Martin Fuggle Downunder

We were looking forward to seeing Brigitte today and we met her and her husband, Gerhardt, at the station at around 11.00am. The train was on time and instead of coming in on platform 10 it came in on platform 5 but we managed to get to the right place without any trouble. We walked across the canal to have a coffee at a small place under the tree next to the Sofitel so that we could catch up and decide what to do for the day. We decided we would have a look at the Ca Pesaro and as a result we headed off to the vaporetto to get to the right stop on the canal. As usual we missed the stop and then changed plans to get off at Accademia and have a look at the Peggy Guggenheim. It was quite expensive to go in. We looked at most of the stuff including a collection of seven Jackson Pollock paintings which were much smaller, but not surprisingly in the same style as Blue Poles in the National Gallery in Canberra. We went outside of the building facing the grand canal and there were a couple on interesting facts. The first related to a sculpture facing the canal with a man on horse back. The man had a large erect penis which was able to be removed (unscrewed, so to speak) when certain people who might be embarrassed visited the gallery. The second was that the building that houses the gallery is only one story high and there is a theory that the nobleman who owned the building on the other side of the canal had refused to allow the building to continue beyond the first floor.
We walked through to the Canal della Giudecca and found a place for lunch on the canal in the sun. It was perfect day. After lunch we walked to Santa Maria della Salute which is the first church that can be seen by boats coming into the Grand Canal. It was a beautiful church and mass was being held in the church whilst we were wandering around. We left the church and went off to Ca Pesaro on the vaporetto to have a look at the art before going back to San Marcuola. There was quite a bit of time before Brigitte and Gerhardt had to catch their train so we went through to the Jewish Ghetto area and had some pre dinner drinks before walking to the station to see them onto their train back to Lago di Guardia where they have a holiday apartment.

Given our luck to date Friday the thirteenth struck fear into us but so far the day has been very good. I have stopped commenting on the weather since it seems to be consistently good with sun and hardly any cloud.
We took the vaporetto to Murano and got off at the first stop next to the main canal. I hadn't realised that Murano is an small version of Venice. In the past I had thought that it was just a glass works where you would get to see some glass blowing and generally get ripped off. What a pleasant surprise - it was a beautiful island certainly with lots of shops selling glass and factories making glass but it was not the sort of garish tourist place that I had imagined. We stopped for a coffee at a place that was mentioned in the Top Ten in Venice called Trattoria al Corralli and sat by the water in the sun. The menu looked good so we made a booking for lunch. We took a walk along the canal and went into a glass factory where we were taken into the inner sanctum of the retail operation (I suppose we looked American!) but they were not permitted to let people watch the manufacturing process. There were lots of beautiful pieces but nothing that we really wanted.
We wandered back for lunch and splashed out a bit. Some people from England sat next to us and we got talking to them. They had four children and one of their daughters was in Cairns, touring Australia. They were a good variety of English people and not the type that are really disgusting when abroad. They had a few problems ordering lunch and thought they had ordered one spaghetti and one prawn dish. Two spaghetti dishes turned up and they tried to explain that they had not ordered that but were wanting the prawn dish. They waited a while and then a dish of calamari arrived and they decided that they would stick with that rather than try another round of English/Italian discussion and run the risk of getting something really weird.
We left and went off to a place where we could see the glass blowers at work. They were fantastic and able to produce the most exquisite pieces of glass in fairly short time. It turns out that the Doge, in years past, would not allow the glass blowers to leave the island because they were regarded as being of such skill that Venice intended to retain its skill base. Now it seems that Chinese glass objects are being imported much to the chagrin of the local producers. Jenny saw a small outlet where a glass blower was producing small objects on the premises and we bought some earrings to take home as presents.
We got the vaporetto back home, bought some ham and cheese around the corner from the hotel. Before heading back Jenny stopped by at a small shop selling ceramics and bought a couple of cups which were hand painted by the father of the girl who served us. We then had a couple of prosecchi before eating our picnic in the hotel.

