Britta's Letters from her life divided between city-life in German's capital Berlin and life in a Bavarian village

Thursday 16 February 2017

Last Confetti from Venice

©Brigitta Huegel


Here - to end my report on Venice - a few confetti-like impressions which I especially remember.
(Honestly: you don't really want to see my 720 photos and listen to the description of every church or painting or Guggenheim we visited - at least 13 km walk every day, not included the vaporettos - even after three pictures of the wonderful marble floors that were everywhere you would politely yawn and remember your appointment at eleven, Pooh-bear-way).

©Brigitta Huegel


©Brigitta Huegel

©Brigitta Huegel

because, somehow, they might look all the same to you_ 

©Brigitta Huegel

I will remember:

- the smell --- water against old buildings, a musky mouldering smell - smell activates the memory of the very first time as a child in Venice
- the glitter on the often surprisingly bright turquoise water, and the very blue sky

©Brigitta Huegel

- tons and tons of gold - on stucco, on buildings, on paintings
- the beautiful old ladies in their huge furs (it WAS cold), yet wearing thin silk stockings. Venice has a very vivid timeless elegance - both: the (often old) people and this old city do LIVE, thank you very much!

©Brigitta Huegel

- the almost "fop" elegance of the men - beautiful patterned pencil-case thin cloaks they wore, utterly beautiful shoes (go in rags in Berlin and nobody will care - come as what the Berliner thinks of as "overdressed" - and they will stare).
- the long, long "Lido" where we took a very long walk in bright sunshine along the turquoise sea, crunching shells under our feet - I picking up shells -- just can't resist - which is for the grown-up persons accompaniyng me sometimes a bit trying... shall I keep the bizzare one, the interesting black one or - the pink one? And of course this child woman was utterly convinced to have found a rough piece of jade, which grown-up eyes tried to disenchant into "a piece of old glass formed by the sea" (let them talk... the lump of jade lies on my windowsill now, together with the - of course pink - shell...)
- the Venetian dialect: WONDERFUL! That is the Italian I had wanted to learn! (In Berlin I left after the second Italian course and after having visited Rome -- but now: two days ago I unpacked my Italian school books and will start again - uno, due tre!)
- My unability to laugh with all the other visitors in the Doge's Palace, when we were in the "interrogation" room.

©Brigitta Huegel


The guide made a little joke, and I, being normally a person who laughs easily, looked at those awfully low cells, the walls breathing out suffering, and icy cold. I looked longingly through the window,

©Brigitta Huegel

and silently congratulated my brother Casanova, who managed to escape. So close together: utterly horrible conditions - and golden splendour - and how easy it is to fall from the hight of luxurious abundance into this prisonal black, bleak despair.

©Brigitta Huegel


©Brigitta Huegel

- If I would live in Venice, I soon would have a problem: not much nature.Two parks, very few trees, a few seagulls. You can give me all the Tintorettos, and the gold, and the theatro Venice: after a few weeks I would heavily cry for a forest, or at least a garden.

©Brigitta Huegel

- a surprise were the quite low prices in restaurants, and even more in those funny little cafés, were "the typical Italian" hastens in, grabs a tramezzino, washes it down with an espresso - and out he is again - quick, quick!
- And with this beautiful little "discolo" - wind-bag - for only 1 Euro - and so delicious! - I leave you, my Dear You - this should have been more than enough as an appetizer for Venice...

©Brigitta Huegel


Yours Truly (a humble tourist among others)

©Brigitta Huegel




21 comments:

  1. You make it beautiful. I can see and smell and taste it.

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    1. Thank you, Joanne! I'm glad that you like it.

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  2. Venice is the most amazing city I have ever visited is all I can say. Thank you for posting your Venice for us.

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    1. I would like to see your photos and impressions, Rachel!

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  3. Behind shabby and crumbling brick walls in Venice lie treasures. There are surprises around every corner, and there are a lot of corners.

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    1. That's what impressed me too: all those small little lanes, abruptly turning around, hardly to foresee where they will lead too.

