Tuesday, July 12

Venice ...

... day 3.
Today we went out, like the mad dogs and Englishmen of the popular folk tune, out in the frankly FUCKING hot sun, to the 3 main Islands off main Venice. Murano, Burano & Torcello.
Murano was a quick visit, we did the tourist thing and watched some glass being blown and tweaked with tweezers, and visited the glass showroom. Mr Brown & I found some lovely things we’d love to have taken home, except for the whole excess luggage and fragile glass thing.
We debated the wisdom of obtaining a virtual fruit salad of frivolous nonsense, in the form of a wildly extravagant chandelier for the Brown Mouse House bathroom. The thought of dusting the bastard was the vetoing of that idea I’m afraid. Too, too horrible to contemplate.
Next was Burano, where I’m afraid I bought several rather lovely hankies, for the mopping of my sweaty brow, and, Lee will appreciate this, a fan!
We pootled around the main square looking at the wildly vibrant houses and even visited a church. Mr Brown surprised himself by stepping inside and finding the place did not collapse around him.
Next, Torcello, where we visited the ancient Basilica and almost died in the horrible hotness.
This place is amazing and it just shits me to tears that you’re not allowed to take photies. Poor Rupert, he was quite sulky about it.
In the late afternoon we had toasties and drinkies in a nice little campo outside a theatre and had a bit of an afternoon snooze, thanks to the wonderful anti-histimenes a nice lady chemist sold me for the torture that is mozzie bites in the summer!
And then, a little light shoe shopping. I can picture eyes rolling and folk thinking “o Mouse, typical” but let me point out that, on entering the Bruno Magli shop it was Mr Brown who lost his head. I walked away with one pair of dainty sandals. He, on the other hand, lugged out a bag containing 2, yes 2 pairs of proper man shoes.
Dinner was some fishy place in an away from the crowds where a lovely waitress stopped Mr Brown from eating the skin of his sea bass, because it had not been scaled! Silly duffer.
I ate spider crab pasta, finally realising just how strong crab can taste when it’s not frozen (I’ve a bone to pick with a few Australian restaurants when we get home, o yes I do!).
Then we finally popped into Harry’s Bar. I took a photo of a rather lovely honeymooning couple posing with their Bellinis and then we had a good old chinwag with a couple from Liverpool (UK) who were sitting next to us at the bar. They are here because their daughter’s school choir is singing at St Marks on Thursday, we may even stand outside for that.
Second Bellinis were ordered and, can you believe it, we were the last to leave! We were (ever so politely) thrown out of a bar in Venice.
Tomorrow we begin our culture vulturing in earnest. The Academia followed by the Guggenheim (if all goes to plan, though we do have a bit of a thing with Guggenheims I recall).

4 comments:

The Sydney Tarts said...

Heh. I *told* you that you'd end up buying shoes! [@aptronym]

Ms Brown Mouse said...

Yep, butthanks to you & the rest of #grouppack, there was ROOM!

Zoomie said...

Beautiful photos, once again. Is this place always bathed in sunshine or were you just lucky?

e said...

Very nice, and very restrained of you to only shop for one pair of sandals. Though since it was Magli, I suspect one pair of his sandals costs about as much as my car. LOL. What a great time you guys had, I'm thoroughly enjoying your posts.