We had planned to go to Bassano del Grappa on this day but when we woke up we didn’t feel like rushing to the train and Ken said “I’m not drinking grappa!” so we didn’t go. We just took our sweet time and didn’t leave the apartment until 11:00. Just imagine! After coffee we were saying how this is the perfect way to start our days. We walk a little bit–maybe it’s 2 blocks to caffe del Doge–and then have fabulous coffee in a friendly, super efficient place where we order by smiling and saying “Buon Giorno”. Here we are!
Our alternative to a day trip was to go to the Naval museum out in Castello. We walked by the Greek Orthodox church (the one with the leaning tower) and went into their little garden. What a pretty spot! I loved the small mosaic over the entrance.

We walked eastward and there were no crowds at all so I got to do a lot of window shopping. Got this colorful laundry shot:

Stopped into a little jewelry shop between San Martino and Arsenale and got a few little things. Just over the bridge in front of Arsenale I noticed these cool lights:

As I was taking the picture I heard a man walking towards me talking loud. Silvano (?) is 84 years old and not much taller than me. He was walking a young, lost, Polish couple to the museum. He told me he was born right there in the house across the canal! He used to jump off the bridge and swim there. He spoke no English. He asked me where I was from and when I said Florida he looked bewildered and repeated himself. So I said I’m American and he got it. I said good bye and walked faster to catch up with Ken. We took a minute to peak around before buying our tickets and Silvano was right in front of us in the line, buying tickets for the Polish couple. I saw them a couple of times inside struggling to communicate verbally but nodding and smiling.
Surprisingly, we loved the museum! I enjoyed all the boat and ship models (well not so much the more modern war ships) and the old maps. (We only spent a little more than an hour there)


They even have Peggy Guggenheim’s personal gondola on display:

Leaving there we got on a vap to San Toma. We stopped in a Nomboli but there were no tables and we didn’t want eat standing up so we continued on. Ken went up to the apartment and I stopped at the tiny “tavola calda” nearby and got us some lunch and brought it back. (Barley salad with shrimp, curry rice salad, chicken salad and some cooked marinated peppers)
We went out again around 4:00 looking for the organic store near here and we found it. We got a few things for salad there but the tomatoes were really tasteless, just like home.
Just about everyone at the Rialto market was gone and what ever was left didn’t appeal. I scampered over the Railto (and back) to get wine but Millevini was closed. Aliani doesn’t open til 5:00 so we walked to the Grand Canal and I got a glass of lovely pink Franciacorta at the new place, Vinaria, and we sat in the shade right near the Gondola stop.

Went to Aliani and got stuff for dinner including a bottle of bubbly chardonnay for 7euros which we quite liked.
Italy played Costa Rica at 6:00. They looked sloppy and the result showed it. After the game we ate our dinner (Ken calls this picnic we’ve been having “meats of choice and bread”) after the game. Went out for gelato close to 9:00.
On the way home we were already starting to get sad about leaving here in a few days. But all we can do is be here now.