Venice and its islands
Quotes of the week
“Venice, its temples and palaces did seem like fabrics of enchantment piled to heaven.” – Percy Bysshe Shelley
“Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go.” – Truman Capote
“Venice, the city of mirrors.” – Thomas Mann
“The city of silent waters.” – Mary Shelley
Hello,
We have been to Venice again. You can never really get enough of that city. Martin met me with the van at Venice airport as I came from Sweden, and we continued to a camping just outside Venice. Perfectly situated by the lagoon, close to beaches and the boats to Venice.
Torcello
This is a small island outside Venice. A mostly green island and you walk the path along the canal to come to the oldest part of the island. Once upon a time around 20.000 people lived here. Seeing the island you wonder where they all could fit in. The people came here to flee from the Huns and stayed on for about a century. Then another invader came, malaria, which led to a decline in inhabitants. The power moved to Venice and the island never recovered. Luckily today, when we can enjoy a couple of hours quiet contemplation
Even Hemingway came here to find peace, quiet and inspiration. He considered Venice to busy, too much to do, which took focus from his writing. Unfortunately, the hotel/restaurant where he stayed were under renovation and not open.
The oldest part of the island have the interesting spots. The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is the oldest building in the Venetian Lagoon. Built in 639 and still holds a 9th century portico with arches. One wall is taken up by a Byzantine mosaics from the 12th and 13th centuries. A fantastic piece of art. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos. It is quite a fantastic cathedral, different from others we have seen. It is surrounded by a tower, basilica and museum, for those interested. Outside you find Attila’s Chair, an ancient chair made of stone, located in the main square. It is to believed to have been used by Attila, King of the Huns. Who knows?
Burano
The next island, Burano, is famous for its colourful houses, giving it a vibe of the Caribbean. We started by visiting the old monastery garden, once a herbal and wine garden. Today there is a restaurant who is reviving the old tradition with herbs and vines. They even make wine from the old vines as was done in the old days. Of course we had to sit down in the beautiful garden and try a glass. It was not that great, but on a sunny day, sitting outside, overlooking a beautiful garden, most wines go down.
Afterwards we stolled through the island’s small streets along the canals, admiring the old houses, and especially the colours. We had lunch and continued through the alleys and along the water front. Then the boat back to the camping.
Venice
It is nice to have been to Venice a couple of times before, since we have already seen the important sights. This time we just strolled around the small alleys, along the canals, took a coffee at a small café, admiring the buildings and dropping in to a museum.
The day before I had posted on my Instagram photos from the islands. Our former neighbours in Overijse, Belgium, had seen them and sent me a message. They were in the vicinity so we decided to meet the next day. We had lunch and time to catch up on everything that has been happening since we last saw each other. That was in 2018. It was so nice to meet them again.
Since we were using the boats to go to a from the camping we bought a three day boat pass. It was fantastic and can be recommended. We could use this card also for the public transport boats that go around the canals, including the Canale Grande. To see Venice from the waterfront is something totally different than seeing it from the streets. It easily takes you around the city. It can be rather tiring to walk all over Venice, and to jump on a boat is perfect.
That was our three days in Venice with surroundings. Time to go back to Innsbruck where I stayed until 6 June. I am now back in Sweden. It is time to vote for the EU election. Martin will arrive with the van next week. We have a few things to take care of in June, but hopefully we will be able to take the van for a tour. The plan is to drive around the biggest lake in Sweden, Vänern. Make stopovers here and there and enjoy the nature, water and cultural events along the way.
My blog this week
Two new posts for my blog this week.
Vilka vackra hus och trevliga öar. Venedig har blivit en för stor turiststad. Tyckte bättre om den vid tågluffen 1975.
After reading so many Donna Leon Brunetti recipes, it's fun to see some of the islands on your tour. I'm especially wild about the colors of Burano. I'd love seeing that one especially. I hope you get on your next van trip soon -- it sounds fun!