Summer birthday special

Of a special summer birthday.


It was truly marvellous to have a hot hot hot Venetian summer birthday. A real change from my usual wintery celebrations. In fact we all agreed that Sunday felt like the hottest day of summer yet.

Finn and I started the day with birthday breakfast bellini...

F putting the deliciously ripe white peaches through the potato ricer
 - a highly effective peach juicer, it turns out.

Constructing the most delicious breakfast cocktail
 - rosy refreshing peachy deliciousness.

Cin cin!

Here I am going to backtrack slightly though, because, really, this year's birthday was, unfortunately, not all rosy, although mostly it was.

Earlier in the week, before my (Sunday) birthday, on Wednesday to be precise, we all took off to the beach at Lido straight after work.
Ok here I better back track slightly more...

The beginning of this tale lies in the fact the Finn is shrinking. Not in height, but in mass. Since moving to Venice and giving up heavy, muscel-producing work, Finn has been getting smaller, most noticeably his hands - his finger joints particularly have been shrinking. For the first two and a quarter years of our marriage, Finn would've needed the aid of soap if he'd ever desired to take his wedding ring off. Over the last three months though, fiddling with the ring has become an increasingly precarious pastime. Then, about two weeks ago, as we said our "see you tomorrow"s to S&A around the side of the Arsenale, Finn waved goodbye and his ring flew right off his finger, bouncing once on the step of the bridge we were crossing, rising at just the angle to go straight through the railing but somehow, miraculously, hitting the railing itself and falling back onto the step. How lucky and what relief did he feel, did we feel, in that moment?! Well, a lot, but obviously not quite enough, as no precautions for future recurrences were taken.

So where the tale goes from here you can pretty much figure out. Playing with a beach ball in the sea at Lido, Finn's wedding ring flew past me, glinting golden in the bright low sunlight, and plopped into the Adriatic. Having seen it land, I immediately called to Finn to dive in and retrieve it, pointing straight to the spot. He hadn't even noticed it was gone though, and took too many moments to figure out what was going on, during which time I became increasingly frantic. Svetislava, ever practical, rushed out of the water and borrowed a snorkelling mask from someone on the beach, but the visibility was terrible and we couldn't find it. In the end we spent an hour or more searching for it unsuccessfully. It was maddening, as we all knew it was just there, if only we could figure out exactly where just there was. We left the beach feeling sad and frustrated, but Svetislava was not ready to give up and, on the way back to the vaporetto, inquired at all the hotels and tabacchini about getting hold of a metal detector.

The next morning, knowing full well it was still just there, Finn and I were not prepared to give up so easily either and so we armed ourselves with a pair of goggles and a colander each and headed straight back to the beach. Orientating ourselves with the red pole near 'the spot', we resumed our search. Visibility was much better, but our idea of scooping and sieving the sand with the colanders was fairly useless. So we swam around and around, digging with our fingers and trying to avoid hermit crabs, but again to no avail. After a couple of hours it was time to head to work and this time when we gave up, we felt really like we were giving up. We'd tried, but there was nothing more we could do. It was time to move on.

As our wedding rings had been made out of recycled gold - family rings acquired by David, my father, melted together to form two new rings - Finn immediately began an internet search for scrap gold. Svetislava though was still not ready to give up. Eventually, through someone she knew who knew someone who had a friend in a sub-aqua company, she arranged for a guy with an oxygen tank and an underwater metal detector to meet us back out at Lido on Saturday afternoon (his first available appointment).

Matia and Finn
- looking very optimistic with the presence of the metal detector.

With S&A covering for me back at the boxes, Finn and I began our third-time-lucky search at Lido. We swam out and again located the spot, this time feeling like we'd be in for a highly celebratory evening. (In anticipation of this, and also of my birthday celebrations, we had gone early to the Rialto markets to stock up on deliciousness, as the markets are closed Sundays and Mondays.) The Adriatic, it seems, had other plans for Finn's ring. An hour of swimming backwards and forwards with the metal detector, forming a wider and wider search zone (with emphasis on the direction of the current), retrieved nothing, not even someone else's lost treasure. Perhaps we should've offered to pay more (100 euros seemed like a small price to pay at this point for the recovery of the ring), who knows how these things work in Italy, but it didn't have that feel about it. The ring simply could not be found.

We were, we are, so disappointed. Our hopes had been raised all over again, and dashed all over again. So we are sad all over again. But we really feel like we tried everything, there is nothing more to do now but begin planning the replacement - my ring will be melted down with whatever other old gold we can get our hands on, and two new rings will be created, though not until we're back in Wellington. In the meantime, perhaps we'll acquire Finn some kind of cheap street vender temporary Venetian replacement. 

