Last days of Venice

The beinnale came to an end on Sunday 27 November. Finally, after 6 full months, I would be getting not just one day off, but heaps of days off! Incredible. And (to begin with) in Venice no less, a truly amazing place to be.

At some point between the 21st and 28th of November Venice finally quietened down. The feeling of the city had suddenly changed when we were wandering around this week, compared to every previous week. Even around Piazza San Marco, it was a different space, navigated with ease. By no means deserted of course, it felt like the right amount of people for the city - busy enough but manageable - the narrow spaces of the calle and the bridges particularly felt less burdened. At the Rialto markets stall holders were even actively trying to sell their vegetables, calling out the bargains to passing shoppers, something I've never heard them do here before. 

On Monday we wandered the streets, marvelling at the sudden calm. There was a very different feeling to the place since the week before, let alone summertime.

The last church on our ticket - Santa Maria del Giglio.

Our local church - Basilica di San Giovani e Paolo.

Sunset behind campo Santa Maria Formosa.

Home across the bridge between us and the ospedale.

On Tuesday we wanted to visit a few more islands we hadn't yet been to in the lagoon. We started at Isola la Certosa, a single (on request) stop away from San Pietro, but in an undeveloped world of it's own.

An ex-military base, Certosa is well fortified and dotted with old bunkers and huts like these.

Some housing goats.
Yes, wild goats, numbering at least 50, all of two minutes from Venice.

Guarding roofs and wood piles alike.

A pretty tree-lined beach - we wondered why it hadn't been on our summer island list.

A new and empty marina.

The one drinking house on the island, adjacent to the one hotel. Today only patronised by wild bunnies, plenty of them too.

After Certosa we headed straight to San Zaccaria to catch the vaporetto to the next island, but we missed the only one of the day by 4 minutes, so headed homeward instead.

San Zaccaria

That night we went to a celebratory pavilion dinner at Osteria al Mascaron. There were 12 of us - a nice mix of guards, artists, organisers, partners, and conservators/art movers. We were fed like a big family, seemingly endless plates of food coming to the table, along with plenty of wine of course. It was much fun and very delicious.


Wednesday was our last day. In the morning we did organising things (bought Finn a replacement suitcase and the like). In the afternoon we went to our last Venetian Island - Isola di San Lazzaro degli Armeni. Just beyond San Servolo, San Lazzaro is entirely occupied by a still-working monastery. To visit, one must arrive on the 3.10pm vaporetto and join the daily tour.

Inside the church - Murano glass mosaic walls and ceiling.

The monks supper room (probably not their last).

At the end of the tour, instead of running to the leaving vaporetto, we opted to wait a while, in the cold, on the viewing terrace, to enjoy our last Venice sunset. It was beautiful.

That night we had a last supper of our own, our last in Venice, with Svetislava and Arnel. Finn made an epically delicious tomatoey fish soup with a good chilli kick. He used four fishes - soaked salt cod, skate wing, mussels, and razor clams. Whoa.

It was really sad to say goodbye to Svetislava and Arnel, they adopted us from the get go and treated us to some most wonderful Venice spectaculars. We've been 'we four' for six months, a little Danish (pavilion) family, and we had an amazing time together. We are enormously grateful to them for all their help and advice, normalising some of the stranger aspects of this place for us, and for their so so generous friendship. 

Final moments.

So much luggage!

Goodbye Venice!

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3 December 2011