Glass and Old Lace

A pretty house in Venice

Thursday, June 14

Actually the title shouldn't be old lace, but it sounded more like the play with the "old" in there.  Today I will share the islands of Murano and Burano as well as discuss the vaporettos and "public" bathrooms of Venice.  

Vaporettos are water buses.  You can use them to get to one of many "bus stops" around the city on the grand canal and the other islands as well as outside of the island of Venice.  As an aside, we have a very detailed map of Venice on the wall of our apartment and usually Venice is described as looking like a fish.  Joshua mentioned a few days ago that it looked more like a kangaroo, and I think I agree with him (although it depends on the map you look at).  The bus stops are little floating things, like a raft with walls and a roof and benches.  It is attached to the sidewalk with a ramp.  The vaporetto pulls up alongside it, they open the gate for the people to get off, and new people get on.  You can ride a one ride pass or a longer pass (we got 12 hour passes), although no one ever looked at them.  Once we had to use them to get in the door of the station, but it is more of an honor thing--I'm not sure if they do random checks or not.  Signs on the wall say that if you got on without a ticket, to notify the bus personnel immediately; you will have to pay for your ticket but not the 52 Euro fine.  (I can't find the combination of keys to type the Euro symbol--very frustrating!).   The tough part about the Vaporettos is reading the map and making sure that the vaporetto that you want goes to all of the stops--it doesn't always and you may need to backtrack and change buses.  

A "bus" stop

A Vaporetto:  water bus

Today we purchased vaporetto passes to go the islands in the "lagoon" of Venice.  We went to Murano and Burano.  Murano is known for making glass--including art glass.  They include little beads, called Murrani, in their glass--the roll the bulb of molten glass in them.  We got to watch the craftspeople make a few pieces.  Shelby bought a necklace and earrings, I bought a small little dish--probably a candy dish.  Burano is known for making lace--we saw a few women in shops tatting lace--much more casual than the glass blowing.  I found some glass "candy" pieces to go in my new dish.  They actually look like candy but are made of art glass.  On both islands we walked around, looking at the houses.  Burano is also known for pastel buildings.  I don't agree with that--most of those buildings were anything but pastel--hot pink, bright aqua blue, dark red--you name it, they have it!

Murano glass workroom

Closeup of glasswork on arch

Glassworker

Art Glass Sculpture in Murano

Community Art Glass Sculpture in Murano

The colorful houses of Burano

After those, we went to the tower of one of the thousands of churches in Venice and went to the top for a great view of Venice.  Then we took the vaporetto all around the shouthern end to ride the Grand Canal from beginning to end.  That was cool, seeing areas that we haven't walked yet (although our feet feel like we have!).   Next was to see the actual church that Joshua bought a model of--byzantine in type, according to Randy.  Then to the bus stop closest to the grocery store.  We bought our last groceries, including stopping at our favorite fruit stand in the market to buy some cherries (one of my favorite stops!).  

"Joshua's church"

Now, about the public bathrooms--they have WC signs everywhere in the city, and after following the signs around, you eventually find the bathroom.  Now, when I was here (*gasp*!)  21 years ago, I paid for a bathroom to find a porcelain-lined hole in the ground.  It is better now, there are actual toilets, but you pay one and a half euros to use them!  So when nature called today, Randy found a gelato store that had a toilet--we still paid the one and a half euros but got an ice cream cone out of it!!  And, mine was absolutely yummy--homemade raspberry gelato--with the seeds still in it!

WC:  water closet (toilets)

One other musing, this morning I looked out our kitchen window that overlooks the street and saw a person empty her dustpan out from her balcony, another put wet clothes on a line to dry, and tradespeople off to work; one was pushing a wheelbarrow filled with a bag of concrete, a mini-concrete mixer and shovels.  It just all looked so normal--that's the Venice I want to see even more than the canals and St. Mark's. I loved roaming the labyrinth of walkways too. It also reminded me of a scene from a Disney movie (no groans!)--from Beauty and the Beast when Belle is walking through her village singing about her provincial life.  Well, we say good-bye to Venice early tomorrow morning!        

Stormy Afternoon

The Rialto Bridge

Wednesday, June 13

Last night Randy and Joshua and I went out for an evening walk--just walking aimlessly up and down pathways.  That is one thing that you can do easily in Venice--you're on an island--you can only get turned around so much--otherwise, you'll fall into the ocean (and then you'll have other problems to deal with).  Eventually we decided to make our way back, but we didn't know which way because with all of the narrow walkways twisting and turning we got kind of turned around.  Eventually, we followed all of the signs back to Rialto bridge and could make our way home from there.