We planned to visit the Peggy Guggenheim museum today and after breakfast thought it would be a simple matter of getting the vaporetto to Academia. That was pretty straight forward but we had left our map in the hotel and we missed the entrance to the museum and walked to the other side of Dorsodura and finished up by the Canale della Guidecca. Without the map we walked a long way and got a bit lost but it's reasonably straightforward to plot progress against the Grand Canal until getting into the small streets and canals which can be really difficult to navigate. It's a bit like a maze since it's possible to know which direction you want to take but each street may end in a dead end at a canal where there is no bridge. Anyway we finally finished up by the Sofitel close to the station, a long way from where we wanted to be, where we found a small square and had a coffee and panino under the trees. It was really pleasant and very welcome after losing our way.
We then walked to the vaporetto at the station so that we could go back to Accademia. We took the 82 to San Marco but unfortunately it didn't go along the Grand Canal but the other way along the Canale della Guidecca and as a result didn't go past Accademia. Nevertheless we met some people from Wales and had a bit of a chat with them before we got out at San Marco. We were now only one stop away from Accademia and all we needed to do was get on the 82 and hey presto we would be there. Unfortunately we got on the 82 which went back round the Canal della Guidecca so we nearly did another complete round of Venice. We decided to get off at Trattere and walk through to Accademia which is exactly the reverse of what we did this morning.
We finally got to Accademia at around 2.00pm having left at about 10.00am! The galleries were full of exquisite venetian art and walking round with an audioguida between us was really interesting. We left and got on the right vaporetto and back to the hotel for some domestic chores of washing and continuing to try to sort out the banking sagas.
We had a couple of 'prosecchi' and some 'gamberi ai spiedini' before dining out at the place across the road from the hotel on a diet of pizza and water.

Another beautiful day in Venice and we started again with a good breakfast at the hotel. The market seems to be outside our window everyday which makes it easy to buy fresh fruit and various other stuff without having to walk more than a few meters.
We organised a guided tour of the Doges Palace but the first available time was Sunday morning at 11.35am. We decided to have a day on the Grand Canal so we took the number 1 vaporetto (which stops everywhere) to the Lido. The Lido is quite different from Venice insofar as it has wide streets and is more like a normal city. When we visited Venice many years ago with Peter in the VW Campervan we camped on the Lido and took the vaporetto into Venice but we didn't manage to see the camp site Once off the vaporetto we had a coffee in the main street and read the Daily Telegraph to get a bit of information about that rest of the world. Reading the Telegraph makes me remember some of the reasons why I thought it was good to live in Australia when I first left England in 1965. The British government seems hell bent on regulating everything that moves. In one edition of the paper it recorded that:

• Youth crime is costing
  

We were looking forward to breakfast at the hotel and whilst it wasn't too bad it wasn't up to the level of the breakfast we had at the hotel in Rome. We bought a 72 hour vaporetto ticket yesterday so we thought we might use it to take a vaporetto and do a complete circuit of Venice. We got on the 82 and went two stops when we were told that everyone had to get off so we took the next vaporetto back to Rialto to have a look at the market.
The market was great and the fish market in particular had a fantastic selection of different fish from swordfish and tuna to all sorts of different types of calamari and octopus. We wandered around the streets near the Rialto and the Rialto market and stopped at the Riva del Vin to sit by the Grand Canal and have a rest. We were right next to the traghetto which goes across the canal and back for 1 Euro. It's a sort of down market gondola without all of the fancy stuff but it's exactly the same in every other respect. Jenny didn't want to go across so I went to the other side of the canal and back standing up all the time which is apparently the tradition!
We took the slow vaporetto back to San Marcuola and Jenny had a rest in the hotel whilst I went to see if there were any emails at the local Internet Point. The price was a bit of a shock after Urbania where it cost 1 Euro for as long as you wanted since it costs 3 Euros for 15 minutes in Venice. Fortunately there were no emails so all I had to do was transfer some money into Catherine's account for her birthday.
Later in the afternoon we went for a coffee and had a look at one of the streets along the canal near the hotel. Jenny found a ceramics shop and we finished up buying two small hand painted cups and had a long talk to the most charming girl who was the daughter of the ceramicist. If we keep buying stuff at this rate we will need another bag to carry it in quite apart from the expansion zips on the existing cases!
We went across the Grand Canal and walked along the banks of the canal into some gardens whose name I have forgotten and decided that tomorrow we will brave the crowds and go to see the Doge's Palace and St Marks.

We packed up and after a barney with the good sisters we headed towards the vaporetto so that we could check into our new hotel Alle Guiglie. We stopped off for some breakfast and walked through the crowds to get onto the 82 vaporetto to Ferrovaria. From there we walked to the hotel and checked in. The hotel is a typical 3 star which is not much but it has all of the essentials. We can't get Rai Uno because of some problem with the hotel antennae so we are unable to watch our favourite Italian trash television shows. We did a full unpack given that we will be here for seven nights and got everything in its place before heading out to explore the region.
At the beginning we were a bit disappointed that we thought we were out of the main area but as soon as we joined the crowd walking in front of our hotel towards the Rialto we realised that we were actually in a much better place that we were if we had stayed at the convent. We have the luxury of being five minutes from the station, 2 minutes from the vaporetto to the airport (with no bridges to cross) and five minutes walk to San Marcuola vaporetto stop which takes us wherever we want. The area is not nearly as claustrophobic as the area around St Mark's so all in all we are much better off (in every sense except financially).
We followed the 'ant trail' towards the Rialto and looked at the shops along the way looking for some jackets that were suitable for the morning and the night when we didn't want to wear the Snowgum tops that we bought in Melbourne. They have done their job and will be very useful in Melbourne but the weather is now getting better and we needed something a little different. I found one fairly easily and we looked hard for Jenny until we entered a shop that was so high pressure that we thought we would never get out. It turned out that just when we thought we might need to walk out they showed jenny something that was a good option. In the end we were able to get out without having to cause a fuss!
We walked back and went out for dinner at a place directly opposite the hotel. We had a light meal and then headed off to bed. It was hard to get to sleep because of the nightlife in the street and the fact that Catherine rang us at about 1.30am. We called back and caught up with the news of the family and the mice at Deans Marsh!

