Venice Fog

A few days ago a thick layer of fog rolled across the lagoon and swallowed Venice up. There are a couple of things about fog to mention here. One, when it's thick enough (as it has been quite a bit these last days) it doesn't make for any good photos as all you can see is grey. And two, it's cold. Fog is really really cold.

By Friday evening, the city was disappearing into the mist. In the morning on my way to work there were only the buildings right beside me. No bridges up ahead, no bell towers or distant palazzo.

It's quite freaky along the waters edge, not being able to see any of the other islands, let alone any boats. The vaporetto appear at their stops as if from nowhere, blowing their horns to warn any other boats of their presence.

Walking home on Saturday, the fog lifted enough to glimpse the Porta Magna at the Arsenale.

That's the sun up there.
Looking up the ospedale canal into Castello.

If you squint, you can just make out San Michele.

The cold the cold. It is so chilling. I think it's the dampness of the fog. When I arrived at the giardini on Friday I noticed that the trees were dripping with moisture although it's been weeks since it has rained. There were lines on the ground around the trees - under the foliage was wet, in the open it was dry. So even though it doesn't feel wet, if you stood around outside long enough you would eventually start dripping.

We countered it one of the best ways we know. With food.

A rich dinner for a foggy night. 

Chicken, leek, sage, and white been 'pie' (remember we don't have an oven here).

The beans worked a treat to make a generous meal of the rich flavours - chicken and leek both being notorious ingredients for shrinking. Served on beds of fresh green spinach instead of pastry, it's my new favourite vegetable accompaniment for hot meals - crispy around the edges, warm, wilted, and saucy in the middle.

Looks like a cauliflower each, hilarious.
Cauliflower indeed. 

We are really doing so much more eating now it's cold. Our appetites increase exponentially as the temperature drops. Quite incredible. Tonight there is a forecast high of 0°C, thank goodness for central heating... I just hope we don't swell up too much before we get home for third summer.

There goes a fog horn now.

Note: Special thanks to Svetislava who has loaned me a camera while I figure out what to do about my broken piece of crap.

20 November 2011