Monday 17th Accademia and Lido

The plan was to visit the Academia early to avoid the crowds and then take the Vaporetto to the Lido for a couple of hours cycling.

The first part was accomplished successfully but we have to say that the gallery was rather disorganised and rooms were closed and attendants did nor seem to know where collections were on display. However, we had our fill of Tintoretto, Titian, Veronese et al but sadly no Canaletto.

On then to the Vaporetti to the Lido when disaster struck!! All bikes had already been hired - various rental shops were visited but no luck. We walked a couple of miles around the northern end of the island and then decided that lunch was in order. Ray was pacified with an excellent Calves Liver Venetian style and a soupçon of Vino Rossi.

Back then to our apartment and it started raining quite heavily with  thunder and lightning so we stayed in, had a a very good supper and watched a film.

Saturday 15th More Damian Hirst and a fruitless search for handbags

Another sunny day in Venice which was cloudless but cool. Perfect for walking around and seeing the sites. We arrived at Palazzo Grassi just about opening time for our visit to the second part of the Damian Hirst exhibition. Much of the same but the sculpture in the Atrium was absolutely gigantic ( please be patient and wait for the photos). If there were any lingering doubts about the authenticity of the story then then were shattered by the two sculptures of Goofy and Micky Mouse!

All very interesting and entertaining but worth the hype? I don't think so!

Now was the decreed time to visit handbag shops and in the area between San Marco and Riallto there are many.

The LLW had her mind set on a visit to Furla and Ray was in real trouble for failing to navigate there instantly. However, we did eventually find said Furla emporium and whilst several handbags were declared quite nice, none were categorised as "must haves". After a senior management discussion, the committee of one decided if any Furla bags were to be purchased then they could be bought from UK stores if absolutely necessary.

We visited the market at Riallto to purchase some food for Sunday since the LLW was hell bent on cooking something special for Easter. We had been informed that in Italy as in the UK, lamb was the preferred meat for Easter but it seemed in short supply. Eventually an interesting looking boned chicken stuffed with quail and rabbit was purchased - we will report back tomorrow!

Back then on the walk to Corte Mariani and a very nice lunch in Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio before a short rest at our apartment.

After a short rest we decided to take the Vaporetti to San Alvise on the north side of Cannaregio where we embarked and walked through the original Ghetto down to the south of the Sestieri where we encountered a bustling market scene which appeared to be populated by locals . We threaded our way through the crowds to eventually arrive at the Vaporetti stop of Ca' D'Oro where we boarded the boat to San Stae.

We were tired but very satisfied with another excellent day in Venice when we arrived back at Corte Mariani.

Easter Sunday 16th April

A leisurely breakfast in our apartment and then off to Arsenale and Guardini to visit the area where we have stayed at least twice before on our visits to Venice. Having walked to Rialto, Ray decided that the knees were complaining too much to walk any further so the Vaporetto was employed for the latter part of the journey. We wandered around the area at Via Garibaldi and spotted a number of restaurants and floating shops that we remembered from past visits before stopping for the mandatory cappuccino.

On then east along the promenade to St Elena where we caught the 5.2 Vaporetti to the south of Dorsodouro. Now I can hear you all exclaim what on earth is the 5.2? Apparently some years ago two Vaporetti routes were named the 51 and 52 but the authorities decided to simplify matters and rename them the 5.1 and 5.2! Essentially the 5.1 sails anticlockwise around Venice via the Guidecca canal and the 5.2 clockwise. So if all goes quiet in the snug, you can introduce this fascinating fact.

We embarked at Spirito Santo and walked west along the Fondamenta Zattere Allo Spirito Santo viewing restaurants as we went. The LLW had decided that, since a special dinner was planned for later, very, very little was allowed at lunch time so restaurant after restaurant was passed by until we arrived at a snack bar serving pannini! By now it was hot but delightful sitting by the side of the very wide canal between Dorsodouro and Guidecca.

We then walked back via Academia to Resta Vicenza in Corte Mariani and arrived just before the forecast thunderstorm. Thoughts of going out again were curtailed by heavy rain and we settled for an early supper of the stuffed chicken which proved to be absolutely excellent and brilliantly cooked by the LLW.

Friday 14th Damian Hirst, Peggy Gugenheim and is it Art?

Before we left for Venice, our very good friend Robin Varma messaged me via WhatsApp (how trendy is that!) copying a review from the Guardian about Damian Hirst's new exhibition in Venice - Treasures from the Wreck of the Unimaginable. We decided to attend this exhibition and after several abortive attempts to buy the tickets online we decided to head to the Palazzo Grassi (where part of the exhibition was taking place) to acquire tickets for Saturday morning.

This was accomplished with no problem and, contrary to the web site, it did not appear necessary to abide by timed entrances. Our plan was to visit on Saturday so we wandered off around the myriad of narrow streets and stopped for the customary cappuccino in Campo San Stefano. On then across the bridge at Academia and on to the Peggy Guggenheim gallery of modern art. There had been much debate about whether or not we had visited before but after deciding that we definitely had we still agreed to visit. Now, modern art is not normally our preference and apart from a few interesting surrealist paintings and a room of Jackson Pollock' so it proved again!

Being very close to the eastern tip of Dorsodouro we wanted to experience the great views across to the Doge's Pala and San Marco so we walked to the magnificent Santa Maria della Salute and spent 20 minutes admiring the paintings and sculpture within.

On then via Fundamenta Dogana towards the point passing the Punta della Dogano where the second part of the Damian Hirst exhibition was housed.

It was very busy at the eastern point and having enjoyed the views and captured a few photos, we were interrupted by a siren and security message asking all to leave the area! Having heard stories very recently about ISIL attempting to blow up the Riallto Bridge, we lost no time in leaving!

