartolmeo keeps this digital display in the front window, constantly updating the number of full time residents in the city, along with a document posting the number from years prior. You can see in 1971, we had 108,426. Today the number is 58, 990, the lowest ever.

An update on my broken living room window situation: our landlord paid us a visit late last week to inspect the damage. He told us he would arrange for Daniele, the handyman, to arrive on Tuesday. He also informed us we should always remember to make sure the shutters are closed firmly two times during the year- on New Years and during Carnevale. Duly noted.

Daniele arrived as scheduled at 9:30 am on Tuesday. We were expecting the worst, as we have lots of experience replacing window panes at our Baltimore house. It used to take us hours to get one of those windows out, dig out the broken pane, take it down to Home Depot to have a new glass cut, then re-install the thing with glazing points and glaze. Several hours work for just one pane. Based on our experiences here, we thought this could be a multiple day operation, maybe even longer. Boy, were we surprised!

Daniele slipped the window off it's hinge- didn't even need a screwdriver. He took the entire window with him, and told us he was going to Vito for glass and would come back. He didn't say WHEN. We figured a few days, maybe a week. 15 minutes later, Daniele was at the door with the new glass installed in the window frame. He came in, slipped the window back onto the hinge and was gone. 25 minutes tops. Holy cow!

A little blog news: I get a significant amount of email requests asking me to blog more often, and to write more about everyday events in my life. My goal for 2012 is to write more. I'm asking for some input from you all - please tell me if there is anything in particular you would like me to write about. Keep posting comments and giving me feedback!!!

One last thing- I am so blessed to have each of you along with me! Grazie, tutti!

Oh boy,another go round with Vodafone

noreply@blogger.com (karen) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:12:00 +0000

I thought I'd start this blog off with a happy photo, cause my day yesterday wasn't all that great. Enjoy one of my favorite views in Venice of the Rialto bridge on a recent afternoon.

Yesterday, I had to deal with Vodafone - again. I avoid this like the plague. Vodafone is the company we have our mobile phone and internet service with. When we originally set up our account with them, we went to the store at the foot of the Rialto instead of the one closest to our apartment, because at Rialto there were a few employees who spoke English better. Every time we have a need to deal with our Vodafone account, the clerks who work at our local Vodafone shop refuse to help us. They always direct us back to Rialto, citing as a reason that we must go to where we set up the account. We have always thought this was nonsense, but not knowing any better, we do what we are told. We've learned the hard way you just don't argue with these people.

So- yesterday we discovered mid day that our phone service had been interrupted. Mid day. Great. Vodafone is closed for siesta and wouldn't be open until 3:30. Not wanting to go back to the Rialto area a second time that day (I had been there in the morning too), I went to our local Vodafone shop at 4pm, hoping they might be able to save me a trip to Rialto. I did this, but mind you, I was expecting the worst.

I knew that to get the phone service turned back on I was going to have to make a payment at the Post Office in cash, but I needed to know how much money was needed. All I wanted was for the woman at the local Vodafone store to look up the account and tell me the amount. I was already geared up for the long line I'd incur over at the Post Office. It was not going to be a good afternoon. On top of that, I already knew that she was just going to look at me and say "You need to go to the Rialto office". Still, I slapped a smile on my face (all the while gritting my teeth at the same time), and asked the woman to please help me.

Here it comes, I thought to myself. Why didn't I just go to Rialto to begin with?? Hope against hope, I'm always the optimist. Or maybe I am a masochist and I'm fooling myself!

After making my plea for help, this woman tells me she will find out how much I owe and I can make the payment by credit card right there. What? Say that again, per favore?? Did I understand you correctly?
This cannot be!!! The reason I say that is because I had already been told by Vodafone many many times that we could never pay our account by our US bank issued credit card. Our payment had to be from an Italian bank account, or on an Italian credit card. We'd gone round and round and lost this battle with Vodafone long ago.

