Vorrei due biglietti per favore

Yes, two tickets please. That was my mission for today. Go to San Vidal and obtain tickets for the concert by Interpreti  Veneziani for this coming Sunday evening. I checked and I could take No. 2, my current favorite vaporetto route from Sacca Fisola and get to the nearest stop (San Samuel) without having to change. As has been the case the last couple of times the vaporetto became very crowded as we stopped at Tronchetto (parking garages), Piazzale Roma (last stop for buses and cars) and Ferrovia (train station). I had a seat in the disabled area near the front but still had to push my way through somewhat of a crowd (a lot of those people got off at Rialto) to get off. I had put directions from Google Maps on my phone. It told me that it was 350 meters to my destination which isn’t very far even for my current condition and would take four minutes. Well, I don’t walk that fast so it took a little longer what with stopping for photo opportunities and all. But their turn by turn directions were so complicated I didn’t bother with them and just followed my inner Venetian.

Hmm, where did everyone go?

I could swear Rialto was in the other direction.

Ah, some people…

And around the corner ahead is my destination.

And just ahead Chiesa San Vidal.

I purchased the tickets….sadly she did not ask for proof of age when I said over 65. There is a discount. And yes, I could take photos so this is the intimate area where we will hear Vivaldi played on Sunday evening.

Now, in search of cappuccino.

Found it, just across the campo. And even I can make art in cappuccino.

As I sat there eyeing the food being served to the next table and listening to the noon bells…

I realized it was lunch time and ordered pizza…of course…i quattro stagioni.

It was quite good even though as an afterthought and I had already seen their regular menu and decided what I wanted they put a “menu turistico” on my table. One cappuccino, a half liter of acqua minerale naturale and my pizza came to E16. The least expensive lunch so far. It was a lot of food and I could not finish all of it but I made a good attempt. The pizza by itself was E 10. Why do restaurants in the States charge $18.95  plus tax and tip for a pizza half this size? Just wondering.

I was retracing my route and was stopped in my tracks as I noticed this in a shop doorway. I call it “Girls Night Out” or maybe “Doge in Drag”.

And as a lover of reflections and what they do I couldn’t resist the front window in the same shop.

I couldn’t tell exactly what they were selling….those sport coats maybe?

On around the corner and this window caught my eye and I had to go in.

It was actually an art store where you could buy pigments and brushes but they showcased the work of local artists. I’m sure Davide saw “sucker” flashing on my forehead but I had fallen in love with a pendant before even asking the price….knowing I had to have it. He told me the price and if I bought it I could have the magnet I had in my hand (a cat in Carnevale dress) for free. Then when I also saw something else I wanted for a gift he said if I could pay cash I could have everything for E125. He had previously said the pendant was E 135 so I’m sure he had a lot of wiggle room. And I had decided to buy before I even knew the price so he did not put “ham on my eyes”. That is a phrase I learned on a Rick Steves program on Venice. He said they say that a woman who visits Venice and falls for a gondolier has “ham on her eyes”. Here is the charming Davide “hamming” it up for the camera and yes, the card he is holding has a picture of a cat. And I didn’t buy it.

The pendants are on the wall directly behind his hand. Paint pigments are on the other side of him.

Okay, enough euros spent for one day. Back to the vaporetto and “home”.

As I reached Sacca Fisola the sun decided to make an appearance. On my walk home I decided to dream a little. Just before my bridge this little house is for sale. I wonder how much they want?

It has a garden and a covered patio.

It does look like a bit of fixer upper. But is has a fenced yard.

It has water access. And it’s directly across from the Caribinieri Barracks and looks like they lease space to the Hilton to park their shuttles. Income producing property?

My heart is saying…I wonder and my head is saying “Not in your wildest dreams, sweetheart!”

And at the other end of the bridge awaits a colorful boat…probably more in my price range but probably not even this. I’m sure someone uses this boat to work hard.