All seemed to have calmed down and we decided that the Punta della Dogana centre was a safe distance away and, as we were in the area, it seemed sensible to visit this part of the exhibition.

Well it is certainly interesting but we are really not sure about art! The story is that a ship, owned by an ex Roman slave who having been freed had become hugely wealthy, and collected numerous large sculptures and artifacts, was sunk off the east African coast. The wreck was apparently discovered a few years ago and many of the treasures salvaged from the sea bed.

The exhibition was of numerous huge Damian Hirst sculptures depicting the treasures and mostly including corals and seaweeds growing from various parts of the sculptures.

Back to our area on the borders of Santa Croce and San Polo for a good lunch at a canal side restaurant.



Later we walked back to San Toma and decided upon a Gondola ride which was enjoyable but relatively short. More walking to the Church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, known more succinctly as the Frari, which is huge and full of interesting paintings.

More walking back past the Scuola Grande di San Rocco to our local Campo where we experienced the local after school club

Thursday 13th Cycling on the Lido de Venezia

The Lido is the one area in Venice where cycling is allowed so naturally it had to be on the agenda! We boarded the trusty No 1 Vaporetto for the fairly long ride to the Lido. Actually its not very far but it takes a while because the No 1 stops at multiple sites along the Grand Canal. As soon as we arrived the LLW decreed that it was not possible for her to start cycling before being fortified with a cappuccino so we spent 20 minutes watching the comings and goings on the main street.

The cycle hire shop was but a few yards away and they were very helpful. When asking why the bikes had no gears the man in charge explained that there were no hills and in any case most hirers only cycled down to the beach! The bikes looked in very good condition, were perfect for our needs and at 9 Euros a day were a bargain.. The traffic was very light and there were cycle lanes most of the way. We headed south starting on the seaward side on Lungomare G Marconi before crossing back to the lagoon side about a third of the way down the island then on through Malamocco to Alberoni near the southern tip (about 7 miles). Time for lunch at a very pleasant small restaurant just 100 metres from the lagoon - seafood all round.

We cycled a little further to what was described as a free and wild beach on the Adriatic Sea side but which turned out to be completely deserted and since the last section involved pushing the bikes through several hundred metres of sand dunes,the LLW decided that enough was enough and it was time to head back.

A slight head wind had the LLW slightly concerned but after a short distance this abated and we cycled easily back north enjoying wonderful views across the lagoon. Bikes were returned and we were surprised to find that only 15 Euros was charged since it was less that a full day.

The LLW decided that having expended so much energy and burning numerous calories, she was entitled to a large ice cream! On to the Vaporetti and soon we were back in our apartment.

Any excellent day and a great way to experience something different in Venice.

The situation with uploading photos has not been resolved! The internet connection here is via Vodafone mobile broadband on a monthly contract specifying a limited number of GBs per month and warnings of dire consequences of exceeding the limit. Since uploading photos entails a large number of MBs we decided to leave the photos until we get home.

Wednesday 12th wandering around

Apologies about the lack of photos; the broadband is very limited here and we are not allowed to upload lots of data. I will try to work out how it can be done.

Wednesday dawned bright and sunny but cool in the mornings and indeed evenings. The LLW needed to catch up on some emails so Ray had a wander around San Polo which was lovely in the early morning in the Campos.

Work was soon completed and we headed of to the Rialto market to buy prawns, anchovies and vegetables. It's a great market and makes you s wonder why we have such a poor selection of fish available in shops in the UK. On our walk to Rialto we encountered the first real problem of the trip - it is impossible to avoid handbag shops in Venice. Whilst no damage to the Jacksons' purse was suffered this morning, the LLW has a worryingly determined look about her!

A coffee to watch the world go by and we returned to our apartment to put the purchases in the fridge then it was time for a light lunch in Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio.

We walked down to the San Stae Vaporetti stop and caught the No 1 to San Marco where the crowds were enormous. Every nationality appeared to be in St Marks square and why not as Venice is truly unique and there is nowhere else like it on this planet.

We avoided the most expensive coffees in the world and walked back through the narrow lanes to Rialto and on to our apartment. The area  where we are staying is great since it is close to all of the sights but away from most of the tourist hordes!

Tuesday April 10th arriving in Venice

We had an early start, the alarm waking us at 04:30 and we were quickly up and on our way to Gatwick. Very little traffic hindered our progress and having found the valet parking, checked in our case at the very automated easyJet bag drop, we were soon through security and settled with coffee and pain chocolate at the lounge (courtesy of Barclays).

At the appointed hour we walked to our gate and boarded the Airbus A320 fairly quickly. Then some delays! Firstly the captain realised that pressure was low in the front tyres and an engineer was called out with his foot pump to reinflate. Only joking about the foot pump but it did take a while. We then taxied out to the tarmac but having missed our slot we had to wait some time before there was one available- an incredibly busy time at Gatwick.

The flight was good and unremarkable and having been delayed an hour or so we were soon at Marco Polo airport and on our way to the quay to catch our water taxi. The LLW had a bit of a rant about the exorbitant fares but off we went on our speedboat across the lagoon. A very lovely way to approach Venice and we were dropped off fairly close to our apartment for the week on the borders on San Polo and Santa Croce.

The cleaner was still busy so we left our luggage and wandered down to the local square for a late lunch. After a quick snooze we purchased weekly tickets for the Vaporetti and walked down to San Stae Vaporetti stop and boarded the No 1 for an evening cruise down the Grand Canal. As ever the floodlight mansions bordering the canal are magnificent by night.

We turned back at Academia and walked the short distance from San Stae to our apartment in Corte Mariani. Ray watched the last 20 minutes of the Juventus vs Barcelona Champions League quarter final,  which was televised without commentary, and soon after we were fast asleep.