Again, this woman says she will do it. I hand her my phone, she calls customer support, she gets the amount owed from them, and asks me to hand over my credit card and my documentation. In two minutes, everything is finished and my service is restored. It turns out I probably could have done all this myself if I could have understood the Vodafone customer service voice menu system. It's impossible- the Italian recordings speak at breakneck speed. I am completely at a loss if I have to deal with any menu system here. This woman, for whatever reason, decided she would help me out, and I am grateful beyond belief. I was doing a happy dance in the Vodafone store. I don't know what this woman ate for lunch, but it made her very cooperative. She never had been before.

I'm about to leave the store when she asks if I want to make future payments by credit card also? What, are you kidding me??? She is volunteering to do even more for me?? Sure, that would be fabulous. She gets back on the phone with customer service, and in two more minutes has updated my account so that now all payments will be on this credit card. I'm thinking to myself I need to go directly to the church around the corner to light candles, and do not pass Go.

After just about kissing this woman and multiple "Grazie mille's", I did immediately duck into San Pantalone, lit a candle, and said a quick prayer of thanks to God, and to the Vodafone God, and one last prayer for the health of my Vodafone woman.

Then, I made that phone call to Mike (yes, the phone was working!) and invited him to the mini-celebration I was about to have for myself in Campo Santa Margherita. This called for a prosecco!

BTW- I did not speak one word of English during my entire time in the Vodafone store. Perhaps this woman finally took pity on me because I have been trying so hard to speak the lingo???

Prelude to Carnevale

noreply@blogger.com (karen) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:17:00 +0000

They're back!!!! Frittelle, that tasty little morsel of fried dough stuffed with crema, zabaiglone or ricotta and made only in the Venice area and ONLY at Carnevale time, have been sighted in bakeries this week!!

Unfortunately this is not a great photo, but I couldn't resist snapping a quick shot with my phone as I passed the bakery next to our apartment, so you get a lovely reflection of one of the buildings across the canal as a bonus!

I've been vowing to eat more sensibly in the hopes of shedding the extra pounds I put on while eating with sheer abandon during our vacation and the holidays. Frittelle are not going to help my cause any! Already I've had two of them! I had to introduce our friends Anne and Kate from St.Louis to them, so we stopped off at Rizzardini's where I ate my first of the season, filled with zabaiglone. Heaven! What is it about fried dough???

Yesterday, I HAD to have one filled with ricotta, so I ducked into the Majer. I will bet you there is another ricotta filled frittelle coming home with me today.

Frittelle in the bakery is the first sign that Carnevale is on it's way. It's almost like hearing robins singing- you know spring is right around the corner. Same with Frittelle. Our harbinger of Carnevale season.

This year, similar to last year, Venice will host a weekend of events Feb 4-5, prior to the official start of Carnevale which is on Feb 11. Here's a link to the website where you can see a list of all the events requiring tickets, which you can order on the site as well:

http://www.venice-carnival-italy.com/

Some of the biggest events are the Marie's Parade on Feb 11 which starts at San Pietro in Castello and ends in St. Mark's square, and the Flight of the Angel, at noon on Feb 12 in St. Mark's square.

The Marie's parade starts at San Pietro in Castello and ends in St. Mark's square, where the 12 Marie's are presented to the Doge. Just prior to Carnevale, 12 Marie's are selected in a beauty pageant like contest held at the Casino. These 12 Maries preside over various events throughout the city during Carnevale week, including appearances at several masked balls. At this special parade the Marie's are acompanied by groups of people from cities nearby Venice, in traditional dress. Many of the groups have flag throwers performing. It's an interesting parade to watch full of pomp and ceremony, as well as 12 beautiful Marie's. (Below is small clip of last year's parade)

The flight of the Angel involves a person "flying" down a wire cable from the Campanile across the square down to the stage at the opposite end of the square where the Doge is waiting to greet them. In previous years, there has been a celebrity "Angel", however in recent times, in a cost cutting effort, the Angel has been the winning Marie from the previous year. This year will be the same. It doesn't matter who does the flying, it's an event worth experiencing to kick off the big Carnevale week. St. Mark's square will be packed to capacity, with barely room to breathe. You can purchase a ticket to get a close up spot for the Flight of the Angel, however the majority of the throng will just be jammed into the square with cameras, sans a good position, just like me.

