I packed up at the monastery near San Marco, lugged my case across the piazza, over the two bridges and across to the traghetto stop, got on and waited and waited and about 45 minutes later arrived at the new monastery in Cannaregio.
What a difference.
The room is HUGE. It is filled with old antique furniture , there is also a table and chair where I can sit and use my computer, there's a rocking chair that will end up being the favourite seat in the room, a couch two chairs, a bookcase and on and on and on it goes! It is old though, and could do with a good update the ceilings are so high that I would hate to have to change the light bulb! The sorella that showed me to my room that if I hear footsteps from above not to worry it is the nuns! I'm guessing that's where their rooms are.
There is a lovely big garden out the back that would be lovely to sit in when it's not freezing cold, and beyond the garden I can see from my room the lagoon between here and Murano.
The garden from my window
The lagoon behind the garden
The monastery building from the garden
Out the front there is a canal and the quietest calle in Venice I'm sure! There is a bridge right out the front that goes to the next island, I walked along that to the last bridge and crossed that then walked back down that island and found a printer that I follow on facebook so I went in and checked out her work but her dog kept barking and barking and barking at me so I left there then kept walking along the path, across another bridge and found a small restaurant with a sign saying it was a kosher restaurant (I don't know what that means but I will find out) so went in and man am I glad I did! The people at the table next to me had ordered something that had eight or ten little dishes of 'stuff' and some bread and it looked yum so I ordered the same and again, am I glad I did! It was absolutely delicious! I sat for ages savouring that, then I had a cup of infused ginger, cinnamon and mint tea and it was delish with a slice of cake with apple on top, I couldn't have been more content and told the waitress it was the best food I have eaten in Italy. They didn't have a card but she wrote the name of the place down so I will find it again, this time I took a picture with Google Maps to show me where I was so I can find the place again. I'm going back to try more stuff.
Best lunch I've had in Venice
Then I kept walking and found a couple of studios, bought a couple of pieces of art, one of which is done in a really really interesting way called Micrography - it is a picture made up of words written in Hebrew of biblical texts. I've never seen anything like it, it is really amazing the way it is done. I was talking to the woman in the shop and asking her a gazillion questions and when I left she thanked me for coming in, that people usually just come in, have a look, don't speak and leave and she enjoyed me talking about the art in the place and asking questions, so that was nice.
Then I walked through to the train station and decided to go for a ride along the grand canal, got of at san marco and got on the traghetto to come back to the nunnery, it's getting dark and cold and time for me to get back to warm. It felt colder this side of Venice today, I don't know if it is or not, I will do some more research!!
When I arrived here there was one older nun banging on at me in Venitian dialetto that I couldn't understand, she couldn't understand me so that was helpful. Then a young nun joined us, she spoke English so that helped. She bought me to my room, I unpacked a few things then decided to go out for a bit of a look around. As I walked out my door another nun was coming down from upstairs and came right at me with her hand out to shake, told me her name (Sorella something, I don't remember), I introduced myself and that was it. Full on conversation in Italian all about her cousin and his wife who live in Brisbane, she complimented me on my Italian, we spoke for about five minutes, all in Italian and we understood each other perfectly. So that Italian sandwich man who told me I couldn't speak Italian can get stuffed. The nuns understand me!!
People look at me now and ask if I am Italian, so my pronunciation must be getting better. At lunch today the waitress handed me the Italian menu without asking, when people speak to me in Italian I don't understand all that they say word for word but I catch words and watch body language and answer them and so far so good!
Tomorrow there is the befana boat race that starts at 10.30 so I want to go and watch that, then I might go over to Burano for the afternoon and check out some lace!
Meanwhile, some more photos from today -
Lots of oranges being delivered today
DHL delivery boat
Pathway along my canal, the monastery is at the very end
Grand Canal traffic, a traghetto, a taxi, polizia and a gondola
Grand canal while I waited for my traghetto
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