This morning we watched a film, On the Wings of a Dove. The characters were prestigious and proper and the unfortunate objective for most was to get money and maintain it. Not much has changed if you ask me. People are always scheming how to get rich quick, but they never think how to manage their fortunes and it disappears. We've also seen it in recent movies like Titanic and The Notebook. The aristocratic class is an epidemic. Once you've been bitten, it's hard to suck the poison out. If these people were just to take a step back and look around, the world is doing just fine without them. Us common folk get by and have a splendid time doing so. This film also made me think about The Secret. I'm typically not into new age philosophy crap but this one really hit me and I believe it, and live by it. The secret to life is the law of attraction. If you think and dream it, it will come true. This goes for both positive and negative things. One of the first examples in the book was millionaires. These people are not rich by chance. They are constantly scheming and postulating new ways to make money. Sometimes, once they attain their goals, fear washes over them. Once this negatively takes hold, that's when stuff starts to go wrong. I choose optimism, and I know that success is not far around the corner for me.
We had to renew our vaporetto passes today for the whole month. After that, a few of us went to the post office to mail our postcards. How vintage of us! Just like the US, the post office was deserted. It was about 3 stories tall and of Roman architecture. The teller thought I was French. So nice to not be mistaken for an uncultured American!
Kelly and I walked around for a bit and found a nice little restaurant that was tucked away from most of the hustle and bustle. I couldn't tell you what it was called but the waiter was great. He actually lived in Cherry Hill, NJ for about 3 years. We learned a lot about him. He didn't know what the 4th of July was or whether it was in June or July. He grew up in Capri (he said it's lovely there right now, definitely on our travel itinerary next week), traveled the world, and is fluent in 7 languages. I asked him when his first trip was, and it was when he was 16 and he went to London. I told him we were a bit behind. This is where American's get the bad wrap. I have plenty of friends who travel, but there's a majority of the population that never experience any alternative cultures other than their own. This man speaks 7 languages! Since he was such an easy person to talk to, I asked him about education in Italy. He said that when he was growing up (my guess was that he is around 50) 3 years of high school was sufficient. Universities were not at all a consideration. Now, there are no jobs, so kids are being sent to school's to become specialists. Nothing new in America either. Both of our meals were fantastic. I ordered gnocchi alla Venezia and Kell had some sort of seafood spaghetti.
My gnocchi was baked in the oven with a blend of cheeses and tomato sauce. It was great. I love the consistency of gnocchi. I've had it at home, but here, it's amazing. Kelly's dish looked incredible. It had some clams, mussels, strange hybrid creature that were a combination of a lobster and a crayfish, and a baby crab. It was great. I liked my dish and had some of hers as well. The decor of the restaurant was quaint.
It was a very low wood beamed ceiling with lots of tapestries and decorations. The ceiling had mounted plates and there were some elaborate masks on the walls. It sat only about 20 and we were the only people in there. HERE'S A FIRST! There was soap in the bathroom! I was so excited to properly wash my hands after using the restroom. Health standards are no where near the equivalent in the states. We sat next to the alleyway. There was not any outdoor seating but this was just as fine. One thing that I have been noticing a lot is the elaborate window grates. It's clear that in the past, security and safety was an issue, just like in any city. But the Venetian's incorporated this into their life with a sense of style. I don't mind being trapped inside some buildings. The wrought iron twists with a sophistication unlike the straight bars of Bensonhurst. I dig it. Upon leaving the restaurant and paying, the waiter commented on my last name. He shrieked, "You're Italian! Next time I see you, I'm not going to speak English to you at all. You'll learn the real way."
We walked around most of the island before deciding that we wanted to pay a visit to the leather craftsman. I was getting a bit disheartened in all the CRAP that was on display. There's an array of the same stuff in every window. Slightly different colors, all bearing labels that boast 'made en italia.' I don't believe it for a second. There are those shops and then designer shops, nothing in the middle for me. I was anxious to find artisans and merchants that I had been dreaming and hearing about. As we made our way to the area of San Polo, we found our leather shop. They have a display window about 6 by 6 feet tall, that's it. There are a selection all different types of beautiful hand bags, shoulder bags, hobos, wallets, and belts. The inside is about 4 square feet with a small cash register. You can peak through the belts that are hung up and see the craftsman at work. There was a colorful customer so we decided to come back.
Kelly purchased an amazing smelling cookie and we went on a hunt for some cough medicine. I'm a bit sick. At first I thought I had a fever in Florence, then it's become more of a cough. Nothing too serious but pretty heavy duty. Here's my Venetian sick face:
On our way to the farmacia, I found my paradise. There were few and fewer chinatown expresses and real people. I found a pair of gloves that were meant for me. I walked away from them and I only hope they are they tomorrow. There's only one pair left and they're incredible. Black leather but then then wrap up your arm. It's a sort of avant-garde look, but they must be mine. We popped in a bunch of shops. Some great individual clothing designers as well as artist havens. I found a ring that sort of looked like my white Kenneth Jay Lane crazy ring that I wear all the time. We also found a shoemaker along the way! They were great. Some were really high, some truly Venetian (9 inches to prevent the women from getting muddy feet in ye old days) and others simple ones. Nothing perked my interest but cool to see non the less. We were a bit tired so we headed back to the leather shop.
The lovely coupled dressed in their matching white lab coats didn't speak a speck of English. I enjoyed the struggle. I was just so happy to finally find a store that had quality leather and not like anything we've ever seen. I initially was overwhelmed with excitement. I tried a few different styles but settled on but ended up with a pale robin's egg blue clutch. It's got a large closure/hinge and is completely unique. If I spoke Italian, I could have had a bag custom made. Oh well, that's for next time. There were leather swatches on the small cash register in every color. The bag cost 150 euro, which in comparison to some of the purchases I've made in the past for the sake of fashion, is nothing. It's a keepsake, a treasure, and a fashion statement, and all mine. I didn't try to bargain because I smelled quality, and quite frankly, it was a bit of a steal. Kelly also purchased a bag. It's beautiful. A bold cobalt with lots of room but sort of a slouchy form. The attention to detail was great. We penned our signature on a personally embossed leather blotter as the bags were put into dust covers and a quality shopping bag. I love great customer service! We'll most likely visit the shop again before we leave...
From there we made our way back home. My throat was sore from continuously coughing so I was on a gelato mission. We walked over the bridge that Katharine Hepburn once walked on in the film Summertime. Not sure, but walking where she once walked was way cooler than some 2000 year old duke. I purchased my "milk mint" gealto from a place called GROM. It was blissful. Bar-none- the best thing I have ever tasted in my life. It's consistency was perfection and the flavor was more along the lines of a mint milkshake. This was the first place with biodegradable spoons! Woo for conservational awareness! I splurged for a medium and I'll leave your mouths watering at that.
We finally got home and here we are. Florence blog is next.
Here's my revelation for the day. Venetians are convinced they are a dying bread, but isn't any culture if you look at it so negatively? A city is made up of the people who are there, whether they be culturally pure or "the other." New York had to deal with those stinky Italians and Irish, they over came adversity and accepted them and now we have those pesky hispanics. There's always going to be a minority. Despite this death of the true Venetians, the new will adapt and accept culture. It's clear that this culture is preserved in time and the allure of this great city translates internationally. I predict that all will be ok for this city's great future.
Enough of that deep stuff, it's time to party. CIAO
Kim, what a story teller you are! You are a shopper at heart! Love, Mom
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