Here's a list of some of the famous "Angels" from the past few years ( just in case you were curious, as I was).

2005: Carolina Marconi, model and actress;
2006: Manuela Levorato, sprinter;
2007: Federica Pellegrini, swimmer;
2008: Coolio, rap singer, with a costume by Moschino;
2009: Margherita Maccapani Missoni, actress, with a costume by Missoni;
2010: Bianca Brandolini d'Adda, model, with a costume by Giambattista Valli;
2011: Silvia Bianchini, winner of the beauty contest of the Festa delle Marie 2010, with a costume by Emanuela Finardi and Stefano Nicolao.

And finally, a clip of the Flight of the Angel from a previous year, to get you sufficiently psyched for Carnevale 2012!

La Befana - January 6

noreply@blogger.com (karen) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:59:00 +0000

January 6- Epiphany- is a National holiday in Italy. Not only does it signify the day the Wise Men arrived bearing gifts for baby Jesus, it is also the day La Befana arrives. And who is La Befana? In Italy, La Befana is a kind old witch who flies on the night of Jan 5 on a broom, delivering candies and goodies to good children who have left their stockings up for her to fill. Sounds a little like Santa Claus, doesn't it? January 6 is also the day Italians take down Christmas trees and decorations. It marks the end of the holiday season, sadly. But, on a cheery note, there is this one last celebration to get through!

This kindly old witch is supposedly the same old woman the Wise Men visited as they made their way to Bethlehem. They invited the old woman to come along with them, but she refused. Later in the night she saw the bright star shining in the sky, and set off after the Wise Men in hopes of catching up with them. All over Italy, on the night of January 5, La Befana delivers candies to good children, and possibly a lump of coal to those who have not been so good.

There is even a special song about La Befana:

The Befana comes by night

With her stockings all tattered and torn

Her hat worn the Roman way
Long life to the Befana!

Celebrations vary throughout the country, ranging from towns hanging enormous stockings in the city center to cities staging large fires blazing which they burn wicker puppets. Here in Venice, Festa della Befana is a little different. It's celebrated by having a special regata on the Grand Canal! Men dressed in dresses, scarves and wigs race in boats from San Toma to the Rialto bridge. Here are a few photos from last years race.

The regata is tomorrow morning at 11:00 am. Afterwards there is usually hot chocolate and mulled wine served along Fondamenta del Vin. What a great way to wind down the holiday season! Bring your cameras, I'll see you there!

Goings on at Ca' Hendersoni

noreply@blogger.com (karen) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:47:00 +0000

The mozzarella shaped like a pig was just too good to pass up. Look closely, it really is shaped like a pig.You just don't see these every day :) These are hanging in one of the booths at the mercatino over at Campo San Polo. When we were there on Saturday, we got the great news the booths will be open until the end of Carnevale!!!! We've really been enjoying wandering over to San Polo to watch the local kids ice skate and also buy artigianal products like sausages and cheese.

OK, the holidays are just about over (still need to get through Jan 6, Epiphany and La Befana) and life is returning to normal around our house. Today we woke up to discover a window in our living room had been broken over the holiday, most likely by someone partying just a little bit too hard on New Year's Eve. Our living room windows overlook two canals, and our apartment is right on a busy thoroughfare leading to and from Piazzale Roma. Anyone leaving St. Mark's square on New Year's Eve heading back home to Mestre by bus would have opportunity to throw something at our window. Why? Who knows! Just another one of life's pleasantries. And how's this for a kicker. Normally we close the window shutters, however we left them open because our Christmas tree sits right in this window. From now on we will be closing our shutters for sure.