The Fish Market at night

The Grand Canal at night

The Grand Canal at night with a gondola

Randy and Joshua in a doorway to yet another walkway

A wider walkway leading to a narrower one

Today we slept in then, after a late breakfast, went out.  It was almost noon because Annie had an email from her friend saying that she could not schedule a PSEO orientation meeting because they said that Annie hadn't taken the quiz after watching the orientation web tutorial (she had, but took it again from here).  She couldn't be sure of some of her answers (you are supposed to look them up) because she couldn't access the course handbook from here.  So she had to do that and email her friend that she would skype to schedule the appointment.  (Annie called right before we left and they said that she could not schedule an appointment until Monday--it didn't matter that she was going to be out of the country for 5 weeks--she should have someone else call for her.)

Well, anyway, we headed out.  Since Venice is full of canals, it has no cars--nothing motorized.  There is a bus dropoff and train station at the edge of the island, but no vehicles past that.  If you want a bus, you take a vaporetto (a water bus), or you can take a water taxi.  We watched many deliveries made by boat yesterday.  The boat ties up close to the business, then uses a dolly to cart it's delivery to where it needs to be.  Most travel is done by foot.  The walkways are very medieval in nature, some up to 10 feet wide, more of them only a few feet wide.  The major paths are long, but most are less than a block (some only 5 feet long), then either dead end or open onto a square (a campo).  There are thousands of campos---some large, some very small.  The largest have old cisterns in the center (to catch the rainfall for water for the people that lived near there).  Several have a water pump.   Randy read that all water from pumps and fountains is fine to drink, so we filled our water bottles from there during the day.  Most of the dead ends have a path leading out to another path, but it is difficult to see.  Many simply end at the water or with residences lining it all around.  Because of this labyrinth of pathways, even those with a good sense of direction can get very turned around.  Painted up around the second story near most squares are signs with arrows and either Rialto or S. Marco on them.   Some point to vaporetto or to the bus/train area.  Large churches  just pop out all over the place as you walk.  

A campo-on the left is another church

So we walked aimlessly, the children determining which paths to take.  It was a beautiful sunny day with a slight breeze.  Then we returned to our apartment for lunch, then out again.  Just after going in to see San Marco (St. Mark's Cathedral), it started to sprinkle with a cool wind and thunder.  We walked under the loggia around the San Marco piazza, but the rain just got harder.  So we walked to the grocery store and returned back at our apartment wetter (we forgot the umbrellas) than when we left.  It was around 6:00.  Randy did some laundry and is making dinner now.  Smells good!

Beautiful vines!

Two attractive young women we met at San Marco
 (named Anneliese and Shelby)

Waiting out the rain in the piazza loggia

  

The Grand Canal

NOT the Grand Canal!

Tuesday, June 12


Yesterday was primarily a traveling day.  We did meet with a friend of ours, Lisa, that lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children.  We saw her apartment, then walked with her and the children to Prospect Park for a picnic.  Lisa shared the realities of living and shopping in New York--especially with two young children (4 and almost 1)  in New York.  Walking a few miles each way to the bagel store, then back to the apartment, then a mile and a half each way to the preschool co-op, then a mile each way to the park with us.  A lot of walking each day and only purchasing what you can carry (or can put in the stroller).  Also, the difficulties of space.  They have a two-bedroom apartment, but she needs to use the smaller bedroom as her studio for her freelance projects.  The whole family sleeps in the larger bedroom.  A larger apartment would be so much more expensive and could cost the preschool co-op they helped form, the neighbors on their street, etc.  Also, the cost is prohibitive.

Evelyn and Joshua

Liam and Evelyn

 On the way back to the apartment, we called a car service for a ride to the airport--it costs almost as much for a family of five as taking the subway and the airport train.   We traveled by overnight flight to Dublin, then to Venice where, in a sleep-deprived haze, we found the bus and Randy was able to direct us the mile or so to our apartment.  We have two rooms.  One room has a bed and fold-out couch.  The other room has a fold-out couch, a table you can assemble and folding chairs, with a kitchenette on one wall.  We arrived a few hours early, so we took our bags to the grand canal near a market and found fruit for lunch with granola bars, then napped in the sun.  Soon we could get into our apartment where we took a three-hour nap.  Then to the Rialto bridge, St. Mark's square, and finding a grocerystore (more than the small market down the street).  Walking around the narrow alleys with buildings made of stone and plaster makes me feel like I'm in a medieval village.  I wore comfortable clothes to travel in on the airplane.  I'm looking forward to a skirt and sandals tomorrow--cool and comfortable and more attractive than my black t-shirt and knit capris!

