Carnevale di Venezia 2008

MIL's here for 10 days and asked if we could bring her to Venice where 2 of her good friends would be during the famous Carnevale di Venezia. We were not too hot with the idea of turning up in the City during the Mother of Peak Periods, but at the same time, we had no heart to refuse the old lady.

MIL, E & G

It was fortunate that somehow we encountered no traffic jams on our way there though the parking and the boat rides into the old City remained as expensive as ever. And you know Italy's charm lies in its Slow Food and Dolce Vita so just as well if no one's in a hurry as the ferry ride to San Marco (from our parking) took us a good 30 minutes. Almost enough time for me to decide if I was going to be sea sick or otherwise.

Venice as far as I'm concerned is a truly magical place - for a visit. Its alleys, cobbled streets, largely dilapidated buildings, shiny boutiques, smelly canals are very old world and charming. You get transported to another place when you're there. But I think I'd get claustrophobic and very impatient if I were to live there, not to mention fed-up with the incessant flow of tourists and cut-throat prices.

The Babies at the window of the hotel room

We met MIL's friends E and G and headed out for lunch immediately. They have taken a room in a beautiful hotel (Hotel Priuli) near San Marco Square. Our restaurant was this tiny Trattoria Rivetta in S. Provolo (Nº 4625) just below a bridge where Gondola rowers hang out waiting for clients. But the food was surprisingly good, our past experience with Venice telling us that tourist traps are everywhere and that you have to really do your research beforehand and not just walk into any restaurant in this city - if you wish to avoid expensive and lousy food.

Where we lunched

I had a seafood spaghetti followed by a Grilled Sea Bass and they were both excellent. That raised our spirits and provided us with ammunition for an afternoon of chasing after costumed and masked figures in town. People who love posing and being photographed for hours on end exist in this world and you can find them in Venice at this time of the year.

It is difficult to say for sure how it all started but carne vale apparently means "farewell to meat" and is a period of feasting and merrymaking celebrated just before Lent. Venice's use of masks was first recorded in 1268 and its carnival used to last 2 months (compared to just 12 days today) and lots of crazy and permissive stuff would go on when people were wearing their masks so over the centuries new decrees prohibiting this or that would pop up until dictators like Napoleon, Mussolini etc decided to ban it altogether. They revived it around 1979 out of reminiscence but mostly out of recognition for the tourist dollar earning potential of the event.

The Hub actually compiled a small video of the day on his iMac and it kept him amused for a few days doing that. He wanted to be a sound engineer (ironic as he is quite deaf thanks to his dad's genes) but didn't make it to the school in his youth. Funny how people could be so passionate about movies and the radio, me I like silent activities like reading, writing, shopping, cooking (yes, in silence, I need to think)...

Speaking of which you haven't been seeing much of me as I've been shopping. The outlets, the malls...whatever I could visit when the kids were at school I've visited. Though it doesn't mean that I haven't been cooking, only I've been making mostly food that I've already blogged about.

Maybe my creative juices will start flowing when the Sales are over and I'd have more time to think about food.