Venturing to the Centro

Saturday morning was a bit brisk and really felt like fall. The temperature was 51 degrees, not really that bad, but a lot cooler than 81! Through the night we had a series of thunderstorms with heavy rain and wind. I am going to try to attach some videos ...... not sure it will work. In any case, there were large puddles outside. Forunately, the sky was clearing.

We had  a nice breakfast of fruit, toast and poached eggs. The adventure happened, however, when one of the poached eggs exploded in the microwave. Even with a paper towel on top, it splattered all over the broiler coils in the top of the oven ....... lots of fun with that one!

First item on the agenda was to check out a smaller grocery market near the Zitelle vaporetto stop. We had seen it previously as we 'drove' by. If it worked out it would be very convenient, a bit closer than the COOP. It took only a few minutes on the boat, and it had a very nice selection ....... just what we needed ......... a very popular and small neighborhood market. We got our essentials and some additional food for lunch and dinner and headed back ....... but not before stopping for a machiato and a cappucino at the Ostello di Venezia. This is actually a very upscale hostel and was fairly busy for a Saturday morning. We also bought a panini and focaccia for later. 

There is currently a big, noteworthy exhibit in the San Giorgio church by the Chinese artist Ai WeiWei. He is a relative celebrity in the art world, have been imprisoned in China before being released with great publicity. We took advantage of a quiet Saturday morning and walked through. The sculpture in the church is staggering ....... the largest piece of Murano glass scupture ever assembled ...... over 3 tons. It is also, however, very somber and disturbing, focusing on death and the human condition. It is a tour de force of black glass bones, skulls and other body parts hanging from a 30 'high gantry in the center of the nave of the church. Quite powerful. 

There is also a portion of WeiWei's show dedicated to his work with legos! He has a fascination with the assembly of pattern and the lego has become one of his favorite media.

BACK AT THE RESIDENCE

The local chicken coop in the garden

The communal living room outside our apartment

one of the corridors leading to our apartment

OFF TO SAN MARCO AND CASTELLO TO EXPLORE

(mostly a photo journel for the blog ..... lots of flashbacks and discoveries)

By now, the sun was out and we decided to hang out in the room for an hour or two, have lunch and then venture out to the Centro (more or less mainland) of Venice. Ourplan was to start in the San Marco sestiere and move a bit to the east into Castello ....... and then swing back to check out Piazza San Marco in the early evening ...... all at a leisurely pace . The City was buzzing as one would expect late on a Saturday, particularly after the crazy rain of the evening before.

We took the vaporetto back before sunset and spent a relazing evening in the apartment, cooking a dinner of salad, pasta with zuchinni, onion, chicken and cheese. We collapsed around 11:00.