So on Saturday night we had a lovely dinner celebrating only my birthday-eve and not our wedding ring retrieval. 

A bowl of sea snails (remnants shells in the bag on the left), whole flounder with green olives, and potatoes fried with leeks and anchovies - a highly delicious variant on the quintessential fish and chips.

And so began my birthday celebrations.

On my Sunday birthday, pasticcini were enjoyed with the bellini featured above, and followed (at the pavilion) by family lunch (our Danish pavilion Sunday tradition). Unfortunately I was in too much of a hurry to eat the superbly delicious frittata Finn made, so no photos exist. When S&A surprised us with birthday cake and more birthday-bellini though, Finn got hold of the camera.

Summer birthday cake deliciousness
- chilled custard cream fruit sponge. Yum yum yum yum yum.

After work we went to a nearby greenhouse bar for our third bellini-type drink of the day. It was sweltering hot!

Watermelon, peach, raspberry, prosecco - mmmm refreshing.

Finn and Svetislava made some very sweet, very hot friends.

The next day - weekend Monday - we returned to Sant'Erasmo (the garden island featured previously in Recovery) for my first ever beach birthday fun day.

We found the perfect spot on the beach under a tree.

Svetislava came with some friends of theirs we had met a few times - visitors from Barcelona and Macedonia - but Arnel had to stay home and work.
We had a wonderful picnic - a 6.55kg watermelon, special Venetian artichoke hearts from our dinner the night before, bread, herby mushrooms, cream cheese, spek, tomatoes, smoked mozzarella....
Books and magazines to lounge away the hours.
A wild fig tree to raid again, this time from the vantage point of Finn's shoulders.
And swims between every episode, in a narrow deep channel where the boats come into the bay between the mudflats.
It felt so much like being on holiday. From the moment you step off the vaporetto and walk along the road beside fields of vegetables, gardens shaded by fruit trees and grape-covered pergolas, it is like you have arrived somewhere very removed from Venice. Unlike Lido, the beach itself is lined with trees, behind which are more gardens. There are two bars supplying essentials such as ice creams and beer, but not a rentable beach hut in sight, let alone endless tiered rows of the things. So it is much quieter, much more relaxed. Locals arrive by boat and wade or swim between their umbrellas set up on shore and the awnings on their boats. I want to point out here that one sun umbrella is not enough - people have a minimum of three, providing essential shade to retreat into. Lucky we got a tree!

Pizza for dinner from our excellent local continued the relaxed feeling right to the end. Not to mention the hazelnut and yoghurt (two separate flavours) gelato with lightly caramelised figs...

What a sweltering, fun, and delicious summer birthday!
Fantastico!

23 August 2011

Recovery

Just a quick update about Finn's hand.

A barge-load of coffins was delivered to our place the other day. 

I had the guys just stack them up out in the calle.
Finn's hand was pretty bad by this stage, so I thought I should be prepared.

This is what it looked like by then.

In the end, I just selected one good coffin.

Had them take it around to the hospital where Finn was, just to be ready.

While the doctors were struggling with the mess, I took a trip across to San Erasmo, the garden island. Loaded up the truck with produce.

Including some honey I collected, full of healing properties you know.
Also very sticky stuff, good for sticking things together.

Also picked a few delicious figs along the way.

It was quite late by the time I was coming home.
I had collected a lot of honey though (along with much wild produce), so I was optimistic about the prospect of still saving Finn's hand.

It was too late. The doctors had severed it.
But the honey still worked a treat, so I kept the hand.
Finn claims it as his, but I say that since I fixed it, and it's not even attached to him anymore, it's actually mine.
The ongoing dispute is part of the installation now, I've put it out on display, 

The hand is looking good anyway, as is his arm. And we've still got loads of honey so we're thinking they might be ready for sticking back together soon, it just depends what our lawyers can agree to. Will keep you posted as to how we get on.

11 August 2011

Mondays - fun days

Monday is my one and only day off.
It's the best day of my week.

Having settled into Venice life (i.e. no more trawling the police stations on my day off; no more in need of a day off from commuting; etc.) we are finally getting the hang of doing the washing and the grocery shopping and all the other necessary but less fun household tasks during the week (Monday now being considered as the weekend, Sunday after work being known as Friday-Saturday-Sunday night). This leaves one full day every week to explore and have fun.

And it's my once a week chance to enjoy the delights of the long Italian lunch. Preferably in the form of a scrumptious under 20€ three course meal with wine.
But it also happens to be no-fish day. Well, along with Sunday. The days the Rialto fish markets are closed. Which means that many of the good restaurants are closed. Or if they are open, they are serving a special no-fish menu.

