so... awhile ago i took a trip to Venice.... this trip was probably the best idea i've had since i got here.
This exhibit was amazing... a dark room with these squares of gold thread reaching from ceiling to floor illuminated and glowing... it was so beautiful.
this is a 3-D map (much smaller than actual scale) of the inside of a cave system.
Thomas Moore
This is Yoko Ono's installation, the wishing tree. you're supposed to write a wish and tie it to the branches... i loved this. it's in a little corner of the garden right next to where peggy's ashes are burried... right next to the ashes of all her pets.
I was on a bit of a time crunch, work ended at 4:00 pm on friday and i had to be back on the stand by 1:00pm on Monday. The train ride to Venice is about three hours, so i left Friday around 6:30 and got in around 9:30. if you're ever booking a train in Italy trenitalia.com is grand. you can purchase you ticket online and select the option to pick up your ticket at a kiosk at the station by using a confirmation number. this was wonderfully handy, i would be sure to double check that they have the Trenitalia kiosk at both the stations (there's a list of stations on the site) you'll be visiting... i had a mini panic attack when i realized i didn't see any of the kiosks when i arrived in Venice and was afraid i'd have to purchase another ticket or turn on the waterworks and beg. luckily my panic was waisted, with a little more looking i found the kiosk no problem.
anyway, i got there around 9:30 and walked out of the station into pouring rain and the banks of the main canal. i was so excited. it was so surreal realizing i was actually there... i got in line and purchased a weekend pass for the water busses called vaporettos and hopped on the #2 bus headed to the Rialto stop. the crowded bus and the rain kept my camera in its case for the time being, but i took plenty of pictures the next day to make up for it. i found my hostel easily and got checked in. I was so exhausted and wanted to get an early start so i went to bed a passed out almost immediately.
Saturday morning i got up early and went to the fish market and the produce markets near my hostel. i love fish markets... they're so interesting. there were octopus, eels, all sorts of fish, and i found a crate full of tiny little crabs that were still alive and crawling all over each other. The produce markets were lovely, i got a couple pears and had one for breakfast. i like the sense of community these open markets bring. this very necessary human interaction for the transfer of goods. back home i can go to a store any time of day, pick my own fruit and use a self checkout machine and avoid any human interaction whatsoever. here it's so much more interactive and involved. i really find this interesting in how it effects cultural development and perceptions of necessity and means of obtaining goods.
This is the Rialto Bridge
after the market i took the vaporetto to St. Mark's Square to see the St. Mark Basilica. luckily i was there early so i didn't have to wait in line too long. the building was so beautiful. the mosaics that decorated most surfaces on and inside of the building were so intricate, it was truly amazing. the basilica itself is free, but the tour of the museum upstairs is 4 euro. i decided it was worth it and really wasn't dissapointed. The original 4 bronze horses that stand on the top of that basilica (the ones Napoleon stole when he overtook the city) are displayed inside, replicas now stand atop the building. there were also lots of bits of the original mosaics on display here... they were amazing. the view from atop the building was also fabulous.
after i'd had my fill of the basilica I hopped back on the vapoiretto and on to la Biennale de Venezia. this show was so interesting and a very welcome change to the massive amounts of realist art i've encountered in the past few months. the Biennale is a world wide art event, artists from many countries have exhibitions throughout the city. there are two main locations, the Giardini and the Arsenale, where the majority of the exhibits are. i managed to make it through both of these with my afternoon and early eveing. there were far more exhibits than i could tell about in here but i've posted a few pictures on here and for a more complete photo experience i'll put a link to my facbook photo albums at the end of the post.
