After a good rest we are ready to head out again.
I will add that the dampness/humidity in the apartment is something we are having trouble with. There is a few reasons for it: we are on the ground level and it is Venice, it is October and it is cool and damp out (although it warms up quite nicely in the afternoon to around 20), the apartment is not well insulated, and there is a clothes dryer here so the clothes have to dry on a rack inside creating more humidity.
The apartment does have a humidifier and it is working hard and the reservoir has to be entied daily.
We ended up laying a wool blanket over the mattress then the sheet on top of that. The cotton sheets do seem damp as they absorb the moisture. Then there is a duvet that also holds the dampness. The apartment is now warm though.
We also would love to open the windows and let some fresh air in but the mosquitos are a killer. Just opening the windows for a few minutes lets in a lot mosquitos and we are scratching because of the bites. So the windows remain closed.
Back to heading out for the night. We know we want to stay away from the crazy busy spots so we venture north to the Cannaregio district.
It is busy around the train station but once we clear there we are walking among the locals and quiet streets and canals. We even head so far north that we are the furtherst north you can go and there is a valparetto stop there that takes to you Murano.
We spot a beautiful football field where I believe the Venice football team plays (not even sure if they have one but it did have a sign saying Venice league).
We pass a walled in playground with the local kids playing with the parents watching on.
As we wander we stroll thru the old Jewish Ghetto where the Jews were forced to live until Napolean came and opened up the area for the Jews to live everywhere. We are thinking of our friends Jo and Julia as we visited here last time together.
I should add we have noticed a much bigger pressence of armed guards here, and in pretty much all the cities we have visted at the main tourist spots. Here is no expection, where we see gaurds with major guns just watching. They are also noticeable in St. Mark's Square too, as well as other major sites in Venice. A sign of the times I guess, but it is odd to see the kids kicking a football around with guards with guns nearby.
Bernie is hungry, and I am hanging in there. We try a few places and the either tell us they are not open yet or they are full with reservation. Even if they are serving drinks they are not open until 1900 for food.
After about five rejections (and we are not even in a touristy area) we settle on a lovely little restaurant who warmly welcomes us and we sit at a table for two. The place is cozy with tables close together and you can hear the banter from the kitchen.
Bernie orders some house wine, and I settle on sparking water. I know I can't be feeling well if I am turning down wine! I order a simple spaghetti with tomato sauce. Thinking that should be good for my first meal. But nope, after two bites I can not put another bite of food in my mouth. In fact just the smell of food is making me ill.
I sit and patiently wait for Bernie to finish and even when the waiter comes by and is concerned that I don't like the food I smile and say "just way too much" as I try to move the pasta so it looks like I have eaten more than I have.
After Bernie has finished I say "it is time to go" and he gets it. He is concerned and wishes I would of spoken up sooner. But I don't want to take away from his trip and his experience so I just kept quiet.
We start walking back. It is a beautiful night and every turn brings another photographic image that is worthy of being framed.
Just as we cross the bridge over the Grand Canal I feel like I need to rest as I feel I could faint. I urge Bernie to some steps of a church and we sit and watch the people go by until I feel better.
One thing to note here is there are not a lot of places to sit in Venice unless you sit in a restaurant or cafe. Not many public benches and many places that you could sit at, like a ledge, or small wall, have signs that say no sitting. So the steps of the church are our saviour. And if the church is open feel free to go in and rest inside - which we have done numerous times - and what a beautiful spot to rest too, even if you are not religious.
We finally make it back to the apartment and I immediately crawl into bed praying that tomorrow I will be better.
Lessons from today:
- speak up when you don't feel well
- take rests when needed
- stay to the right when walking on the streets and don't stop in the middle of bridges, if you must stop go to the side so others can pass
- the house wine is often very good and reasonably priced
- food servings are huge here, don't be afraid to share a dish
- litter is everywhere, and the garbage cans we passed seem to be overflowing
- crowds are heavy in touristy areas so seek out the back out of the way spots for the "real" Venice
- beware of pick pocketers - they are all around
- don't book an apartment on the ground floor
- I need to bring screens to Venice and make a killing
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