3:35pm, Venizia. Sunny and 28°C.

We've been truly blessed with the weather on this trip -- with a couple of slightly hazy days and a cloudy morning exception, it has been sunny throughout. Indeed, in Florence it was slightly too hot -- but here in Venice it's been delightful.

As indeed has been the city. I expected Venice to be full of tourists and of course it is -- but I had no idea how refreshing it would be to be in an entirely pedestrian town full of winding little alleyways which are often the main streets. It's easy enough to leave the main tourist traps behind and strike out into the less busy side streets -- though equally easy to run into dead ends and blind alleys on those side streets -- and every corner seems to lead to a new and lovely sight.

There are no lawns and few plants of any kind, but there are occasional courtyards with garden plants. This means everyone's house and palazzo alike open directly onto the street (though often the main front door opens onto a canal, and the street is the back door)! While there are many buildings in advanced disrepair, especially at ground floor level (where they are subject to occasional floods) there are equally often lovely upper stories whose frescoes and chandeliers can be glimpsed through open windows and curtains.

We've had a lovely few days and finished our museum tours this morning with a visit to the Doge's palace. We booked early and were able to go on the Secret Itinerary tour which led through the secret chambers of the famous "Council of 10", the top administrators (and chieftains of the secret police) who had hidden offices, complete with prisons and an interrogation chamber, concealed near the Doge's apartments.

Tomorrow we leave Venice on our way back to Munich, and return from there to Toronto on Friday. It will be sad to leave all this behind, but great to see everybody, settle back into our house, and see the cats again!

Speaking of cats, I don't recall if I'd posted an update on Hoover... It turns out she has a nasty form of cancer and will probably succumb within the next couple of years, but for now, she's recovering nicely from her operation and putting on weight again. She's going to get a round of chemo-therapy, which apparently is unusually effective on cats. Looking forward to seeing her again!
posted by Tom at 9:34 AM | link |