This exhibit was amazing... a dark room with these squares of gold thread reaching from ceiling to floor illuminated and glowing... it was so beautiful.
this is a 3-D map (much smaller than actual scale) of the inside of a cave system.I loved this experience. it was so nice getting back around some modern art. after the exhibit closed I went to get a light dinner and experience the pub crawl. i got light bits of food stuffs here and there and tried a few types of wine. note: pub crawl wine is NOT high quality. but it was a nice evening out as a participant observer of the Venetian nightlife. it had been a long day so i ended up back at my hostel at a decent hour and got myself a good nights sleep.
the next morning was beautiful. i got up early and headed out. this happened to be the day that daylight savings time kicked in over here so i was out and about pretty early, it was sunday so the streets were deserted. i finally wandered by a cafe and decided to get some breakfast. as i walked into the cafe a guy sitting outside made a comment on how my feet must have been cold (i was in sandals) and i told him: yes, in fact they were. this was enough of a response to warrant him following me into the shop, insisting on buying my cappuccino and pastry and inviting me to sit with him outside. i started to resist but then decided to go with the flow. he ended up being a very kind man who owned a hostel right down the street (not the one i stayed at). we chatted for a good half hour and he told me about how crazy italian women can be, how business is good, but living in Venice isn't very interesting for him, and then he invited me to stay at his apartment next time i'm in town so that he could take me to dinner and show me the city. yes... all this is a simple half hour. though i've learned that if i talk to the men here for more than a minute i usually get these invitations to dinner as well as the invite to stay at their home. i'd have to say it was a severe understatement when people told me the men here were forward. in any case, he was kind and i enjoyed the chat.
after breakfast i headed on my way to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. this was phenomenal. the museum is inside of Peggy's home, and all the work was part of her private collection. there's little blurbs throughout the museum about what room you were in and what it was used for when peggy still lived there. the collection was inspiring. original works by Picasso, Duchamp, Braque, Pollock, Kindansky, Dali and so many more filled every room. photos weren't allowed inside the museum, but they were in the sculpture garden
Thomas Moore
This is Yoko Ono's installation, the wishing tree. you're supposed to write a wish and tie it to the branches... i loved this. it's in a little corner of the garden right next to where peggy's ashes are burried... right next to the ashes of all her pets.overall this museum had so much energy to it. such a sense of movement and exploration... I got the audio guide tour and it was so informative, if you go i'd recommend this. it had amazing insight into some pieces i would have grazed over otherwise and gave a deeper meaning to the pieces i already knew. knowing a bit more about the history really helped put more meaning in these works that are already stunning. i loved this museum very much.
after this wonderfully refreshing experience i wandered the streets of Venice. ahhh... it was amazing. i happened upon a man playing this mandolin/guitar in a sunny little courtyard. i sat on some steps and listened to him play for a while. it was so beautiful. i had this amazing moment of realization of the extreme beauty in my life. and not just for the fact that i'm living a dream right now, but also for the people in my life whom i love so very much, the opportunities that i've been so lucky to have and so many things i couldn't even begin to write here. it was a wonderful experience.
wandering around the city was amazing. the endless shops, the amazing little canals and bridges, the light made everything warm and lovely. I stopped to get some gelato... it was wonderful. i got pistachio and chocolate chip. they were splendid.
As i wandered i popped into different shops and found various things to snag my attention. one of the most interesting was this display of instruments from 1500's-1800's. it was amazing! you weren't supposed to take photos but i got a few... they're a bit blurry though...
These instruments were so beautiful. the woodwork on some of them was so impressive. i only wish i could hear the music that these were build to play... this was such a gem of an exhibit.
I wandered back to St. Marks to see it in the sun this time, it was stunning. the square is lined with shops and restaurants where musicians preform on four string quartets, pigeons were flying everywhere and beggars wandered the crowds. it was so interesting being in such a historic place and having the juxtaposition of kitschy tourism next to these beautiful buildings... but i think i'm finding that everywhere i go here.
After a few hours of exploring town i took the water bus back to the station and got some cookies and apple chips to snack on on the way home. it was dark on my ride home and i got some good reading time, which was nice. I made it home in one piece without any problems, it really was a wonderful weekend, i just wish i'd remembered to get a picture of myself there....
this city was stunning. after i returned to Florence i got ahold of a documentary that told the history of venice, which is fascinating. I didn't really do my homework before i came here, but i'd highly recommend poking around the city's history before a visit. it makes it that much more interesting.
the buildings are beautiful and seeing them rest in the milky green water is unlike anything else i've ever seen. there's a sense of history and decay intertwined with every inch of this place, it was mesmerizing and reminded me of all the beauty there is in the world. all in all: a perfect weekend.