Last Monday we found a very nice alternative.

Martina (who works at the pavilion in the mornings) told me a while ago about her husband's restaurant over on Giudecca. When I finally found a current edition of the foodie guide book we've been using a photocopy of, I looked it up and it had a rave review, even a little love, from the guide. So on Monday we were there.

First we stopped over at Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore to see a few exhibitions. Penelope's Labour - tapestries. The Real Venice - photos. And Anish Kapoor - smoke. All interesting enough, except for Kapoor's which has not functioned since it was installed two months ago. But the church it's installed in, Basilica di San Giorgio, was worth a look anyway.

Some ideas we gathered for possible house adornments.

We're thinking one of these on the front, with our own personalised iconography of course.

Maybe a marble runner down the hallway.

And another idea for the landing pad in the porch.

Then it was back on the vaporetto to Giudecca for our lunch date at i figli della stelle.

Simone (Martina's husband) was expecting us, with the best table on the waters edge reserved with our names.

That's San Marco bell tower across the Giudecca canal.

Our meal began with a little baccala montecato and a glass of prosecco, compliments of Simone. Lovely.

The highlight was the first course.
Fava bean puree with roasted tomato and chicory.
And the most delicious toast to be eaten in Venice.

The rest was also delicious.

Finn's fishy fry-up.
The lightest batter, the smallest fish.
(I guess you can source sardines and anchovies any day of the week in Venice.)
The little bundles at the front were parcels of baccala montecato. The yellow next to them polenta.
The aubergine was surprisingly melt-in-the-mouth for such quick cooking. It was all very good.

Spaghetti marinara. Also very good.

The leftovers.

On the Monday Ness and Jim were here we got in 2 major art galleries - The Peggy Guggenheim Collection and Punta Della Dogana - as well as a visit out to San Michele.

F in the best sculpture at the Guggenheim.

And the (highly guarded) little boy sculpture outside the Punta Della Dogana.
That's the Basilica di San Giorgio behind.

And then this Monday, the day before yesterday already, this was the best Monday yet.

It felt really like we were on summer holiday in Italy. Amazing.

We took a boat to the countryside.

Well, to an island out in the north of the lagoon that felt like the countryside.

Torcello was the original settlement of Venice, back in the 400s, when people were fleeing the murderous likes of Atilla the Hun on the mainland.

Basilica di Torcello dates from around 635, and it's amazing. (No photos allowed inside, unfortunately.)

The basilica and bell tower (under refurbishment) on the other side of a field of Queen Anne's Lace. 

Fantastic mosaics inside.
Note especially the bottom right corner of hell.
(Photo c/o the internet.)

And beautiful marble mosaic floors too. Multicoloured extravaganzas of so many pieces and so many patterns and so many designs, like a Griffin's sampler box, with a rough quality making them particularly appealing.

The chapel beside the basilica. 

There is only a small settlement left on the island. Maybe 20 inhabitants I think, if that. So most of the land is undeveloped, pastoral. At the edges you get a real sense of the mudflats that make up the islands in the lagoon. We wandered down every pathway (no real footpaths here other than the one in and out), eating wild blackberries and sweating in the heat. It felt like an idillic holiday day. We even gathered some damson plum-type fruits to cook up into a coulis for a future gelato event.

Picnic lunch in the garden between the basilica and the canal.
Note Finn's new Venetian pants - bright green. But just starting small, well, short. Maybe he'll graduate to full length Venice trousers come autumn, maybe they'll even be red.

Me beside a just-out-of-reach crop of ripe ripe figs.

To get to Torcello one stops at Burano to switch boats. It is a perfect transition point -- a brightly coloured fishing village* -- between Venice and Torcello. Actually it was kind of alarmingly bright and clean** and well kept compared to Venice. Where Venice is determined to maintain its decrepitude, Burano is the opposite. On our return stopover we took a gelato and explored the island. 

Candy coloured houses.

With candy coloured boats to match.

It felt more like Venice California than Venice Italy, with miniature canals, candy coloured buildings (so freshly painted - we even saw a man re-yellowing his already very yellow house), and lush gardens and parks. Families sitting out in the shade of their houses, the grandmothers making lace (really) while they chatted. It was, somehow, truly charming.

It was a wonderful day. Our best yet of any day of the week, I'd say, so we'll no doubt be back. For a completely different kind of view, it'd be a good trip to take in the fog of winter.

* Still working, one assumes with the number of fishing boats docked there. Finn noted that it was 'a shellfishing place', due to the type of equipment and contraptions located on the ships' decks.

** Barely a whiff of urine and not a dog poo in the place.

3 August 2011