I am so enjoying these slower mornings. We are really on vacation!
We started out with coffee right here under our apartment. There were a bunch of Venetian, older men there eating something and drinking wine. I asked what it was and the barista told me–spleen! Wow–wine and spleen for a mid morning snack.
We went to the Santa Maria dei Miracoli church. I can see why it is such a popular destination. This tiny gem has it all–gorgeous marble, beautiful carvings, serious paintings and a ceiling totally covered with art . I love how small it is so you don’t feel totally overwhelmed with too much to see in a visit. We sat there for a while just taking in details.
Then we took off down Strada Nova and decided to go to the Ca d’Oro museum. I could have spent all morning just checking out the floor:

and here’s one of the exterior stairways:

The whole museum was much bigger than I realized and I got exhausted from looking. Luckily, on each floor there is a beautiful loggia, over looking the Grand Canal. You can just imagine the previous residents of this house watching ancient Venice go by from their privileged spot.
After that Ken wanted to walk down to the Rizzo store and get sandwiches. He got salami and cheese and I got tuna and we sat by a small canal and ate them–and fed the pigeons.

Then we went to the big Billa store and did a major grocery shopping. We are getting the hang of it and now I feel quite comfortable shopping.
We just had random stuff for dinner in the apartment and caught the vaporetto to the Academmia stop to go to the Chiesa San Vidal to see the concert by the string ensemble “Interpretti Veneziani.”
I forgot how beautiful Venice is from the water in the evening light:

Kris and I had seen these players 2 years ago and I knew it would be great. We heard Vivaldi’s Four seasons and a few other pieces. The best was the encore where they all played without bowing–just plucking the strings. I loved the concert more than Kenny did.
Walking home from there we got a little turned around and found ourselves back at Piazza San Marco but considered it a treat to see it in its peaceful nighttime state.