The latest meanderings have — as always — revealed some curious and beautiful things.
Yesterday the first violets. Trust me. They have to be here because this is the warmest, most sheltered spot for violets I know.And I do not lie.A week ago we had a few afternoons of very low tide. VERY low, as you see. In fact, you can certainly see more than you’d care to.When via Garibaldi was created in 1807 (as the Strada Nuova dei Giardini, and sometimes also called the via Eugenia) by filling in a broad canal, they very intelligently left space beneath the pavement to allow the natural flow of water from the Bacino of San Marco to continue. Usually you can’t see into the tunnel like this nor whatever has fallen overboard forever. Funny, I’d have thought there’d be more rubble.Just a reminder that low tide can be just as inconvenient as high tide here. First, because some important vehicles, such as ambulances and police boats, may not have enough H2O beneath them to be able to get where they’re going. And because getting into (not really SO bad) and getting out (ouch!!) of your boat is a project in itself. Unless you’re a pirate and carry grappling hooks.Sunday morning I noticed this man on the Arsenal bridge. He’s one of a rare breed which doesn’t record Venice views with a snappy camera, but with his hand and a pencil. All sorts of beautiful and surprising things are out there which look different to people who aren’t using batteries.Why did he do a sort of bull’s-eye-mirror design? “It’s because otherwise I couldn’t fit it all in the notebook.” Did I mention you need a brain as well as fingers to do this?If you can focus on anything beyond the Gaudi’-inspired reflection, you may notice a cluster of small ivory-colored ovals in the water. They seemed to be seppie “bones,” but they were the tiniest I’d ever seen. The fact that they were all the same size also seemed strange. Floating so close together gave me the impression that someone had just dumped out his ashtray. All very curious.It seems too many for even a frenzied seagull to have eaten, but not really enough for more than two people to have eaten. Lino says they came from a seppia-like creature he called “sepina,” which is not a lagoon creature. He said he would show them to me next time he notices them in the fish market. Will send updates.And while we’re floating around at sea level, this is not a picture of reflected laundry. It’s a picture of an amazing cat’s-cradle of clotheslines in the water. Forget hanging your clothes on these, they’d never get dry.
Oh, to have a tiny little bit of the talent of that young fellow who was sketching. I’m glad you wandered along just then, and peeked over his shoulder.
All I learned was that he is an architect from Singapore and was leaving Venice the next day. His sketches, he told me, were for his own enjoyment, though it’s obvious that this talent would be highly useful in his work. I have no idea who he is or where to find him.
5 Comments
Erla….thank you for taking us along on your early spring walk.
It’s always so much fun to tap along with you and Lino!!
😉
It’s always fun to have you with me, if only in virtual Venice.
Oh, to have a tiny little bit of the talent of that young fellow who was sketching. I’m glad you wandered along just then, and peeked over his shoulder.
I loved all those photos of Venice, the explanations as well as the amazing and original sketches. Would love to see more of his work. Liz R
All I learned was that he is an architect from Singapore and was leaving Venice the next day. His sketches, he told me, were for his own enjoyment, though it’s obvious that this talent would be highly useful in his work. I have no idea who he is or where to find him.