Just arrived in Venice

San Marco Cathedral

From New York, the overseas flight was so much shorter than from Minneapolis or Chicago.  Then the short flight from Dublin to Venice (because we flew Aer Lingus they have layovers in Dublin).  Now Randy is making dinner and we are planning an evening walk for whoever is interested--it will most likely be just Randy and I.  This summer, Annie does not have AP summer homework, so she can just enjoy the vacation without the evil specter looming of a huge assignment waiting for her when we go home.  Joshua is making full use of his iPod camera--taking over a hundred pictures a day!  He is learning the fine art of editing, when he goes through them at night and  deletes the bad photos or duplicates.  Shelby was forced to eat a cherry by a fruit seller.

Manhattan

The mosaic at the Museum of Natural History subway stop

Sunday, July 10

Today was more Manhattan.  On our way from the airport, we drove through Queens and what we saw was filled with a sea of apartment houses.  We are in Brooklyn which, at least the area we are staying in, seems a bit grittier.  Today we also saw Greenwich Village which was lovely and the rest of Manhattan that we’ve seen is a typical large city.  The subway system here could use some help.  Thank goodness for people being helpful.  One person said that New Yorkers seem to have the attitude that if you aren’t from here, you shouldn’t be here, but she knows that much of their economy depends on tourists.   The maps are only moderately helpful.  The ticket people and the signage are not helpful at all.  The Tube (London) and the Metro (Paris) are much easier to navigate.  Even the subway in Budapest was easier to figure out than this (and it’s in Hungarian!).   We had to take a train, then switch to another train, then we missed our stop and had to take a different train!  First to the Museum of Natural History (see Night at the Museum).  Very cool.   Of course, we didn’t see Teddy Roosevelt come to life (movie reference), and the museum is way too big for us to see everything in the couple of hours we had, but we saw a lot and though it is less interactive than many museums we’ve been to, the children loved it (even those hard to please big children!).   

After that, we walked around Central Park--mostly in the Ramble area.  Then there was a Puerto Rico Day parade--which completely closed down 5th Avenue.  We had to walk through wall to wall people, then found out we had to backtrack to cross 5th and get to Madison Avenue.  Then we went to FAO Schwartz and the children got to look around.  Randy and Annie played “Heart and Soul” on the giant piano upstairs!  Then on to Rockefeller Center, the NBC studios, Radio City Music Hall and Times Square--a bunch of photo ops.  We also saw the “ball” that drops on New Year’s eve in Times Square.  Then we saw the Chrysler Building and the Flat Iron.  Then, of course, Joshua’s dream come true--the Empire State Building!!  More photo ops at Madison Square Garden and the Public Library. 

Central Park

Central Park

Trying out the Big Piano

The girls are in love with Patrick the Pup at FAO Schwarz

Joshua at his shrine-the Empire State Building

Times Square

Then we went to the High Line Park near the 4 (yes 4!) post office buildings.  It used to be a train thoroughfare that was changed into a garden.  They left some of the rails, added paths, benches, and native plants.  There was also art.  To get to the park, you need to take the elevator or climb the stairs.  We walked the entire length.  Then walked to and through the Village to NYU.  One of Annie’s college choices at this time is the Tisch School at NYU.  We found it.  NYU is on Washington Square; Tisch is on the other end of the NYU sprawl on Broadway.  Then the subway back to Brooklyn.  

Annie at NYU

The High Line park

Welcome to New York City!!

The Freedom Tower 

Saturday, June 9

Welcome on our adventure to Italy!  First, however, is an extended layover in New York City.  In the airport when we were leaving, we saw some of the History Day kids getting ready to go to DC.  Annie saw some friends and a teacher, we all saw our neighbor Anna.  Annie felt a little jealous that she wasn’t going to History Day too.  

