Carnevale Italy!

So after much waiting, I have finally gotten a little bit of time, even if it is almost midnight here, to get this post up. It was truly an adventure going down to Italy and being there for the day. It started out with the bus getting lost on our little post so we were already 45 minutes behind. Then during the drive both David and I woke up at the same time (we figured out later) and it felt like the bus was sliding on ice off the road. I looked out the window and saw we were still on the road and it was still raining so I went back to sleep and didn't think too much about it. I found out later that the bus driver almost rear ended about four vehicles. The second bus driver was bracing for impact. Thankfully we were covered in prayers and made it safely down to Italy. We were almost 2 1/2 hours late by this point and it was pouring down rain.

When we found out that we couldn't drive onto the island, they had to take us in to Venice by water taxi which took 30 minutes. Here is David waiting for the water taxi

Our water taxi - at least it was covered so we were out of the rain for 30 minutes :-)

A view out the back of the taxi as we were headed into Venice

The inside, not too roomy, they could fit 12 in a boat and there were three buses with over 40 on each bus - so it took a lot of boats and time to get us to Venice.

There was lots of traffic on the canal as we headed in

David trying to look through the fog as we drove in.

Carnevale sign - we are almost there! This is also the famous Rialto Bridge, which is the most famous Venetian bridge. It was also hotly contested - leading 16th-century architects Michelangelo, Sansovino and Palladio all entered the competition, but lost out to the imposing winning project of 1588-91 by Antonio da Ponte.

This was our first view in Venice. They had a lot of those booths throughout the city. But if you wanted an authentic mask you had to go further in to one of the shops that are permanent.

We headed down the street towards the San Marco Square it was a bit of a walk but nice to stretch our legs

This is one of the smaller canals off to the side, it was amazing how many boats were there.

This was the sight most of the day, lots and lots of umbrellas

This was our first siting of people completely decked out in Carnevale gear. I didn't see them until they were almost passed, but very cool

These two pictures are of The Statue of Vittorio Emanuele II who was the first king of a united Italy, was sculpted by Ettore Ferrari In 1887.

The gondolas that are usually out on the water, are closed up tight because of the rain. We did see one that was out.

crowds getting thicker as we were getting closer to the San Marco square

I thought this was a really cool bit of architecture

Another couple dressed up in carnevale attire

This is part of the famous Doge's Palace which was the official residence of the 120 doges who ruled Venice from 697 to 1797. Unfortunately we weren't able to go in to it. Since we arrived so late, the line to go in was probably a good two hours and we didn't feel like waiting in the wind and rain.

This is the Basilica San Marco it was constructed in such ornate fashion for two reason: as an embodiment of the Venetian Republic's power and as a fitting resting place for St Mark and served as the Doges' chapel, coronations, funerals and processions were held here.

These are some of the ornate mosaics that were painted on the outside of the Basilica - again we didn't stand in line to see the inside but that just makes a great excuse to go back when the sun is shining!

David in front of the tall tower Campanile - which replaced the one that collapsed in 1902

This is the actually Piazza San Marco - which has long been the political and religious heart of Venice. It was once little more than a monastery garden crossed by a stream.

We found the Ferrari Store, David was extremely excited!! We went in and looked around. And that is about all because everything was quite expensive.

Had to get a picture next to the car. David would LOVE to own a Ferrari - Maybe if we win the lotto :-)

So when I was talking to Michael's teacher, Mr. Angel, about us going to Italy, he told us of a great mom and pop restaurant. So we had the business card and we went on a hunt to find it. It was not an easy place to find. Venice was hard to figure out because they evidently don't believe in street signs. And also when you are keeping your head down because of the wind and rain you miss a few signs.  We were really hungry but really wanted to find the restaurant so we decided to have some dessert before our lunch. We had some great gelato! It also sustained us until we could find this restaurant. This is the owner.  When we went to order David ordered his food and then the owner told me I was going to have the rizzato (I think that was what it was called) and he also told us what appetizer we should have. Who is to argue with the owner.