Fortunately, we only rent the apartment. Fixing the window will have to be dealt with by the landlord. I can't even imagine what gyrations we'd have to through to get one of these windows replaced,as they are very old, and very huge. Luckily, there are two sets of windows in each window in our apartment, which must have been an early attempt at double pane windows,so we aren't getting cold air through the house. The broken window is on the outside set of windows. Even though Venice is the home of glass, I am betting the cost of a new window sure to be astronomical. I'm already imagining a large piece of glass being floated down the canal by boat! With any luck, this will be handled soon, and I'll let you know how it all turns out!

Speaking of the landlord, we completed our annual renewing of the lease process yesterday. I love how this all goes down! It's very simple. He emails us, usually one or two days before the end of the year (our lease goes January to December), and tells us that if we want, the new year's rent will be 100 Euros more per month. We email back and say we think that's too much. He emails back and says "How about 50?". We say ok, and the deal is completed. This year, it was even simpler. He emailed and said "50 Euros more a month". We said "Done".

Today it was alittle wet and overcast here in Venice. But not so wet that we couldn't get out and walk. We were headed over to Santa Marta, which is located on the westernmost tip of Venice. The Venice farmers market that used to be held at Piazzale Roma was moved to Santa Marta a few months ago, and I wanted to check it out. If you look at the map below, the section on the far left that is yellow and grey colored is the part where we were headed. (This map is from the Comune di Venezia website. I am surprised to learn that they consider the area where the churches of San Sebastiano and Angelo Raffaele -4 and 5 on the map- part of Santa Marta. You have to click on the map to see the complete area, I think. Sorry about that.). Santa Marta is an old area of Venice where there used to be an old cotton factory and other warehouses. It's close to the port of Venice. Today, many of the old buildings have been converted into University departments, including a theatre.

While at the farmers market we bought fresh eggs stacked up in a basket, and met the young man at the egg booth who also takes orders for chicken, guinea hens and gallina. You sign his order form, include your phone number and he will call to tell you what day he'll bring them over to Venice. Fresh guinea hen is sure to be on our dinner menu very soon, now that we have a source. Today there were only about 5-6 stalls total, including the egg guy, fresh vegetables, cheese, meats- sausage, pork chops and cotelchino, and a wine vendor. I usually try to shop at Rialto market, but on Mondays in the future I will make sure I get to Santa Marta to support these vendors too.

To leave you on a happy note, and give you one more little tidbit about local Venetian culture, here's a You Tube video of perhap's Venice's premier musical group, Ska-J, singing one of their earliest hits, Santa Marta. The lead singer, Furio, lives in Santa Marta, and frequents our neighborhood and Campo Santa Margherita often. You cannot miss Furio with that great hair! It's a catchy little tune, sung in Venetian dialect (with English subtitles included). Enjoy!

Buon Anno!!!! Happy 2012

noreply@blogger.com (karen) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 09:15:00 +0000

(photo taken at Rizzardini's near Campo San Polo)

Happy New Year and Buon Anno to all!!!

As we were clinking our prosecco glasses at midnight in our apartment, here's what was going on down at St. Mark's square-

For the last 4 years, the city has sponsored a LOVE fest and countdown to the New Year in St. Mark's square. This year, 70,000 people attended, all kissing in the New Year at midnight, followed by fantastic fireworks over the lagoon. Kind of like our own version of Times Square New York City!!

I think 2/3 of these people walked by my apartment on their way out of the city last night between 2-3 am! Today, all is quiet. It's sunny and the streets are empy, the perfect day for a nice walk. Later I think I will watch the annual New Year's concert at Teatro La Fenice on TV.

From our house to yours, Happy 2012 !!!