In New York, we caught a cab from the airport to our hotel.  Our cab driver was quiet, but when he turned on the radio tuned to a station in a different language, I understood why.  The GPS directed him the wrong way on the final street, but the rest of the ride seemed to go well.  We checked in and since the room was ready, took a short nap (we had to leave at 4:00 this morning!).  Our hotel is in Brooklyn, near Prospect Park for those that know the city.    

Then off to see the city!  We took the subway to Manhattan, then found ourselves walking down Wall Street and took a photo of the American Stock Exchange and Trinity Church (which was very important in American Treasure).  Then to the Freedom Tower and the 9/11 memorial.  The garden is complete, but the museum is not.  Thanks to Becky Garrett, we knew to get our tickets online before we left!  The memorial was solemn but beautiful.  We saw the north and south pools and the survivor tree (the only tree to survive (even though it was right by the building!  On one side of the tree, the branches do not reach out as far--that is the side that was facing the South Tower.  We also saw the Freedom Tower, not completely done yet.  

The Survivor Tree

Then we walked through Hudson River Park to Battery Park.  The Hudson River Park is a strip of grass, trees, and native plants with walking and bike trails.  At Battery Park, Shelby and Joshua were chosen to participate in a street performance (we love street performers!).  The man was an acrobat and took a running dive over our two children and five other people!  Thank goodness he made it!  : )  Then we took the Staten Island Ferry (which is free) to and back from Staten Island.  The ferry passes right by the Statue of Liberty.   

(Shelby is in the orange shirt, Joshua is in the red shirt)

As we were walking around Manhattan after that, we saw a Brazilian-African drum group--all women.  They were having so much fun, moving and dancing, and throwing their drums up in the air--it made it a  lot of fun for us to watch as well.  Then we went by the Wall Street bull (as in bull market).  We then stopped in a park with a fountain before walking back to Brooklyn over the Brooklyn Bridge.  It was fun remembering a book that I read (Brook Land) about the bridge being built as we were walking over it). 

After eating dinner at a cafe we found, we headed back to our hotel for an early evening. 

Ciao Baby!!

Wow, Italy is coming fast!!  I can't believe there are only 9 days left of school and just 2 1/2 weeks until we leave for Italy.   Mentally going over and over what the children and I might need--clothes, shoes, toiletries, and making up shopping lists on my iPod.  I am currently reading a book about ancient Rome (very ancient) and am very sad that a lot of what I'm reading doesn't exist anymore.    

Last Days in Sweden

I am currently in Stockholm in the lobby of the youth hostel resting my feet!  Busy couple of days!  Friday we went to Granbyskolan.  It is a middle/high school so Gunnar and I ducked out for awhile to visit the elementary school across the parking lot.  We got to visit a special education class during their music class. Very fun--one of the girls tried to kidnap me but let go of my hand when she had to get her shoes on.  At many elementary schools, everyone removes their shoes at the door (as you do in every Swedish home).  Some schools have little plastic booties you can put on over your shoes if you prefer.  Some people have "home shoes" or slippers that they keep near their doors and sometimes take with them to other peoples' houses.

Then we heard a man from the United States that moved to Sweden to play basketball many years ago and now teaches sports at the school.  He was very interesting.  Then a small lunch and off to Gunnar's school where the special education program was having a special "Pask" (Easter) lunch and program.  They drank Paskemust--a sort of grape soda that's a special Easter drink.  Then a few students got up and sang for us while Martin accompanied them on the keyboard.  So talented!!!

At night we had a farewell dinner prepared by the Americans for our hosts at one of the principal's houses.   Good food and lots of talking!  By the time I got home, one of the Swedes had already requested to friend me!  : )    Fun time!

At our party, playing Swedish songs with the guitar and two nyckelharpor.

When we woke up yesterday there was snow accumulated on the ground and it was so cold!!!!!!  We took the train to Stockholm and then the bus to the hostel because it was too cold to walk.  It was just above freezing and very windy.  The snow on the sidewalks and roads had melted and puddles were everywhere but the windchill was horrible!  The bus drops off really close to the hostel.

Check in at the hostel went smoothly,  in fact I got some money back because I had a hostel membership (Cheryl had already paid for the rooms when she reserved them—we paid her back and the rate was the non-membership rate).  The hostel is divided into two parts—the main building and a boat--the af Chapman.  In fact, the boat is even marked on the tourist maps and when we told people where we were staying, they had heard of the af Chapman. 

