Venice, and Chioggia, June 2010

Ancient sages Dwight Peck's personal website

Venice street scenes, 2010

Oh, and the Lido, and Chioggia. And Torcello.

We wanted to go to Venice again. Paintings, history, decaying architecture, etc. But we can't afford it anymore. So we went to the Lido.

You may not find this terribly rewarding unless you're included here, so this is a good time for casual and random browsers to turn back before they get too caught up in the sweep and majesty of the proceedings and can't let go.

Some more Venetian favorites in the morning, and then we're on the bus for Chioggia

We're up early and out at the crack of 11 a.m., plunging through the Lido to catch the next vaporetto (they come by every ten minutes).

The spacious and tasteful Lido. The main cross-island thoroughfare from the vaporetto docks 1km to the Adriatic beach hotels is broad, lovely, and lined with restaurants that didn't disappoint us. (This is a side boulevard leading to the Villa Ines.)

Approaching St Mark's, some great whacking yachts or oceanliners or whatever they are. The farther one, on the left, is the Tueq, the world's 45th largest, owned by some Saudi prince fellow and on its way to Dubrovnik shortly after we left.

We're passing St Mark's and gazing at the Palazzo Barbarigo Minotto (left), a 15th century home, still privately owned, that hosts the Musica a Palazzo opera series. We're coming along for The Barber of Seville later in the week, can't wait.

Santa Maria della Salute, an old favorite. First time in Venice, when the childen were young, we roomed at a hotel just across the way and loitered here.

There's a kindly looking priest walking the rounds making sure that no one takes a photograph here, so I've got to get this done while he's behind the pillar.

He just went behind another pillar.

Salute down, we're bolting along the back streets to visit the Accademia.

The Accademia bridge over the Grand Canal. We booked on-line in order to avoid the long lines at the entrance to the Galleria dell' Accademia, but we used an e-mail address for the confirmation that I couldn't get to, so that was 30 euros into the Canal.

The Accademia, in everybody's Top Five. No worries about our reservations, though -- there was no line whatsoever, just us. (And I was geriatrically free anyway).

Kiosks at the Accademia. The Accademia itself was covered in hoardings (right), no photos today.

The Grand Canal from the ferrovia. We've still trying to book our return to Switzerland at the end of the week -- they're still insisting that the Swiss computers must be down. (As if.) Now for Chioggia.

The famous Bridge of Sighs (back in its niche). We're just passing, on our way to the Pellestrina bus at the Lido.

Even a ferry for buses has got to have a loo; it must be here somewhere. From Alberoni at the southern tip of the 11km Lido sandbar across the way to the 11km sandbar of Pellestrina

Kristin and the driver discussing the transport situation. Now for another ferry.

The party's out on the back deck.

"Chioggia, all descend please." Chioggia's on a small island next to the mainland down the far end of the Venice lagoons, said to be well worth seeing. A sizable independent commune in the 11th century, based on salt panning, the town was captured by Genoa in 1378, liberated by Venice in 1380, and part of Venice ever since.

Chioggia's port area

Chioggia's a little Venice, with its own canals, but as part of the sea-level rise precautions against US-led global warming, the canals connecting directly to the Adriatic Sea are to be fitted with some kind of floodgates.

Chioggia's beautiful main street all the way across the island

There's a bell tower here with a clockworks from the 11th-12th century, allegedly the world's oldest. We missed it.

Midafternoon earnest debates

Chioggia's main street

Chioggia's obituaries

Another Venetian-style canal bites the dust. So to speak.

Another canal still doing fine.

And another.

Midafternoon desultory discussions

Priests and kids, no chaperones?

Half a canal

The ancient communal fish market is famous (but closed today)

It's that time of day again. Kristin is scrutinizing the menus with a practiced eye.

Something will turn up. Kristin would like something elegant, I just want a ham-and-cheese.

Good luck, if it's just about luck. A 40-page menu, half of it pizzas and sandwiches, the other half varieties of elegant.

We've been told that we need to run back to the ferry docks to catch the last boat back. But . . . after a wagonwheel pizza . . . we're struggling to keep up.

The coast guard snuggled in at the close of the day

Ooops. Somebody misread the ferry horaire, we've got an hour to wait as dusk settles. Another fine day, and a nice bottle of the local red awaiting us at the Villa Ines.

Venice, etc., in 2010

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