Technically "Venetian"

noreply@blogger.com (karen) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:23:00 +0000

For those of you who have read my blog from the beginning, you may recall the momentous occassion towards the end of 2008 when I received my dual Italian citizenship. Of the many official documents I received that day, the one that has been most important, besides my Italian passaporto, is my Carta d'Identita. This special document is probably comparable to a Social Security card in the USA. Here it's used for identification purposes, all over the place, even for boarding planes between EU countries.

Each Carta d'Identita has a unique number, and inside contains information such as your date of birth, place of birth, country of citizenship, address, height, weight, and eye color.On mine, the address is the address of the apartment I had to rent out in Castel San Pietro Terme while I was going through my citizenship process. Since the card is good for 10 years, I have just used it whenever needed and don't give it much thought. Until recently.

Living in Venice is everything I ever imagined it would be- and much more. However, as grand and glorious as it is to be walking these calle day in and day out, that pleasure comes with a downside- a high price tag. This is no surprise to us, we planned for it. We are fully aware our rent here is much higher than it would be if we lived outside the city anywhere else. We know that when we buy groceries or clothes or a bottle of wine here in the city, it costs more than it would out on the mainland. There are very few discounts available for residents of Venice. And herein lies the subject of my blog today. .

Besides our resident discount for the vaporetto, residents of Venice can get into certain museums free on certain days of the week. We can also get into certain churches free by producing documentation verifying they are, in fact, a resident of Venice. Here's the catch: the documentation necessary changes, depending on who is working the booth at a church on any particular day. Certain churches will accept my health card, which contains my current address in Venice. Others will accept my Residence permit. A Carta d'Identita would always be good, but it must have a Venice address on it. Mine does not. Over at the Miracoli church, they used to let me in with my health card. There is a new guard in the booth now, so that isn't good either. They will only accept my Carta d'Identita. Or I have to pay the entrance fee, same as a tourist. Not what I want to be doing on a regular basis. Mind you, there are over 100 churches in Venice and I have a tendency to pop in any number of them with regularity.

I needed a solution to my little problem. The answer was quite simple- go get a new Carta d'Identita at the Anagrafe office here in Venice. Sounds simple. In reality, it never is. Dealing with the Italian bureaucracy is such a pain in the behind I can come up with every excuse in the book to avoid it like the plague. And so, even though it sounds like going to get a new card is simple, I have avoided it. Until now.

I steeled up my nerves, collected all the documentation I could possibly need and more, studied my Italian books and made notes on the conversation I would need to have with some agent at Anagrafe. Ok, I was ready. I thought. I even knew what hours on which days of the week the Anagrafe is open. I marched myself down there, prepared to take a number and queue up in a line for however long it took. I just needed to get this done.

To my great surprise, when I arrived I was the only one in the whole of the Anagragfe office. I took my number, and still had to wait. Another lesson in Italian government for you-- there is always, ALWAYS a line, and you will wait. Even if you are the only one there. So I waited patiently. It was only about 5 minutes waiting, but it seemed like an eternity. It was just enough time for my stomach to begin to tie in nots and the nerves to set in. My number comes up on the big electronic board in front of me announcing which sportello (counter) I am to report to. I walked over and took up my place. Let the nastiness begin, I thought to myself.

I made pleasantries with the gentleman behind the big plexiglass divider, and announced I needed a new Carta d'Identita. He looked at my document and said "No, it's not expired, you have years left". I proceeded to exlain I needed it to have my Venetian address on it. He appeared to understand. He did not ask for any of my documentation. He took my current carta, did some typing on his computer, and requested I verify my current address. Then, he asked for the three photos which I was prepared for. I handed over my photos. He printed a bunch of papers, stapled a bunch of stuff together, then did the ritual stamping of the official stamps with great vigor (that's another thing Italians love to do- stamp the crap out of everything).

I handed over the fee- 59 cents- and he handed me my new Carta. Well, what do you know! All the Italian lessons and hours of studying are paying off, these visits are becoming less painful. I stowed my new Carta in my wallet and was about to leave when I realized I hadn't taken back my old Carta. I stepped to the plexiglass divider once more, and asked the clerk for my old Carta d'Identita.

