kmc207

Che Freddo!!!!  We have been having incredible COLD days here over the past week. So cold that the lagoon has frozen over, and the Grand Canal and even the smaller canals have ice on them. Ice chunks on the canal outside my apartment Ice on the Grand Canal Ice on the bottom and sides of the gondola. The Carnevale Regata on Sunday was cancelled due to the frigid temperatures, and the temperatures have only gone lower throughout the rest of the week. Last night a wind (a Bora) was... Read Full Story

Today is the first day of Carnevale!!!  The big events begin next week, there are only a few things going on in Venice today, the first of which is the arrival of Il Toro.  Lighting a wooden bull on fire on the last day of Carnevale is an old tradition, which has not been part of current celebrations here, until this year. Today the  bull was put into place at Punta della Dogana where it will remain until Feb 21, the last day of Carnevale, when it will be set on fire at midnight. Mike and... Read Full Story

Carnevale 2012 kicks off tomorrow in St. Mark's square at 6pm with a special toast, with wine flowing from a large fountain that is constructed specially for Carnevale.  There are a few other events over the weekend, then things are quiet until Feb 11 when things really get going.  Here are some photos of prior years costumes to give you a taste of what's to come - soon!  While St. Mark's square is a sea of humans during Carnevale, it's worth being jostled for a few hours just to be able to... Read Full Story

Early this afternoon, another terremoto (earthquake) shook our apartment. What the heck is going on in Italy this week??  The epicenter was again near Parma, and about the same intensity as the first one a few days ago. Fortunately for everyone in Italy, no damage was suffered as a result of either of these events.  After everything was over, Mike and I had a little discussion about what it might have been like if the epicenter had been here in Venice. Surely we would have been covered by our... Read Full Story

Today is a special day at our house! Four years ago, we arrived in Venice to begin our new life. Where have  those 4 years gone?  Goodness, they have just flown,  it feels as if it were just yesterday I walked into this apartment for the first time. I spent most of today reflecting on everything we've been through- from all the planningto selling all of our possessions and actually getting ourselves here, to making a life in an entirely new country,  not knowing one single soul other than... Read Full Story

The letter you see above from RAI, the Italian TV networks run by the Italian government, was delivered yesterday by our post woman. Here's a little tidbit you should know about if you are ever thinking of living in Italy- if you have  a TV in your apartment, you must pay a special tax to the Italian government of 112 Euros per year, just to have the luxury of plugging the TV into an antenna. Isn't that something?  Fortunately for us this wasn't a shock .  (It was a shock when we initially... Read Full Story

We had an unplanned festa at our house tonight!  Earlier this morning, while at my fish monger in Campo Santa Margherita to pick up a piece of salmon, I noticed he had a small pile of blue crabs- Maryland blue crabs! Wow, this was an incredible surprise. I could not leave there without some, so I asked for 6 of them also.  My fish monger says, "Oh, you like the Dungeness crabs?"  Sorry- these are Maryland Blues. I had to set him straight. We got into a little discussion on the difference... Read Full Story

Last night as I was closing up the shutters I noticed a thick fog had rolled in around our canal. I wondered what morning would be like.  We've had an unusually mild winter so far in Venice- pretty mild temperatures, very little fog, no ice or snow yet, and only one morning of high water. Weird season, actually, but I am not complaining. I'm a summer girl. In the morning, my first order of business was an appointment at my hairdresser's, Simone.  His salon was FREEZING this morning!!!  I... Read Full Story

I bet you thought I was going to tell you all about a new shopkeeper or barista who  befriended me this week.  I wish!  I made a promise to myself that I would push myself harder to improve my Italian this year, and in doing so, I've been working on developing some new daily habits.  One to two hours a day I am pouring over my Italian workbooks, listening to audiotapes and recording myself. I'm also reading a book in Italian!  I chose an old favorite of mine- Nancy Drew's Mystery of the... Read Full Story

I posted recently about the vegetable boat at San Barnaba closing up. The photo above was taken on their last day of work, Dec 24. The photo below was taken yesterday. Same boat, same spot, pretty forlorn looking. Venice is changing, more rapidly that I care to admit. And below is even further evidence of it- Farmacia Morelli in Campo San Bartolmeo keeps this digital display in the front window, constantly updating the number of full time residents in the city, along with a document... Read Full Story