So this was my lunch and it was yummy!! The atmosphere was great, at one point the owner went over and had a drink with one of the other tables.  Both David and I enjoyed the wonderful ambiance of the little restaurant and would definitely go back! One thing that is interesting about Italy is they put bread on the table but you have to pay for each piece you eat, it is not free like in the states.

Us after a wonderful lunch!!! It was also nice to dry off a little bit and relax.

This is one of the streets that we walked down. As you can see it is really crowded and you had to play the umbrella game of tilting them or raising them up to make sure you didn't hit your neighbor. It was quite interesting.

David finally found the mask he wanted - we both looked a long time to find the right ones. I think this one is great!!! Behind him is the grand canal, as you can see by this time his shoes are soaked through as well as the bottom of his pants. That was just the beginning of the wetness to come.

This is another side canal with some different boats.

This is one of the churches that we went in. We couldn't take any pictures inside though. There were some beautiful, beautiful churches!! There was one church that I really wanted to find, in it was a nail of the cross of Jesus. I was bound and determined to find it. It is only open from 4-6 pm and it was getting close to that time. I knew the general direction on which we needed to go, so we kept walking and walking. Then we weren't really sure if we were even in the right place. So we took shelter in a coffee shop.

A picture of my wonderful husband in his great Venice Carnevale mask!

The mask I chose - It was a hard choice because of all the different ones, but it was sure fun looking and choosing!!!

I think this was the thickest hot chocolate that I have ever drank. David said they just melted a chocolate bar for it. It was good though!! So we took out our map and asked the gentleman where we were so we could at least get our bearings. Low and behold we were only three blocks from the church that I wanted to visit. By this time it was getting really dark and raining even harder. So we walked over there and before we could get there a guy pulled us in to look at some Brazilian mosaico. It was really pretty art work and amazing. We then just had to go around the corner and there was the church, San Pantalon. In it was a nail from the True Cross in a rich Gothic altar and the overwhelming ceiling by Gian Antonio Fumiani. It was very awe inspiring both that there was a nail there and the ceiling. I really wish we could have taken pictures so I could show you. But you will have to take my word for it, or better yet come visit and I will take you there!!! When we were on the hunt to find this church we came across a Leonardo Da Vinci Museum. It was a great find. We almost didn't see it because our head was down against the wind and rain, but their board fell in the wind and we heard it and looked. So when we were finished looking at the church we went to the museum. There were some really cool things in there.

This was his "Ideal City".  After that plague of 1484 many architects sought the solution for improving the narrow, crowded, and dark streets of medieval origin.  Leonardo amongst them, was drawn to classical form in his innovative model for a multilayered city where streets are wide and the city is spacious, hygienic and aesthetically beautiful. The city had to be built close to a large river, the water represented the solution to many problems.

This is a submarine - It is a little submarine that Leonardo proposes for underwater warfare. The technique involves using the submarine to move unnoticed underneath an enemy ship in harbor and securing a line with weight to the hull, then securing the other end to the sea floor. When the ship set sail its disemboweling (great word) and sinking would have been guaranteed.

This was his take on an underwater diving suit. The bell is how you were to breathe under the water. Not sure if I would like to try it.

David next to one of the outfits Leonardo liked

I thought this was really cool - it is a portable piano. This allowed the player to walk and play at the same time. It has a three octave range and produces a sound similar to that of a viola.

This is his take on a tank. The idea of a covered wagon able to penetrate the enemy lines had already emerged in the Middle Ages and had been enthusiastically taken up in the XV century. Leonardo designed a heavy wagon shaped like a tortoise armed with cannons on all sides and perhaps reinforced with metal plates.

This was a multi-directional gun machine - The twelve fanned-out barrels fire at the same time.

