> Previous day: A trip to Treviso
In the morning it occurred to me that I hadn't even been near St. Mark's this trip.
After viewing the studio I was thinking of renting I wandered to the Rialto and enjoyed tea and cake at a canalside table next the the bridge. I watched some men manoeuvring boats loaded with boxed goods for the nearby shops. My biro ran out as I was writing notes, so after crossing the bridge I purchased a new slidey pen at a souvenir stall. Walking back in the direction of San Polo I purchased a nice fresh roll (30 cents) for my lunch at a tempting bakery. Then I was enticed into a stationery shop selling fancy notebooks and cards.
I didn't do any hardcore sightseeing in the afternoon. I visited Piazzale Roma on a quest which failed. Alongside the bus stops is a canal where boats pull up to load/unload travellers' suitcases. These are lifted on and off the boats by an extendable conveyor belt. I find the process an intriguing example of how Venice copes with its unique logistical problems. Sadly, the conveyor belt wasn't operating at the time, so I failed to shoot any interesting footage.
From Piazzale Roma I headed south to look at some of Venice's twentieth-century architecture, which makes an interesting contrast with the rest of the city.
Next I sat myself down and enjoyed a lovely freshly-squeezed blood orange juice in the sunshine outside a nice little bar in a tiny square. Sitting in the sun in the campiello, sipping my spremuta and writing notes, I listened to the noisy chirping of sparrows, contemplated a forthcoming rendezvous and decided I simply had to rent the flat I'd viewed. The idea of a life like this (albeit temporarily) was just too seductive.
Much later, after dark, I bought some exciting chocolate gifts in a shop near San Toma, and took a trip on the vaporetto. Alighting at St. Mark's (it just didn't seem right to visit Venice without passing the Piazza) I walked towards the Rialto. I inspected the exterior of my new flat (the lane was satisfactorily quiet) and then caught the vaporetto back to my holiday accommodation. This was an exciting trip – I saw three Grand Canal palaces decked out for parties, with guests in costumes, flaming torches and even two liveried trumpet-blowing heralds.
> Last day: back to the UK
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