marisylvia

Hi Swisshiker,

Thanks for the compliment.

I know what you mean about the ice cube tray. We've had to buy them in various European apartments. In Casa Allegra, however, there was no ice making possibility. Fridge only.

SCFoodie

marisylvia - if you click on my name/profile you'll see that the photo is of me standing in front of the wine bar you've been writing about.

RSTravelers

Thanks again for your reply, marisylvia. You're the best! You always give such good info with very helpful details. I'm quite enthused about your apt. I've been on the website at least 3 times. It does look like a good value especially compared to other 2 bedroom apts. I've checked out. I definitely like the location and as far as the "balconies", it's apples or oranges, window or balcony....if I'm in Venice and I can stand looking out over canals, I'm a happy camper. The wheeled cart would be nice to have since I was wondering if one should bring their own bags....and DH would be thankful for the caffe press. I'm with you, who cares about TV....I mean it's VENICE after all. I can just picture us shopping in the markets. I would love it. I'm even envisioning purchasing some fresh flowers for the apt. I've always wanted to buy some, but maybe there won't be a practical container in the apt.

I had to chuckle at your little goof-up with the oven...what the heck, some singe never hurt anyone. I'm sure it is very common to have some difficulties when renting an apt. in another country. I've heard stories about struggles with foreign washers/dryers.

Very interesting to have some history on Renato. And, his father's artwork is in the apt....how special. It is always so nice to know a little background on a place where we might stay. I'm wishing for you & John to return to Venice. If not soon, then maybe later. I'm determined to return, hopefully next year. A dream of mine is to take adult DS sometime and show him "my" Venice.

RSTravelers

swisshiker, thanks for the ice cube tray tip. I hadn't thought of that so good to know.

Bert4545

I've been away for quite a while. There was a lot to catch up on. I'd like to enter the Italian pronunciation debate, especially with regard to the double consonants. Can anybody pronounce 'cappuccino' so that the double consonants are clear? Thirty years ago my wife and I were in Sorrento. We didn't have a map and we were looking for Piazza Tasso (named after their famous poet), one of the main squares in Sorrento. We asked several people who looked like natives, but they all looked blankly at us. Eventually we asked one chap, "Dov'é Piazza Tasso?" He thought for a few moments, then he beamed, "Ah! Piazza Tas-so" and gave us directions. We had been saying "Ta-so" (with a sibilant 's', but only one)! I can't stand it when people pronounce 'machismo' as if it were an Italian word. 'Bruschetta' (already mentioned by Justretired) is another. And what about the way most people pronounce 'lingerie' - as if it were 'longerée'. Three chefs on a UK cookery programme pronounced 'tagliatelle' as 'tag-lee-a-tell-ay'. And yet nobody has a problem with 'Puglia' or 'lasagne' (not quite the same thing, I know), do they? Two words that can be confused are 'anno' (year) and 'ano' (look it up). If you want to ask how old somebody is you say, "Quanti anni hai?" (Literally, 'how many years do you have?') Do not ask, "Quanti ani hai?"!
I'm enjoying the trip report and the photos.

Bert4545

I haven't done photo sharing before, so I don't know if it has worked. I've put 5 photos into a Google web album, and made them 'public'. This is the address: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/grabag.../Venice200909#
I'd be grateful if anyone would try to see them, and let me know if it has worked. I'll post some more, on a new posting of my own, if it has. I took about 400 decent photos, so it may take some time.

Bert4545

I got the year wrong (2008, not 2009) so I tried to change the titel of the album. When that didn't work. I made a new album: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/grabag.../200809Venice#

Bert4545

You might have to right-click, then 'open link in new window'.

RSTravelers

Bert4545, very nice photos....always great to see my favorite city....love the lion.

marisylvia, Where are you? You are missed. I hope you're coming back with more fun stories of your month in Venice...no pressure, though, but we're waiting.

justretired

Hi, Bert4545. I had no problem seeing your photos. I like that lion.

You can certainly right click, and choose "open link in new window" or "open link in new tab" - that works.

Techie stuff: Or you can just left-click, but then what will happen depends on your browser and your browser settings, because Fodor's uses a [target="_new"] attribute in the hyperlink to picasa. In my case, it opens each time in a new tab, because I use the Mozilla Firefox browser, with the setting

tools >> options >> tabs >> "New pages should be opened in"

set to "a new tab".

But if I use Internet Explorer and I left click, your pictures open in the same window, replacing the Fodor's thread (you can always click "back").

But in any event, it works, and I can see the pictures. Play around to find what it does in your own setup.

Larry

YvonneT

Hi, Bert4545

Yes, I could see the photos easily with just a left click on the link. And, thank you for the view down "my" Calle Groppi. I had an apartment there, and met marisylvia and her husband .. lovely people they are!!