"No", he said. What??? I wanted that Carta. I am not sure I can even describe to you how important that card is to me. It's symbolic of one of the most important events of my lifetime. It means I am finally Italian. I did not want to part with it, no matter what. And how was I going to explain that to this man???

Somehow, I did manage to get my meaning across to him, because he cracked a smile, and proceeded to do something I am sure he doesn't do very often. He pulled my file back out of his stack, unstapled my old carta from the form, and walked over to his copy machine. He made a copy of my old Carta, then returned to his desk and re-stapled everything back toether. He handed me the copy, smiled, and announced that with my new Carta, I am Venetian. Oh, how I wish. But, on a brighter note, I will be getting those discounts in the churches from now on.

Highlights of our recent trip

noreply@blogger.com (karen) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 18:38:00 +0000

Finally, I've organized my 1,000 + photos. Here are highlights of our recent trip. Enjoy!

Danube River Cruise 2011 Slideshow: Karen’s trip from Venice, Veneto, Italia to 9 cities Praga, Vienna, Budapest, Norimberga, Karlovy Vary, Linz, Melk, Regensberg (near Forchheim, Baviera, Germania) and Passau (near Böckstein, Salisburgo, Austria) was created by TripAdvisor. See another Germania slideshow. Take your travel photos and make a slideshow for free.

A Christmas gift from our Butcher

noreply@blogger.com (karen) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 09:38:00 +0000

It's a HUGE holiday weekend here- Christmas Eve, Christmas and then Monday, Santo Stefano day.Santo Stefano day (Festa di Santo Stefano) is the celebration of the announcement of the birth of Jesus and the arrival of the 3 wise men. Three important holidays back to back, and that translates to LOTS of eating. So, we've been getting ourselves prepared for the last few days.

Thursday I spent the morning at the Rialto fish market picking up everything we needed for our Christmas Eve feast. Traditionally, Christmas Eve (Vigile di Natale) is the day Italian families usually eat fish. The Christmas Eve dinner in most parts of Italy is called the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Seven courses, all fish. We're not going quite that far- but we will have some smoked salmon, shrimp, oysters and baked salmon. We'll be stuffed at that point, but must leave room for a traditional Italian Christmas dessert- Panettone!

Another mission on Thursday was to find the duck breasts we're making for Christmas dinner. Mission accomplished. By the time I finished marketing on Thursday, I had just about everything needed for the weekend food fest. When we double checked our cooking plans after I got home from shopping all over Venice, I discovered there were a few items still needed, so I sent Mike out with a list yesterday afternoon.

Mike's first stop was the butcher's to pick up some sausage for Christmas morning breakfast. As he was paying, the butcher gave him a Christmas gift- a Cotechino!!!!

I've seen them in the grocery store, and knew what it was, but have never eaten one. Cotechino is a traditional Italian meal served on New Year's day. It's sausage like, made of pig parts and lots of spices including mace, cumin, coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove and cayenne. I had to look up a recipe for it. You pierce the skin with a fork, wrap it tightly in foil, and either simmer it in water for several hours, or cook it in the oven. When ready to serve, you peel off the casing, slice it in thick slices and eat it while it's still hot with either polenta, lentils or potatoes. Guess what we're eating for New Year's??

The butcher on the corner by the Scuola dei Carmini ,who has been open a little under a year now, has been one of our favorite new additions to our little neighborhood. Besides the fact that he has the best meats, this is another opportunity for us to shop local, and develop a relationship with the owners. For us, one of the draws of the Italian lifestyle has been the little mom and pop stores. We love being able to pop into the wine store, the cheese store, our local fish guy, or the butcher on a regular basis. It's a good life.

Buon Natale a tutti.