We got up early to make sure that nothing went wrong with our journey to Venice. The alarm clock went off a 6.00am and we finally got going at 7.00am. Instead of the normal way to Urbino via Fermignano we went over the hill and found a beautiful route which came into Urbino in front of the Pallazzo Ducale so that we had a wonderful view of the main faccia. We went around the wall and onto Pesaro arriving at around 8.30am in front of the station. I tried to ring Roberta and we had one of those phone incidents where all outgoing calls were blocked by the netwrok provider - this time I-Wind although changing to TIM or Vodafone made no difference. I eventually managed to get to a phone box and arranged for Roberta to meet me at the Hertz depot and she was kind enough to drive me back to the station after I had dropped the car off.
We had quite a wait for the train which arrived on time and we quickly got on and found our seats. We had booked first class and we had the most comfortable seats that we had sat in since arriving in Italy. What's more we had the cabin to ourselves. The train left Pesaro at 10.54am and we eventually arrived at Venezia St Lucia at 14.38pm. We had something to eat at the station and then went straight away to the Tourist Information office to see if we could get some accommodation for the time that the good sisters had cancelled. At first it didn't sound good but we had the offer of two 3 star hotels, one not far from the station at Ponte Guglie in Canareggio and the other close to St Mark's Square. There was a fair difference in price (around 600 Euros for seven nights) and the girl at the Tourist Bureau suggested that the cheaper place in Canareggio was the better, and cheaper, option. We completed the paperwork, felt relieved and then took the vaporetto to St Mark's Square. The place was absolutely packed and it was almost impossible to move no matter where we went. At St Mark's Square the queues to get into the Doge's Palace and the Bell Tower were huge and we could hardly get across the square to see if we could find the Istituto di San Giuseppe. Eventually we got there, booked in and settled in for just one night. Frankly the sisters were less than 'simpatico' and we didn't get a good feel for the place at all. It was certainly clean but as usual the shower didn't work properly. This time the shower was good and strong but the water failed to flow out of the shower base which meant we were only able to have a shower for as long as it took to fill the shower base - a couple of minutes!!
Jenny had a rest after about 11 hours travelling and I went out to explore the area around St Mark's. I found a bookshop where I was able to buy a copy of Top Ten in Venice and then went back to the convent to see if Jenny was ready for a meal. We found a place not far from where we were staying and had antipasto di pesce followed by pizza. Pizza in Italy is usually very thin with a tomato paste, mozzarella and a very little else. I guess it's hard to say that the pizza's in Italy aren't the real thing but they are certainly not as good as the ones that the Italians make in Melbourne.

The weather continues to improve and today was the best day we have had since we arrived. With the course finished we slept in a little and prepared for a day of packing and cleaning. Jenny got the washing underway and we went out to have our last coffee at Bar Centrale before doing the last shopping in Urbania. We bought some sun glasses for Jenny, an alarm clock to make sure we got up in time, a pot plant for Miranda, a card for Catherine and a few things for a picnic in the country.
We made a picnic and drove towards Mercatello sul Metauro and then onto Borco Pace where we stopped for a picnic by the river Auro. We then went up to Lamoli which is at the start of the pass towards Citta di Castella and Sansepolcro. We decided to turn back and we stopped in the centre of Sant'Angelo in Vado for a coffee and a gelato and spent quite a bit of time soaking up the sun. We were able to watch everyone pass by. It was the first time we had really relaxed over a coffee since we left Australia. We then drove back and went up the hill to Peglio before returning to the apartment in Urbania.
We tried to call Roberta at Hertz to see if we could arrange to meet her on Sunday morning but she hasn't answered her phone yet. So I thought I would call the convent in Venice to make sure that all was OK there only to find that we had no booking and all the rooms were reserved. It seems that we had misunderstood their requirements and had not sent a confirming letter with a cheque for 50 Euros so the good Sisters at the Istituto di Guiseppe decided to cancel our booking! Hmmmm

