Tuesday, 3/11/03
How shall I start? I am, of course, in Venezia. Yesterday we left at 7:10 in the morning for Ravenna. I was too exhausted to pull an overnighter and finish my project. I brought it with me. As we drove in the city on the bus we passed some pretty whitish trees. We didn't know what they were, but they had sweet gum-like things on them. Cady and Kate named them spiky ball trees.
We went to the Church of San Vitale. I was blown away by the shimmering mosaics (frescoes don't come close) and the alabaster windows that let the light shine through. The church was round and gorgeous. Afterward I was with Omar, Morgan, and Morgan's sister. We got food at a pizza/sandwich place and sat down in front of a McDonalds, the only place where it's safe to sit without being charged or go to the bathroom without buying something. We had a good laugh when Omar saw a sign advertising a McMexican meal. The burger supposedly has guacamole on it!
We all joked about singing songs without thinking about it, because at 5am on Saturday morning when Omar and I were at the computer, Omar thoughtlessly started singing "Build me up Buttercup." Omar singing doesn't phase me, but his choice of song really cracked me up. I've had that song (one of my very least favorite oldies) stuck in my head on and off since then.
After Ravenna, we came to Venezia and I slept the entire 3 hours. When we got to the coast of the mainland we were all raising our eyebrows at how ultimately ugly it was. It was fully of ugly busy streets, and enormous factories. We got on a boat and could see nothing. I'd been excited about coming to Venice, but wasn't really enjoying myself because I knew I had a ton of work to do. When we got to Lido (the island where our hotel is) we found out that we ought not to validate our 72 hr. boat passes until the next day, so they would be good through Friday. I was glad, because that meant there was nothing to see that night and I could work on my project.
I went to a Chinese restaurant with Carmen and Valerie for dinner. My pineapple chicken and wonton soup were satisfactory, but after seeing Carmen's spring rolls and tasting Valerie's sweet and sour chicken, that was what I wanted. Unfortunately, it wasn't cheap so I won't go again. I worked the rest of the evening (with a glue hunting interlude. I finally found scotch tape at a photo shop and that will have to do). I got a lot of work done, but still have more to do.
This morning we had breakfast at the hotel. I ate a whole lot (a dry oatmeal based cereal, to rolls, one with honey and one with jelly, and my first banana yogurt, as well as good old OJ). I wanted to make sure I minimized my mid-day hunger, so minimizing how much I spent on food.
We got on the boat, couldn't see the main island until we were on the dock, then stepped up to St. Mark's square. It was so foggy that we couldn't even see the lion. Paolo said we were lucky, though; on some days you couldn't even see your own feet. When I was walking up to where the group was gathering, Cady was in front of me and suddenly her leg was up in the air with a pigeon flying! She finally kicked a pigeon, something she's wanted to do since she came to Italy. She also said her mom's theory is that the reason Venice is slowly sinking into the ocean is because of all the pigeon poop.
When we got to the square in front of the church, President Bowen was there! [former Pres. of TAMU] We all took group pictures. It was exciting. We went into St. Mark's and, again, the mosaics were amazing. Behind the altar was the Palad'oro, a golden altar piece. Paolo's father was actually a museum curator in Firenze and when he was a child they lived in the museum. Once the Palad'oro was taken apart int 7 pieces and stored under Paolo's bed. So he feels very acquainted with it, having slept on top of it. They go way back, Paolo and the altar piece.
When Paolo was talking a woman came up to him and snapped, "It is forbidden to speak so fast. You are not a guide. You cannot speak so fast." Paolo was like "Okay, I will try to speak slower. Who are you?" She said, "I am a guide!" and walked off. We all wondered what the heck she was talking about. I think she got her English mixed up and meant that he couldn't speak so loud, since he wasn't a paid guide. Not that he was really even loud. He was just talking above a whisper.
Later, Valerie told me this story. Carmen was admiring the cross shaped candelabra hanging in the center of the church, saying that it would be so pretty if it were all lit up. Valerie answered that Carmen's boyfriend would really like that, since he's black, and that would make it a burning cross. I wonder if anyone besides the KKK has used burning crosses?
Kate is always meeting people with cool accents. There was a Brazilian guy at St. Mark's who lives in New York. She loaned him €.50 because at the postcard desk the man wouldn't take a bill for €.60 worth of postcards. The funny thing was that Kate only had a bill but he accepted it because she was spending more money. Alex, the Brazilian New Yorker, also had with him a Spanish girl and Australian guy who lived in London. We took a picture with them, then they left. Isn't it funny how people can pass in and out of your life just like that?
After St. Mark's, I went with Valerie and Carmen to find the Palazzo Grassi to see the Egyptian exhibit. We found it without much trouble but it took forever to get inside, the line was so long. The museum was pretty neat. It brought to life the Egyptian culture in a way I had never thought about before. It started when Valerie pointed to a ring (I don't remember which Pharaoh it belonged to) and said "Can you believe he was actually wearing it?" All of the sudden he became a man instead of a mere profile with lots of eyeliner. It makes Egyptian culture more interesting, as reality instead of just a legend, but it's also quite scary, since it's so foreign. Any empire scares me at the thought of how people were repressed. And maybe the royal families were repressed as well. It makes me wonder if the Pharaohs really believed they had divinity in them, or if they just felt the burden of trying to live up to that reputation. The people were probably so uneducated that they believed what they were told, or else.
After the museum we were tired and hungry (it was after 3), and we set out to the island where Il Redentore is, to find something to eat then see the church. But we were trying to figure out which church was the one in Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade with the X marks the spot on the floor. After we cruised around town on the ferry, we got off at one church to make sure it wasn't the one. It wasn't, and even more, we had to pay to get in. So we didn't do more than glance through the door.
By then the boat had left so we set out to find food there (that church was Il Gesuati). We walked down narrow alleys, but figured we were in a residential area because we couldn't find any food. We didn't want to eat on the water, of course, because there were only expensive sit down restaurants. Finally, we came to Santa Maria del Salute, which is a beautiful round church. We were at a dead end, with the water surrounding us, so we headed back and on the way we found a sandwich/pizza place. I got the best sandwich I've had in Italy there. It had lettuce, tomato, prosciutto, then sliced hard boiled eggs, and on bread that I think was seasoned with basil. It was so delicious.
We hopped back on the ferry and finally made it to Il Redentore, one of Palladio's beautiful churches. I love it because it was built as a result of a vow that someone made, that if the Lord delivered them from a plague that was sweeping through Italy at the time, they would dedicate that church. It is simple, not gaudy inside like so many other churches, and they hold a procession every July to celebrate that promise.
Next we went to San Giorgio, the other Palladian church. It was really big and beautiful, with the choir stand behind the altar. The choir was in a semicircle, marvelously carved wood. I really wanted postcards of the interior of the church but I couldn't find a gift shop anywhere.
After San Giorgio we hopped across the water back to the tourist stands by St. Mark's and I bought a cute Italian map on a cloth, and looked at a lot of Venetian masks, one of which I am determined to get before I leave. We came back to Lido, went to the grocery store, and came back to the hotel. Now I will work.
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