Buon Natale a Tutti!

noreply@blogger.com (karen) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 10:04:00 +0000

I've been enjoying the holiday season here in Venice. Christmas in Italy isn't what we're used to in the United States. There are far fewer decorations on houses or in shops. It's definitely not the commercial event it is in America! The main focus of the holiday is food and the company of family and friends. Food and family is central to the Italian lifestyle, and if you can imagine, it's even more so at holiday time!

Christmas trees aren't as numerous here in Venice, although you do see one here and there lit up in a window. As with everything else, a tree is difficult to maneuver in this city. If you are thinking about getting a live tree, it would be very very small. Not only do you have to think about getting it into your apartment, it's the getting it out after the holiday that is also a problem. For the first time in my entire life, we have an artificial tree.

Window decorations in homes are also few and far between. Wreaths on doors just don't happen here. Shops decorate their windows, but it's limited. There are a few very elaborate Nativity scenes (prescepe) set up in both Churches and shop windows.

This year the city has put up more lights in the streets than I remember ever seeing before. There are even lights at Piazzale Roma. The photo above was one of my favorite locations this year- it's over a cafe at the Accademia Bridge.

While this next link has nothing to do with Christmas lights, it does relate to Christmas! It's a great little video of Aqua Alta here on Christmas night 2009. Doesn't look like we'll have to worry about Aqua Alta, it's been a season of unusually low water so far this year. While there is snow to the north of us, no snow here either.

I couldn't resist sharing this one. Enjoy!

The Vegetable boat at Campo San Barnaba closing

noreply@blogger.com (karen) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:55:00 +0000

If you have ever been in Venice and spent any time in Dorsoduro, you'll hopefully have some memories of walking by a boat moored at Ponte dei Pugni, just down the canal from Campo San Barnaba. The boat -actually it's a produce shop- is closing on December 24. Run by 3 brothers, the shop has been in the family for 63 years. I'm sad today at this discovery, because this is a part of Venice that can never be replaced. I'm feeling sorry for myself, because I'll miss this Venice landmark, I walk by it nearly everyday. I'm feeling sorry for the countless numbers of people who from December 24 on won't know what they've missed when they walk by this bridge on their way to and from Accademia. A piece of Venice is gone for good.

New Vaporetto line- the Boat of Art!

noreply@blogger.com (karen) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:32:00 +0000

Today in the news I read an article announcing a new Vaporetto line beginning April 25, 2012. This new line, the "Boat of Art" will leave from the Train station and end at San Giorgio Maggiore, with 8 stops in between, and will run every 30 minutes. It will work like the Hop-On, Hop-Off buses you see in lots of big cities, and will require a special ticket. Purchasers of this special ticket, which will be available on line as well as at ACTV ticket office, will also receive a welcome kit including a city map and other information about cultural institutions who are partners in the project.

Alright, now we have yet another initiative to aid tourists. I'm wondering how different this is will be from purchasing a 12 hour vaporetto ticket. Isn't that just like Hop-on, Hop-off? You can get on and off anywhere you like, anytime you like within the 12 hour time period. I am going to hope that the advantage to using this special boat/ticket will divert the crowds of tourists from the regular vaporettos. That would be a huge advantage. You may see me personally directing people to the ACTV ticket office. Ok, people, step right up, buy your Boat of Art ticket today!!

Another lesson in patience

noreply@blogger.com (karen) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:45:00 +0000

Being an expat has many joys, but also many, many frustrations. On a good day, there is bound to be something that just throws you for a loop, something you never expected you'd have to deal with, but you must. Something small, something so ordinary you just can't believe it you are going to have to spend time figuring out how to cope. We've gotten used to these little blips on the radar. At first, any one of these little inconveniences would give us quite a bit of heartburn. We'd manage to get through them all fortunately. None of them has sent us screaming back to the USA, but still they are the little things that make you learn what you are made of! Yesterday's little incident showed us that we certainly have come a long way, and have learned a great deal of patience.

