Photographic exhibition in Mestre

Martyn, a friend from Brighouse sent me a link to a photographic exhibition in Metre.  

Saturday afternoon I went over to see it as it closes this weekend. I was surprised how busy it was, with especially ladies in fur coats.

But it was really interesting. There were photos depicting life in Venice & Metre from 1940-1882. Some were very disturbing, those showing how poor the area was during the war, families living in abject poverty compared to the movie stars in town. There was the gondola as an ambulance and one with a coffin, queues for the telephone box, the Giro d'Italia coming to town and girls learning girl skills! But my favourites were those when the circus came to town in 1970, elephants and camels crossing bridges!

Girls learning "girl" stuff.

A gondola as an ambulance.

Roger Moore filming Moonraker.

The day the circus came to town.  I'd have loved to have seen this.

The Giro d'Italia.

A rather wild Sean Connery!

Queueing for the telephone.  Were they all wanting to arrange their dates?

Bacon - Beautiful sunsets post

Only one of you noticed spell check had changed BACINO into BACON!!  David was hysterical when he told me, imagine falling into a bacon sandwich!

I've corrected it now.

Thank you David.

Padova part 2

I also visited the Palazzo della Ragione in the centre of the market square with it's stalls all around and underneath the large, vaulted salon (great hall) on account of it's size.

It's size is noticed when entering that the huge wooden horse at one end is barely noticeable.

Following this I had lunch at a favourite restaurant, Al Anfora. It was a beautiful day, but very cold and when I got home at 5pm I went straight to bed and it took me three hours to get warm.

The palazzo Ragione

The steps leading up to the salon.

The loggia.

The view from the loggia of the market stalls.

The horse.

My table reservation.

Padova, part 1

Tuesday I had a day out to terra firms. I love Padova, it's a very elegant town, lots of sightseeing and a wonderful market. There are some different types of food available than here in Venice.

1st photo is how seriously health and safety is taken!

2nd, a delicious soft cheese with radicchio. There is only one stall in the market that has this one & I love it.

Then there are hams hanging & parmesan cheese

and the wonderful fruit & vegetable stalls outside. You can see artichokes, radicchio, lettuces & oranges.

More sunsets

Saturday afternoon I went over to the Lido. It was closed. But there was another beautiful sunset.

Cottechino night.

Friday I had my friends Rosalie & David round for our annual cottechino evening. This has become a tradition with us. David says I have now mastered the art of cooking this huge sausage and the lemon bean stew.

It's a slow process. Soak beans overnight. Boil 45 minutes. Fry onions, chilli, add tomatoes, beans, cook. Sausage, put into cold water for 30 minutes. Light gas, heat VERY slowly, bill, piano, piano for 1hr 40 minutes. Delicious.

The cocktail sticks draw out the fat & release the pressure on the skin - it MUST NOT burst.

Dawn over La Giudecca.

Tuesday at 06.30am when I went out with the vetrina/plastiche/lattina, Glass/plastic/tin recycling day. I went back into the apartment to get my camera. I do get some funny looks too wearing my coat over my nightdress & slippers on my feet. The Venetians don't do this.

Another beautiful day......

These are Wednesday's photographs.  

The day started beautifully sunny, but then the fog came down suddenly. But by the time I went out again after lunch it had lifted once more.

In Campo San Barnaba.

I was on the Grand Canal, reflections this time from the windows of Palazzo Grassi onto a palazzo across the canal.

Looking up the Grand Canal towards the Rialto.

The down to the Piazza. The angel was very clear on top of the campanile. A week on Sunday a live angel, the winner of last years Carnevale will come down on a zip wire. Rather her than me.

The lion atop one of the two columns in the Piazetta San Marco.

There were three columns brought back (Stolen?) from the middle east but when unloading from the ship one fell into the bacino ...... and there it still lies.

Hence only two columns.  The other one has San Theodore, the previous patron saint of Venice before St Mark.

The pink Doge's palace.

The Doge's Palace had turned an amazing shade of pink, as had San Giorgio.

Redentore.

Arriving back at Palanca the mountains were very clear, as bad sign, rain tomorrow.

Unfortunately as predicted Thursday has been grey and close, but the sun is due out again tomorrow.

But I shall be busy shopping and cooking the cotechino (sausage) and lemon bean stew. It will take all day! But my friends Rosalie & David who are coming to dinner will enjoy it.

I'm off out to dinner now.