Our plan was to go to the cemetery but it looked like rain and all the weather web sites said rain and storms so we decided to take it easy and just go for a long walk into Castello, try to get a little lost and also to check out the Croatia exhibit for the Biennale which was nearby campo Giovanni e Paolo.  After coffee, we found it easily in another palazzo that’s always seemed closed before.  The show was by one artist.  Some were two videos, poetry and some rooms with works on the walls or floor.  There were two charming Croatian 20-somethings at the desk.  They said come back if you have any questions and talking with them at the end was, in many ways, the best part.  It was a very thought provoking show with themes of shivering, tranquility and skin and a lot of dark moments.

After that, we started walking eastward into Castello noticing how easy it is to get away from any crowds just by walking a few streets over.  

At one point I really did think we were lost but then I recognized something so I knew we were still heading towards Arsenale.  We passed by a gallery of sculpture where all of it is made of recycled bicycle tires.

I I went into a jewelry store I liked and bought a little gift.  We did a lot of campo sitting and also went to a bakery to get new bread.

In the campo right in front of the Arsenale, I was reminded of how so much of Venice is focused on boats and the culture of boats, and the water of course.  We noticed these metal boat-tie-up loops in the pavement.

Walking back, I saw this guy on a wall.

Who is he?

We stopped into another fascinating Biennale exhibit in the Church of San Antonin, by a The Recycle Group, two artists from Moscow.  Like so many, they had a long video which you could sit and watch (perfect for me!) and, in this case it showed many of the techniques they used to make the forms.  There were wood forms and plaster molded forms but I liked the net tableaus the best. Interesting, too, looking through them at the permanent art from the actual church.

Meanwhile–it never rained a drop!

Lunch of cheese and bread and a few left overs was great, especially with our million dollar view.

After “rest time” we went to the Coop for a very few things and while we were in there, in the late afternoon, it started to rain.  So we scooted home and chilled some more.  It didn’t last long though and we were able to go out again around 6:30, looking for another exhibit that was very near to us.  But it had closed at 6:00.  So we walked towards Misercordia.  We stopped for a while to watch the boat traffic, sitting on a wall where boats were tied up.  We saw a few families on large rowing boats with the rowers all in uniform blue shirts and a few little kids standing beside them with their hands also on the oar.  I din’t know if it was a formal lesson for tourists or that’s just how they learn, early on. And we saw macho men with big motors forcing themselves to slow down to preserve the walls of the city.  And we saw teenage couples at play.  I had fun playing with the shadows and reflections with the boats.

Dinner was another fresh pasta, I had bought at Casa di Parmigiano. I made a quick tomato sauce and sautéed some zucchini and there was a great little dinner for us.  Oh, and a bottle of nice Prosecco.