The postal system in general in Italy is an enigma to us. Basically, we've learned to avoid it. Packages almost never get to us, you can pretty much kiss them good bye. Or, if you are lucky enough to receive them, it may be months after you expected them when they arrive. The cost of postage for us to ship a package to the USA is always much more money than the item we were trying to send cost to begin with. That being the case, we've stopped sending gifts home for birthdays or Christmas. So here it is Christmas and Mike and I need to get a few gifts to our families. This year, instead of the shopping, wrapping and mailing packages, we decided to rely on the internet for our shopping. Seems like the perfect solution. Well, so we thought.

Yesterday Mike shopped on line for our holiday gift for his parents. When he found just the perfect gift, he proceeded to place his order. Mike went through all the steps to complete his purchase, but when he got to the screen where he was to enter his billing address, he noticed there was no option to enter an address anywhere other than one of the states in the U.S. We don't have a US billing address. We have a US credit card, but an Italian billing address. He tried everything he could think of, but no luck. The realization that we may not be able to make a purchase because we don't have a US billing address was so frustrating! Really wanting to make this purchase for his parents, he resorted to phoning the company's customer service department. And things got a bit worse from there.

The first customer service agent put him on hold, which shortly afterwards disconnected. He made the call again. This time, the agent had no clue how to help him, but promised to find someone who could. The person who was supposed to be able to help him directed Mike to call yet another number. Mike asked him to please just try to figure it out. Thirty minutes later, after a conversation that I could not believe had transpired between my husband and this customer service agent, the transaction was completed.

I know my husband well. I was convinced if we actually had a phone you could slam the receiver down with, that it would have been slammed about 2 minutes into the call. There were no cuss words muttered or screamed even. I'm frankly surprised his parents are actually going to be receiving anything after the ordeal this purchase was turning into. Instead, Mike perservered. This was the most incredible display of patience (of which he has nearly none of) I've ever experienced in our time together!

One gift down, 5 more to go!

Note: the photo has nothing to do with this post in particular. It's one of the Christmas ornament booths at the Christmas market in Vienna. Just wanted to share a little holiday spirit. Next time I'll pass the eggnog!

Ice skating rink open in Campo San Polo

noreply@blogger.com (karen) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:49:00 +0000

On December 9th, the largest ice skating rink ever set up in Venice was opened to the public in Campo San Polo. It will be open until the end of Carnevale on February 21, 2012. (Hours are Mon-Thurs 3-7pm, Friday 3-9 pm, Sat 11-9pm and Sunday 11-7pm) Along with the ice rink there is also a small Mercatino - shopping area- where there are some stalls set up for vendors selling foods.

This is not me in the photo, although I will admit I am very tempted to take a spin around the rink. Not sure if that's something my new knee would be happy about though! In the center of the rink is an interesting structure that is lit up at night. I love how it sits right on top of the campo's pozzo (well)! When we were at Campo San Polo yesterday afternoon, there was a good number of families enjoying the skating. It's good to see this kind of activity for a change. Normally we just see crowds of tourists.

I'm a mercatino girl, I just can't get enough of them. We used to have a nice sized mercatino di Natale in Campo Santo Stefano, however that hasn't happened in the last two years. I'm very happy to see this small one at San Polo, and I'm sure I'll be back several times to purchase cheeses and salami's during the coming weeks. Here's a few photos of the vendors stalls at Campo San Polo for you to get a good idea what it's like.

Several varieties of cannoli- covered with chopped nuts, chocolate chips, and my favorite- with maraschino cherries on both ends!

These are all marzapan candies!!Lots of them!

This liquirizia (licorice) from Calabria looked like large chunks of coal. I wonder how many kids will be getting some of this in their stockings!

Experiment

noreply@blogger.com (karen) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 09:05:00 +0000

Ok, here we go! I finally found an app for my iPad that will allow me to create and post my blog, so I'm giving it a test run here.....

Time off for good behavior

noreply@blogger.com (karen) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 12:54:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (karen) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 18:36:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (karen) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 13:16:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (karen) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 12:32:00 +0000

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?