First, we made our beds and warmed up.  The duvet covers here have little holes at the top for you to reach in and hold onto the duvet—what a stroke of genius!   Margareta and Gunnar’s was the same.   Our room had two sets of bunks, lockers, a small table with 2 chairs, and a sink.  The women’s toilets were across the hall and the women’s showers just a short way down the hall (next to the toilets).  Now, when they have just a toilet and sink in the little room with the door to the hallway, why do they designate male/female?  We can both use the same fixtures.  Same with the showers, there is a stall with curtain and a bench and the door to the hallway locks—why are they male/female?  Men don’t have separate secret showers.  Who knows?  

The boat has dark wood floors all marked up by years of hard use—they’re great!  The floors angle from the center to the edges—probably for shedding water if it came in, but it was a little weird.  There is a café on the deck—a few meals offered as well as tea/coffee/pastries—this is Sweden, after all!  We must have a place for fika. 

Our boat--the af Chapman

We went there for a  warm lunch, then walked to and around Gamla Stan in the icy, cold wind.  We wore hats and mittens.  We bumped into Daren—he was staying at a hostel in Gamla Stan facing the water (in fact, we could see it from our portholes!!).  He walked with us, then we went back to the boat for more layers as the temperature dropped.  It had snowed in the morning but melted and we saw all of the puddles freezing as we walked back to the hostel.  I wore a t-shirt, sweatshirt, thick sweater, and fall jacket and was still chilly.  Thank goodness the farm school gave us the black knit beanies—those kept our heads and ears almost warm.  We asked at the hostel desk for ideas of places to eat and they gave the suggestion of one place on the island or going over to Gamla Stan again.  So we checked out the place on the other side of the island, but it was very expensive for what looked like not very tasty-looking food.  So we walked in the ever-deepening cold to Gamla Stan.  When we reached the main square, I suggested the place that we ate when we were there—in a basement just off the square.  We were all hungry and cold, so they said to find it and we ate there.  Cynthia was very taken with the unusual restaurant—it goes back quite a ways in successive rooms and is like a cave.  We ate there and warmed up.  After a leisurely dinner, we walked a bit more then went to our respective hostels for the night. 

Gamla Stan from across the water

                                

On Sunday, we still hadn’t heard from Lisa so Cheryl and Cynthia and I went out walking and window shopping.  Cheryl bought some handiworks for a projects she’s doing with ASI (the American Swedish Institute) and Cynthia bought a nice jacket, but that was all.  We walked in the downtown area and in Gamla Stan.  We stopped for fika at a very well-known café called the White Cat (evidently there is a black cat somewhere else in Stockholm).  Then we decided to take a break and went back to our room.  After a few minutes we went to the main building to take advantage of the free wi-fi and to buy our bus tickets to get to the train station, then came back for fika at our ship café.  It was about 4:30 and we were hungry, so we ate dinner with our coffee and tea.  Then back to our room to rest and read and pack for the morning.  We talked most of the time, so not much reading happened. 

Cynthia and Cheryl in Gamla Stan (Old Town)

                                          

None of us slept very well, but got up at 5:00 to shower and head to the bus stop for the 6:16 bus.  It was on time and we arrived at the train station.  Cheryl took the subway to stay with her cousin for a few days who lives in Stockholm.  Cynthia and I went to the ticket office to buy train tickets to the airport, but he said that the much faster express had two for one tickets and sent us to that office out by the platforms.  The man at the counter was quite snarky and said that that was only on Sundays (and then he said—welcome to reality—that was the snarky part).  So we bought the tickets because we were there and seven minutes later we were on the express train to the airport.  At the airport, we checked in and got our boarding passes all the way through to Minneapolis.  Then we went to the Global Blue desk so that I could get my taxes reimbursed.  Cynthia had made qualifying purchases, but she did not get the special form at the point of sale that you had to fill out to get the  rebate.  After going through security, we stopped at a café for breakfast (we were gone too early to eat at the hostel).  Then to the gate where we met up with Lisa.  Chicago also went slowly but smoothly.  We were lucky that we decided to look at the luggage carousel to make sure that our bags went through because they didn’t.  We had to get them and take them to another place to be put on the next flight.  Cynthia’s friend gave us a ride home from the Minneapolis airport which was much easier than walking to and from the light rail. 

My next time at the airport will be going to Italy in June!