May 19, 2022
Today we went to a museum that was open and didn’t go in, and to a church that is never open, and went in.
Museo di Palazzo Grimani is advertised as “an elegant palazzo of Antonio Grimani, one of Venice’s former doges, now open to visitors to tour art & furniture-filled rooms.” When we go there, just a short 10 minute walk (as opposed, I guess, to a long ten minute walk) from our flat, we browsed the books for sale and found one that offered pictures of all of the exhibits. Probably 70 percent were statues and busts, some furniture, and very few paintings. The entry fee was 25 euros – and when you’ve seen one bust of a dead doge, you’ve seen them all – so we departed in search of other venues.
You remember earlier we told you about a church we visited where a group of women (we surmised moms out with their kiddies for playtime) told us Chiesa di San Lorenzo, the burial place of Marco Polo, is never open. Well, wandering back from Tony G’s place, we looked off to our left, and across a small canal and a ponte (bridge) there was San Lorenzo, and on the far right side of the building was an open door and people were going in and out. It was a few minutes after 11 (we got a late start this morning – played cards before we headed out, and I won, bringing the games total to 3-4) and many places like this close at noon, so we scampered over the ponte and through the campo (not to grandmother’s house, but to the church) and went inside.
A strange group called “Ocean Space” has set up an exhibit in it (they say “there are no opposites in nature, no opposite sex, no opposite to real”). They said on their website that they did extensive renovation form 2016-2019 and reopened the church to the public in 2020. Well, the inside looks to your friendly neighborhood blogger like they may have washed the walls and swept the floors, but we couldn’t see 4 years of renovation (maybe that was their secret, who knows). But they do have projectors and projection screens set up blocking your views of the walls and the altar. I did manage to work around their stuff and get a couple of good pictures.
Oh, one other thing Ocean Space has done inside of San Lorenzo. They have set speakers up around the space which are playing strange sounds. I listened for a while wondering what it was, and then it dawned on me: adjusting for the salinity content of the water and the temperature (you “Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home” fans know where I’m going) we were hearing whale song! Strangest use of a worship space I’ve ever seen and I’ve been in some church services that were really strange. Oh well.
Having been serenaded by George and Gracie (No one knows Gracie’s pregnant. Gracie knows – I love ST4!) we headed for our home away from home and another close by church, San Francisco della Vigna. The church was established in 1810, and the place where it stands was originally filled with vineyards, hence the name “vigna,” some of the largest and most fruitful in Venice. The church is dedicated to St. Mark, who according to legend took refuge here during a storm and an angel appeared to him, telling him about the future founding of Venice.
There is a door behind Bonnie’s left shoulder and we approached from that direction only to discover as we peered inside that a service was in progress. We walked to the far end of the building where the main doors are and looked into the interior without entering the worship space. To the front was what appeared to be a casket (and the presence of 4 men in black suits standing outside confirmed our suspicions). A funeral was in progress. As I watched, the priest opened the sacristy, took out the host (the bread) and served it to the worshipers (my guess is that with the continuing threat of covid, the common chalice, so prevalent in Catholic services, is not used).
On our continuing way home, we once again passed the Acqua Alta Bookstore, and this time it was jam-packed, so we didn’t stop, but returned to the flat, lunched and napped.
Oh, and we went over another neat canal.
And that’s my version of today’s events.
Love,
Dad/Pappy/David
* * * * *
AH, today June 22 the first day of summer or so my watch says and about 5 and a half hours past midnight!!! Welcome to my world. Today Thursday, May 19, was a good day. Last night not so much. My marvelous mini c-pap machine for the last two nights has been making noises. I made it to 2 o’clock last night. Then, out to the couch and at about 4 going to sleep till about 6:30. Oh, well, it was better than last night. Light breakfast today, he had toast and I had a yogurt. We both just brushed teeth and did a light cleaning up before we set out on our trip for the day. Google maps was good except for the one time when I tarried to long to gaze into a store window, then it went wandering and we had to reorient it and once or maybe twice restart the phone.
We found all the places we were looking for but not much to see today. The church in the last church at Square San Francisco had a funeral going on inside. There was a large wreath outside with the elderly ladies name on it and a small announcement on a sheet of paper on the side of the building. Four gentlemen dressed in the appropriate black suits waited outside and occasionally peered inside to see how things were going.
We did not intrude. I must say the first church that was “never open” was a disappointment. In one of the rooms the ocean people had set up what looked like two huge stones, that nearly filled half of the huge room, from beneath the ocean and they were playing eerie ocean sounds as if you were under the water.
We went back to the bookstore of the water damaged books but there were way to many people in it to go inside. The aisles in the store are barely wide enough for one person. There were lots of people out today and we saw several tour groups wandering around.
We saw at least two water ambulances and one water police boat. Even heard the siren for one. The last time we were in Venice we saw one of EMT’s going into a house and trying to convince an old man to go with them.
There is one thing you see a lot of besides dogs and pigeons. The pigeons just walk on the streets in front of you and aren’t bothered by you at all. They will even walk along with you. But most Italians when they are out are usually carrying some kind of bag or pulling some kind of rolling bag behind them. Then, there are all the tourists walking around pulling their suitcases. Some seem lost and others appear to be looking for something.
One thing I have told David as we walk down the streets is I wish I had my gardening tools, weed wacker, clippers, etc. Along the streets that are between the buildings on the edge are weeds. Nobody seems to care. There are lots of little courtyards that are overgrown and need my care or some ones. So sad! But this evening on our walk to the canal we passed one lovely courtyard with a whole wall of honeysuckles blooming. It was beautiful.
After our morning walk we came back and had a small lunch. I finished some of my small sandwiches, chips and the Russian salad with chocolates for dessert. Then, off for a nap. He went to the bed and was soon asleep. I sat on the couch and did not nap. In a little while he came out and sat on the end of the couch and kept nodding off. Finally I got sleepy and I went into the bed and napped for about a half hour.
We are two wild and crazy guys.
Supper was at 6 and we had a plate of FF, a plate of brusettas, and he had a steak prepared just like he likes it, medium rare. He finished with a coffee and then we went for a walk and came back, got gelato and came home and watched our two TV shows. Most enjoyable.
Now I am doing my blog having cleaned up my Yahoo before supper and read my comics. Would you believe the yahoo ads on the side of my emails are in Italian. Like I have any idea what they say. Really crazy.
Well, I guess that is all. Love and miss you all. We will be home before you know it. Please everybody say an extra prayer for our safe travel on Monday to the airport and flying home with our stopover in Paris. Love Mom, Granny and Bonnie
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