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  4. Wonderful, exciting,beautiful, magical, cultural and yummy food !!!!!!
    I love Venice SO much .... when I first visited, I actually stood open- mouthed for at least 5 minutes !!!! I shall never have enough of it. XXXX

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    1. Thank you, Jackie! I can imagine that this city is suitable to you and Rachel - people with high imagination and eyes to worship. XXXX

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  5. I love your photos Britta!
    Your previous post reminded me of this quote, "Venice is the most romantic place in the world but it’s even better when there is no one around" - Woody Allen.

    Venice's private homes do have gardens but they're hidden away where no tourist can see them.

    Both Venice and Verona, together with other 5 towns (total 7), have the Veneto dialect; Venetian dialect has a more "musical" accent to the Veronese one.
    Thank you for the beautiful posts about Venice!
    Greetings Maria x

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    1. Thank you, Maria! I've seen a book on Venetian gardens (and once they even offered a journey to see them), but of course we could only try to catch a glimpse by looking through a hole in a gate :-)
      Yes, I loved that 'musical' dialect - am I wrong or did the Roman dialect sounds more harsh? This in Venice I really loved!
      Greetings, Britta xx

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    2. Yes, you are right, Britta; Roman accent is harsh, and they speak quicker too.
      I love the Tuscany accent; they pronounce their "C" like an "H" example: "I like Coca Cola" may sound like, "I like Hoha Hola" - so cute! :) X

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    3. I will learn it the Venetian way!
      And Tuscany I herad of - isn't it 'hute when they 'homunihate' with you?? :-) X

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  6. It's time to go back to Venice. The first time I was there I was a very little girl, in 1960. I remember it all very clearly. In 1982 I went back with The Great Dane and our son. I would like to go alone, or with another adult. A place seen with a child on one's back is vastly different from one seen on an adult trip!

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    1. Dear Pondside, you cannot imagine how happy I was to see your comment appear on the little monitor of my cell-phone this morning! It was as if a dear friend suddenly came again - after a lapse of time - and it is joy and not a minute of feeling that things have changed. And, as I just read on your blog: things have changed to the better for you.
      Everything on an adult trip is different (even a "trip" through a home-town with no little child "in Schlepptau" is VERY different - and so quick! - though I miss (sometimes) standing that long on any building site as then :-)
      GLAD you are back in blogland, dearest friend! xxx

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  7. Dear Brigitta, Thank you for taking me on this splendid tour. This city built on islands is, to an American, a thing of astonishing antiquity but I am much refreshed by it it.

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    1. Thank you, dear Geo.! I would not buy a house there (even if I could afford it), but as a tourist I appreciate the strange and opulent sights -- and love that there are no cars, and no bicycles (in Berlin these make you jump all the time, because they always drive on the pedestrian walk --- silently approaching from behind...) But not much green in Venice - and the transport of every sack of cement is an effort, every bottle of wine. And for the old ones to jump into a Vaporetto - tricky.

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  8. I Laughed out loud at this: "Honestly: you don't really want to see my 720 photos and listen to the description of every church or painting or Guggenheim," as I recognize it all too well, most of all now as I am slowly sorting through 1000+ photos from our Sicily trip. Everyone says we MUST (always all caps) visit Venice. I can see why, from your reports.

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    1. I'm happy to hear from you, Sue! I would love you to bring those photos (well, part of it :-) to Berlin!

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    2. I promise you that Berlin is high on our list of places to visit, particularly as it would make for another chance to to visit you! We only wish the flight across the Atlantic were not so arduous, or we would be hopping over as often as our budget allowed! But I will leave the photos to the blog, as after all, we'll want to take a whole new set in Berlin!

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    3. I'm glad to hear that we are high on your list! And yes: many occasions to take pictures here, especially now that spring starts, cold is almost away - and I will show you the city.

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  9. The weather vane is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. The floors were stupendous and the architecture was incredible. I am so glad I went with you.

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