Yesterday morning I left fairly early after an extremely almost bread and water breakfast at the monastery to go to an artist's studio that I had arranged the day before. I was to meet her at 10 a couple of blocks away from San Marco. Then I was going to go to the Rialto to watch the regatta at 11, then I was going to go to Burano for lunch. Easy. So I thought.
So, I get on the vaporetto just around the corner from the monastery and go to the station to change and get the next vaporetto to San Marco. In hindsight - why on earth I didn't just walk is beyond me! Yesterday was the Epiphany and a public holiday AND Befana day so everyone was out in full force. FULL force!! By the time I got to the vaporetto stop and the station, so had three quarters of the population of Venice and the surrounding towns. I had to wait for four full vaporettos before I could get on one, therefore, by the time I got on the vaporetto it was 1045. I had messaged the artist chick and told her I was waiting to get on the vaporetto and she said don't worry she will wait so I decided to get off at the Rialto and watch the race, then go to the studio.
Rowing teams on the Grand Canal this morning
The lagoon in the mist this morning
Some Befana activity this morning
Tre Archi
The three arches - the area I am staying in now is known as the three arches area
I got a space with a good view of the canal and finish line no drama. Next to a woman and a boy who was around 12 or 13ish. He was eating biscuits. I know that because he would finish and she would hold one up and he would nod and she would put it into his mouth. Before anyone says anything, I checked, there was nothing at all wrong with him, confirmed by him talking to her, and walking away, they waving to her from the top of the Rialto. Obviously she was either out of biscuits or he had eaten enough.
Hand feeding the little darling biscotti
Everyone was there. The polizia were there, the carabinieri were there, the fire brigade were there.
Carabinieri were there
The Fire Brigade were there
The Polizia were there
Had to wait for the delivery boat to get out of the way
He was watching the race
The race is held every year with the best oarsman from the five district rowing clubs dressing up as befana, and having a rowing race from a couple of vaporetta stops away to the finish line which is a giant stocking hung from the rialto bridge. There was brown befana, orange befana, yellow befana, cream befana and lilac befana. I was going for lilac befana.
Looking through the Rialto Bridge
Warming up and getting ready for the race
Warming up and getting ready for the race
Warming up and getting ready for the race
The big stocking hung from the Rialto Bridge is the finish like
Brown befana won without anyone giving him any competition. He held his oar up vertically as he passed the finish line giving his winner salute. He came back and did a lap of honour, while the others passed the finish line. I think lilac befana came about third or fourth.
The winner's salute
After I left her I got on the 14 vaporetto because that's the vaporetto I was told goes to Burano. It went to Lido and then it went somewhere else then it went back to Lido and back to San Marco. Nowhere near Burano.
Still misty at midday
Waiting for a job
No big deal, I will go to Burano another day.
Walking back to Cannaregio I passed a small osteria but the menu was full of seafood so I asked for some pasta with tomato sauce, got it, not a sign or taste of fish. All good. While I was eating I could hear two guys speaking in English one sounded Aussie and one Irish and when it was just the three of us in the room I spoke to them in English. I had been speaking Italian before that. They told me they thought I was Italian and were intrigued that I could speak Italian. If nothing else, speaking another language is an ice-breaker.
After lunch I walked back to the monastery and that's when things really began to unravel. Some background first...
The night before I spoke to one of the nuns about the heater not being on and the room was cold. It was 6pm. She came up to the room and by then the heater was warming up. I then worked out the heater was on a timer. Ok, I said that was fine. Although, it didn't get anywhere near as warm as I would have liked and turned itself off at 9pm. So, I decided to have a shower and get warm and get into bed to stay warm. All good. But I was thinking this could get a bit tired, after all I was staying there 10 nights and I didn't particularly want to be doing this every night for ten nights. But, I decided to go with the flow and see what happened.
So, last night my room was cold, I was cold and the heater wasn't very warm so I went down to see the nuns. I walked past the room where I'd had my 'bread and water' breakfast and they were all in there singing. I don't know what they were singing, it was in Italian. But they were having a good time. I went into the office and no one was in there. I called out but no one came, so I went in search of a piece of paper and found a serviette. I wrote a note in Italian that I was cold, that my room was cold and could they please turn the heater up or give me another heater please. As I was about to leave the note on the front desk the nun ("old nun") that I had spoken to the night before whose cousin's wife is from Sydney came out of the dining room. I gave her the note and she told me in Italian because she doesn't speak English that I had done a very good job of my writing. I pointed out to her that I was cold and could she help me and turn the heater up or something. She decided she needed to check this out for herself so she comes up to my room with me and makes out that the heater is working beautifully and my room was lovely and cosy and warm and it was 'normal' blah blah blah. I just looked at her and touched her with my cold hand to show her how cold I was. Then she told me it is cold inside because it is cold outside, while still insisting that my room was plenty warm enough. She turned around and walked out telling me the room was plenty warm. Didn't give two flying ducks that I was cold.
So, I thought again, I will get in the shower and get warm. Turned on the shower - the shower has two dials, one is to turn the water on, the other is the temperature dial. The first night the temperature was on 35 and it was fine. Last night it was on 35 and it was luke warm at best, so I turned the dial to 45, no difference, turned the dial to 60. Luke warm. So, I rang reception and told them the shower water was not hot.
Up comes "young nun" who puts her hand under the water and tells me it is lovely and warm. I just looked at her like she was joking and said no, it is not, it is only just warm and it is not as hot as it was last night, I showed her how I had turned the dial to 60 and that the water was definitely not 60. While Young Nun is trying to convince me the luke warm water was perfect Old Nun comes bounding in speaking very fast in Italian to Young Nun so I have no idea what she said, probably asked what's wrong with the complaining biatch now. Young Nun explained that I don't think the shower water is hot enough. Old Nun pushes past us and puts her hand under the water and says it is fine. I said NO It is not!!!
Old Nun tells Young Nun she will go and check the boiler, that the workmen may have done something to the water (renovations happening in another building). Young Nun leaves. Old Nun comes back telling me the dial is on 60 degrees so everything is fine. I said to her that the water is not 60 degrees and she knows it. THEN she started to patronise me. Patronising is the same no matter what the language. The look on her face told me that she was multi-lingually patronising me! So, I repeated that the room is cold, that I am cold, that the shower water is cold and I am not happy about it. Old Nun looks at me and shrugs her shoulders and says this is how it is. I said no it's not, I am leaving in the morning. She just looked at me. I repeated it in Italian, she said nothing and walked out.
I started packing. Again. (Luckily I hadn't unpacked much so it was a matter of chucking things back into my case this morning.).
Then I get on the internet and start looking for a hotel. Found one straight away. About 200 meters away from my favourite Jewish restaurant on the same canal. Perfetto. Win!!
I didn't even worry about going for the bread and water breakfast, I dropped my key on the front desk and luckily there wasn't a nun in sight, then walked out, got on the vaporetto and arrived at my new hotel at 9.45. Early but all good. They kept my cases and I went over to Lido to check it out.
Getting ready for work
Grand Canal this morning
Santa Maria della Salute
Across the lagoon this morning
What I saw of Lido Beach
Beach closed :(
Cars and canals on Lido
I sorted my stuff then went and had lunch at GAM GAM, best restaurant in Italy, then went for a stroll, lost another glove, bought some more gloves (fourth pair) and now am in my room, which is very warm - with it's own temperature control, and hot hot water.
My "street"
My lunch today
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