Venice

Eurostar train to Venezia St Lucia, like our XPT but better and faster. Usual practice of bags on seats.

Ferry to Richard Zacharia wharf - main one for St Marks Square. Walked around via St Giovanni in Bragora, Church San Martino, Arsenale naval base. Went to Palace Ducale, huge rooms, old, largest paintings, frescos. Great introduction to Venice. Evocative Bridge of Sighs, but view diminished by advertising hoardings.

Ferry to  Murano looking for glass factory. Advised to get off at Faro but wrong wharf and could not find the factory. Got off ferry coming back at St Elena park on main island. Had beer o'clock looking across to main lagoon. Magnificent.

After speaking to Aussies…took #11 bus to Pellestrina which is at end of Lido island. Bus went over ferry to next island, then to the end of that island. Walked back some a couple of kms. Very old village with great church and art works. Siesta time so only could get basic eats. Back to Villa for rest.

ferry over to Accademia. Drink a the square at Academia. Veronica to Concerto Antonio Vivaldi at the Chiesa di San Vidal. I went wandering for supermarket to buy mozzie spray. Got lost and ended up kms from where V was. Got back in time to meet her after the concert. Walked to St Marks Square and saw the music groups. Lots of people plus the platforms for the coming high tide.

Had very bad sinus from red wine. Queue at Basilica too long so we went to the main Venice Art Gallery. Smallish and not very interesting.

I went to the Stanley Kubrick photo exhibition at the Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti. As a young genius. Black and white, great. In lovely building. Then off to a NASA Hubble telescope exhibition at the Science place.

Veronica went to….

I had a rest on a bridge because I was as crook as. Had a nice sleep just like a beggar. Met V at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Palazzo Venier dei Leoni Dorsoduro. We both wanted to see this one, and met by chance. Absolutely fantastic. Picasso, Pollock, Dali - and a man on a horse with a very big thingy.

Church near Guggenheim (St Maria de Salute) was great. Went back to the Villa by 4:0pm. We slept for hours, then went out for dinner at 10:0pm back to Africa.

Took ferry from Lido to Basilica San Giorgio Maggiore on way to Venezia St Lucia station. Included one of Simon's masterpieces. Water was up over edge, walkways used. Old priest like Uncle Fester took our bags. Nice conversation of which I understood nothing. Met handsome Naval man al decked out, waiting for Commander and his Wife, to give them a tour. Went up Bell Tower. Fantastic, and very little crowd compared to across water at St Marks Square.