Bert4545

Wow! What a coincidence about Calle Groppi! The reason I was there was that I like to find places that are used in films (and photos in books that are not explicitly labelled to tell you where they are). Calle Groppi was featured in "Italian for Beginners". It is where a male and female character, having fallen in love, find a discarded folding bed, and decide to make "use" of it. In the film, the sign that says "Sotoportego Groppi" either was painted over, or was not there at the time the film was made, so it was not so easy to find.
Thanks for the compliment, Justretired. And for the tekkie stuff. Do you want to know where the lion is, or do you know? You would only be human in wanting to know! [There is a clue in that sentence.]

Bert4545

Here's something I just received from a Venetian friend of mine:
Cicchetto in Italian mainly means a nip [e.g. of brandy - bert4545] or a telling-off. Also the drop of fuel you would push in the carburator pressing the small button in the old motorbike engines, and that button itself.
Venetian is "cicheto" and means our typical pub-snacks. Something small, anyway.
So annhig was right, if we are using Venetian (Go, Ann!). Of course, Justretired was right too, in Italian.
Here's what my friend had to say about 'parecio':
"Parecio" means "set up" in Venetian language and yes it represents the furnitures and ornaments of a gondola (or any other Venetian boat). The seats, pillows, horses, arm holders, carpets ASO. In Italian it would be told "mobili e addobbi" or "" in nautical slang.
I don't know what he meant to put between the last pair of inverted commas.

YvonneT

Well, Bert4545, I didn't see any of the action as described above, in "my" calle. Maybe I was not looking at the right time?? I'll just have to rent that movie now. And, please, where is that winsome lion?

Bert4545

Yvonne T, the film was in Danish with subtitles - but I guess you would know that with a few clicks on Google. Only the last 10 minutes are in Venice, but it's worth waiting for. It has three or four love stories running concurrently. I think it's a really sweet film. There's a beautiful young Italian woman in it. This Danish guy (very shy) falls in love with her, and she with him. There is a lovely scene on the Fondamenta della Misericordia (if my memory is correct). He proposes to her, she says I'll have to think about it and walks around the corner. She comes back instantly and says 'Yes'. (I hope that doesn't spoil it for you.) I'll wait a while about the lion, if you don't mind - someone might get it from the clue - or you can email me (click on my 'name') and I'll tell you.

Bert4545

I've posted a new album on Google:
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/grabagrannie/BertSVenice#
There are captions with most of them.

marisylvia

Hey, Yvonne, you're a lovely one yourself!

Thanks, RST--I thought there wasn't any more interest in my trip report. I don't want to be a bore! I also might take a break and do a trip report on my visit to Berlin in March, then perhaps return refreshed to Venice. I think Berlin is a fascinating place, not visually stunning like Venice, but I got some good pictures, and had a thought provoking as well as enjoyable visit.

I loved your photos, Bert. You raise an interesting point about having people in your pictures. It's obvious I'm a people watcher, and love to snap pictures which I think show people whose image makes a comment on what's going on. I have tried to be aware of privacy, and hope I haven't been invasive. If I see a young guy slouching by a doorway, looking as if he's the essence of coolness, I'm interested and amused, and want to share that. If I see a woman with neon magenta hair, I think she's making a statement with it. I was pleased to find people on a bridge which to me showed tourists "doing their thing", taking pictures, sitting on a step looking at a map, etc.

I'd like to get comments on this issue....

justretired

I haven't usually worried about pictures of people in public places, as long as I'm not selling them for money (the pictures, not the people).

It also doesn't seem to bother Fodor's poster kerouac. See his photos of tourists (and a pickpocket is also included) at:

http://tinyurl.com/qo9v8a

A Fodor's thread with a long discussion of these photos can be found at:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...t-in-paris.cfm

Larry

marisylvia

Thanks for the links, Larry. Funny pictures! And I signed up at Any Port in a Storm, too.

Bert4545

Larry, I couldn't find the pickpocket one. Can you point it out somehow?
My wife hates the way I'll wait 5 or 10 minutes to get a shot of something with no people in the way. Sometimes it seems as though someone has it in for me, as one person exits stage right, someone else enters stage left. I know I'm never going to get a shot of St Mark's with nobody in the way, but, as long as they are small enough, that's OK. But the worst thing (for me) is to get someone wearing red in the picture. You know how red is an 'advancing' colour? With someone in red in your picture, your eye goes straight to that person. I just generally do not take pictures of people - they move about so much. Unless they are doing something unusual or interesting - which is usually over by the time the camera has come to life - I don't take photographs of people. I mean, would you fill your photograph album with photos of tourists as taken by kerouac? Just occasionally I've been so wrong to eliminate people. In Naples museum, I waited for a clear shot of the colossal statue of Hercules. When I got the print back, I realised a few random people would have given an idea of just how colossal the statue was.
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