Today was the last day of the course in Scuola Italia. Barbara spent most of the morning talking about the formal and informal forms in the language and we spent sometime discussing the relative merits of teaching in the state system in Italy as opposed to the private system. The issues are not that much different from the issues in any country. All in all we didn't get much grammar but a fair amount of conversation.
I had been quite keen to see the inside of the Teatro Bramante and the school organised guide to take us around at the normal 11.00am break. Corinna's mother guided us around and we went up onto the stage and in the back of the theatre. It's now owned by the local community and has a fairly full program of events. It is one of the prettiest theatres I have seen and is one of very few examples of a 15th century theatre that remains in Italy.
We went back to the school and because so many of use were leaving and because it was Venerdi Santo we had some 'colomba' and a drop of Limoncello and the 'diplomas' were handed out and lots of goodbyes were said. It was a little sad to leave since we had made some good friendships with the students and the teachers.
Robert and I went up to Kikki Rikki and Robert wanted to get his wireless connection going and also work out how to download his email. We managed to get most of his stuff sorted out and then went back to meet everyone who was going on the trip to Sant'Angelo in Vado with Alba. We went in two cars and got lost in the centre of Sant'Angelo but when we eventually met up again we went to see the excavations and the remains of a Roman house. The outline of the whole house and rooms could be seen and mosaics on the floors were still in excellent shape even though the ground had been twisted as a result of ground movements. The house was from around 200 BC. We then had a look at the mediaeval part of Sant'Angelo before driving onto Mercatello sul Metauro. This town was also mediaeval and in the centre there was a 'pieve' (a more substantial building that a chiesa) where Saint Veronica was baptised and buried. There was also a Roman road where Saint Francis took pilgrims on pilgrimages to Rome.
From Sant'Angelo we went onto a 'Country House' which had been renovated and is now an Agriturismo which was really luxurious. It combined the old and new and Jenny decided on the spot that she would like to stay there with one of her 'groups'. Luckily for us someone arrived with a key so we were able to have a look around at the rooms and the way that it had been restored. It was on the top of a hill and looked right down the Metauro valley.
We finally go back to Urbania and had a drink at the Bar Centrale before we planned to have dinner at Big Ben and then join the procession in the evening. When I go t back to the apartment I couldn't find my mobile 'phone and realised that I had left it at the Scuola in the morning. After some initial panic I spoke to Sergio Bozzi and he was able to locate Corinna in the square and she had keys to the school with her. We then met up with Geoff and Sooi Lei for dinner at Big Ben. It was the first time we had eaten there but the food was very good and possibly one of the better restaurants in Urbania (and according to Richard one of the best in the region).
Then onto the procession. Urbania was very pretty with candles along the streets where the story of the crucifixion was played out at points all over Urbania. We missed the start in the cathedral square but picked the procession up in Piazza San Cristoforo where the Last Supper was played out and we then followed the procession right round the town until it finished in the cathedral square for a short service. The final scene was of Christ on the cross with two others on his right and left. The guys who were on the crosses were there for an hour and it was really cold. The had nothing on except a sort of nappy yet they stayed in the one position on their crosses for an hour and hardly moved. I lost Jenny in the crowd but saw Barbara with Alessandro and Jenny met Valeria before we finally caught up outside of the apartment and also met up with Geoff, Sooi Lei, Stefanie, Heidi, Andrea and Robert. Apart from Robert, who has a house at Acqualagna, everyone was leaving Urbania sometime during the weekend so there were contacts being exchanged and farewells being said before we all left at around 11.00pm to get some sleep.

The weather has certainly improved and the forecast seems to have been correct. Once again we had lessons as usual and at lunchtime Jenny and I went up to Kikki Rikki to check the emails. The main issue was that we got an email from Colten Care saying that they had had their bank check to see if the money had arrived and the bank had tried to track the money from the tracking number provided by UBS Warburg without success and had also searched their overseas suspense accounts to see if there was any sign of the money their also without success. This issue has caused us more trouble than any other on this trip and has really made the holiday nothing but a major problem constantly trying to communicate between Australia and England with all of the problems associated with different time scales, lack of easy access to an internet connection and the vagaries of the telephone system where it seems that the phone periodically gets outgoing calls barred by whatever network we seem to be connected to. This of itself is a problem that we have not yet understood. It seems that outgoing calls are barred whenever the network provider changes or we move into another area. The barring cannot be reset since it requires the entry of a password that is supposed to be provided by the network provider but I have no idea how to get hold of this password. It's one of those things that just makes it incredibly hard to achieve anything reliably from overseas.
Anyway, I decided to abandon UBS Warburg and transfer funds from ADAXA's account since Colten Care are now stating that they will give 28 days notice for my mother to vacate the premises in accordance with the contract that she has signed. I will have to get the funds that are supposed to have been transferred by UBS Warburg sorted out at some later stage when I am back in Melbourne. All of this caused me to get back late to the afternoon conversation class with Valeria where they were discussing an Italian song from 1984 called Sabato Sera. The important thing from a study point of view was that it was full of metaphors. This led to a discussion of typical Saturday nights in Australia, Macedonia and Holland - not much different all over the world from what I could tell.