Cannon - Leonardo did not limit himself only to the testing of arms but also studied new ways of producing them, improving their firing capacity and reloading methods. The Bombarda is the ancestor of the modern mortar. Mounted on a wooden platform, its inclination was regulated by a toothed wheel moved by a worm screw that was, in turn, activated by a hand jack. The one thing that I found interesting was how many military things that he made. I didn't realize that. There were many more war items that he had plans for in this museum. It was very interesting. There were pictures and bridges and so much more!

After the museum, we decided it was time to start heading back towards the square, it was dark and getting late. We needed to find a place to have some dinner. We also decided that we needed to have some dry socks. By this time we were thoroughly soaked from our feet almost up to our waists. So we found a Champion store and bought some new socks, we figured that would be nice for the 12 hour bus ride home! So we finally decided on a restaurant, really just because we were both tired, wet and needed to sit down since we really had been walking most of the day.

So after we were eating for a little bit - this couple sat down next to us. They were great and patient with people wanting to take their picture. I asked and took them real quick.

What was funny is there was another person that was trying to get them to get closer so he could get them in one shot, but they couldn't get close enough and their food came so they just started eating and ignored him. It was really funny. They did say goodbye to us as we were leaving.

So we had about an hour and a half to kill before we were supposed to meet up with our group and we didn't want to go back outside. So we stalled at this restaurant a lot. David ordered first and he finished his meal before I even looked at the menu to eat something. I told him he had to eat really slow. That is hard for him, because he is naturally a fast eater. I kept making him eat slower and slower. I saw the lady next to me have this dish and it looked really good, so I ordered that.

And it was really good!!! We shared it and I think they used at least a tub of butter in it, we had some fresh cheese on it. Again we had to eat slowly. We were trying to dry out a little before we went back out in the wind and rain. It was also getting much colder now because it was late.

We finally had to head back to the meeting place which was about a 15 minute walk. As we walked this is what we saw. There were hundreds of umbrellas just abandoned. The wind wreaked so much havoc on them that they didn't survive. I hate to admit it, but mine didn't make it either. It did make it back to the bus, but by that point it had given its all and we had to leave it in a trash can with many others. It was like an umbrella grave yard. David's umbrella made it though! It was a trooper!!!

While we were waiting for our water taxis to take us back to where the buses were parked, this wonderful hotel let us stay inside out of the rain! We were so thankful!!! I thought it was really cool that they still used real keys for their rooms so I had to take a picture of it!!

These were two of my finds in Italy. I loved the colorful glasses (and of course they are blue and green stems :-) ) and the bottle I thought was so unique and really cool so I had to get it!! We did buy a couple of bigger masks to hang up on the wall and of course some Italian wine. I have to put in a little history here also because I found it very interesting. Ernest Hemingway, who won the US Nobel Prize, was a volunteer ambulance driver during World War I and he was wounded near Treviso. Marco Polo, son of a Venetian merchant, is responsible for the introduction of pasta and window blinds to the western world. Giovanni Casanova was variously a diplomat, scholar, trainee priest, adventurer, gambler, notary's clerk, violinist, womanizer, exile, millionaire, writer and spy. Casanova was imprisoned in the Doge's palace on charges of being a magician, from where he effected an infamously daring escape. And my last interesting fact I will bestow upon you is that Venice had the first "ghetto." It was a Jewish ghetto. Derived from getto (casting) due to an old iron foundry here. As of 1492 many Jewish refugees reached Venice after expulsion from Spain and in 1527, they were obligated by law to move to this area. Subject to a curfew to prevent their fraternizing with local women, they slept behind locked gates and their island was circled by an armed patrol boat. All in all our short trip was really wonderful!! I am so thankful for our friends that kept the boys. They would have been miserable and we wouldn't have been able to see half of what we did. The boys were also glad not to come with us to England (well that is where they thought we were) and to be able to play and stay in their PJs all day long on Saturday. They had a lot of fun over there and LOVE Mr. Vic and Ms. Porchea!!! We will definitely go back so we can go inside some of the buildings we missed and maybe even go on a gondola ride. You only live once right? Sorry this was such a long post, but I wanted to get everything in!!!