La Cucina Caldesi Cookery School

Our last move took us right into central London.  With the great location came several trade-offs... no bathtub, no extra bedroom, no outside space.  It also came with a kitchen that is smaller than the average walk-in closet.  I have one square foot of counter space, a fridge the size of a suitcase, and every time we use the oven I have to relocate all of the pots and pans that are stored in there.  Needless to say, it's not conducive to home cooking.  When invited to a cooking class held in the professional kitchens of La Cucina Caldesi Cookery School, I jumped at the chance to cook in a proper kitchen.  These are the people who wrote the book on Italian cuisine.  Actually, they've written several books on Italian cuisine.

Venice's Grand Canal & Rialto Bridge

When we were planning our trip to Venice, we knew what we wanted to be the focal point of our stay.  We wanted a hotel that was close to the Grand Canal and the Rialto Bridge, two Venetian treasures. 

The grand canal is the major waterway that snakes its way through Venice, one end at the lagoon and the other at St. Mark's Basin. 

The canal is about 2.5 miles long, 100-300 feet wide and 16 feet deep. The architecture, palaces and churches along the way are built straight out of the water.  Many with no pavement surrounding them, islands of their own. 

Most of the traffic has always been along the waterway, so until pretty recently, there was only one bridge that crossed the canal, the Rialto Bridge. 

Over 1,000 years ago, at the narrowest point along the canal there was a floating bridge and later a wooden bridge.  After numerous collapses, the city leaders decided to take commissions for a more permanent solution.  The Rialto is now one of three bridges that span the canal but certainly the most beautiful.

The commission was awarded to a Swiss-born Venetian engineer and three years later a marble bridge connected the San Marco and San Polo districts of the city.  The two ramps lead up to a center point to allow taller boats to pass.  

The bridge has a wide center walkway with shops on either side.  There are two smaller walkways on the outside along the marble railings. The spectacular views of the canal and the bridge were the highlight of our hotel room.

This was one of the wackiest hotel rooms we've ever stayed in.  In fact, we actually contemplated a last minute change.  We booked our weekend as a flights & hotel package and the location of the Hotel Locanda Ovidius was perfect. 

We arrived pretty late and were led to our room by a friendly receptionist.  But you should have seen the concerned looks Matt and I were giving each other as we were led to our room.  We were sent up an elevator the size of a phone booth and met with a thin wooden cupboard door. After inserting the ancient key we dragged our suitcases straight up a narrow, steep staircase to a landing (with a nice bathroom) and then up a very rickety spiral staircase into our attic room.

You'll notice the duct tape and the railing certainly didn't fill us with confidence as it gave quite a bit if you opted to use it.  A pretty precarious entrance and exit to our room.  I made a mental note to watch the wine intake each night. 

Matt couldn't even stand upright in half of the room because of the slanted roof.  There was a skylight, when opened he could stand up straight with his head poking out above the tile roof.  After wondering what we'd gotten ourselves into, we decided what the hell.  With views like this, who cares.   I was afraid that every time I forced open this ancient window it was going to tumble down the roof and into the water below.  But I had to keep it open.

The bed was hard and the pillows were as flat as pancakes, but the place had character and it certainly felt Venetian.  The breakfast room was heavenly and the perfect way to start each day.  I'm glad we decided to stay and as Matt said "We'll always have the story." 

And we'll always have the memories of glorious Venice.

Okay.  So that's my last post on Venice.  I'm actually a little sad.

Guess we'll have to plan a return trip.  Although I think Florence will be next.

 

Where's the wackiest hotel room you've stayed in?

 

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A Magical Gondola Ride in Venice

At the impressionable age of 16 I visited Venice on a family trip.  I immediately fell in love with the city and dreamed of coming back.  We didn't take a gondola ride at the time, but I remember watching all of the couples snuggled up and drifting up and down the canals.  It seemed like the most romantic thing in the world.  I knew that someday I would return with my love and take a gondola ride. 

As Matt and I planned our trip to Venice I told him of this dream that I'd been carrying around in that teenage corner of my heart.  He started to say something about the expense, but quickly realized that this was one of those things he just needed to go along with.  And he did.  Without a moment of protest he walked us up to a gondola stand to request a ride.  We even upgraded a bit for the 45 minute ride for 80 euros.   You could not wipe the smile off of my face.  It was everything that I dreamed it would be.

We settled back into the seat with his arm around me and escorted by our trusty stead, we glided through the canals of Venice.  Magic I tell you. 

Gondola's have been around for about a thousand years.  Shallow vessels were needed to navigate canals of Venice.  In their heyday, thousands of gondolas crowded the waterways of Venice. 

Today there are about 400 gondolas that mostly cater to tourists.  All of the boats are handmade to a very specific plan and painted black.  There was a time when the nobles tried to outdo each other with more and more garish decorations.  So they nipped that in the bud a few hundred years ago. 

Now they are all black and only allowed three flourishes, the ferro or comb on the front, a curly tail in the back and two metal seahorses.  Ours was particularly beautiful and the seahorses were very photogenic, don't you think?

The boat is a little lopsided to accommodate the gondolier standing on the back that always rows on the right side of the boat. 

The gondoliers are all licensed after an extensive training program and an exam.  They only give out a few new licenses each year.  It's considered a very noble and historical profession.  They're quite a personable lot especially when flashing an Italian smile.  They know their city and are happy to share it. 

One thing that would strike us often was how different the city sounded.  No cars!  You can hear people talking and laughing.  The sound of utensils and wine glasses clinking.  The sound of the oars stroking through the water. 

The city looks completely different from the red cushioned seat of a gondola.  I didn't want it to end.  It was so beautiful and relaxing. 

Our journey ended on the Grand Canal as the sun started to set.  Often when you've had thirty years to build something up in your head like I did, you can be disappointed.  But this was not the case at all.

My long-awaited gondola ride with my love was exactly what I dreamed it would be and more.  When I'm old and gray I'll dream about that shiny seahorse that guided me through the magic of Venice. 

I'm completely unapologetic about the gushing.  These are the moments that I travel live for.  I'll take any of them that come my way.  I'm so grateful.  

Have you had a long dreamed of experience that lived up to the hype?

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Murano & Burano - Islands of Venice

Can you believe we're already three weeks into the new year?  It's been a pretty good few weeks actually.  

January is typically my least favorite month of the year.  The holidays are over, back to work and the weather usually leaves something to be desired.  But we managed to squeeze in a fabulous weekend in Nice with an afternoon in Monaco.  The awesome views, blue skies and mild weather fed my soul a bit. I can't wait to start editing the photos.  We've also been having plenty of blue sky days in London.

In other news, Jessica had her first ultrasound!  (Be prepared for me to over use exclamation marks when I talk about being a grandma!)  The baby is perfect and wonderful! Just one baby.  (Little Momma's belly popped a little early and we were wondering about twins.) Jessica said he/she was wiggling around and tapping its feet.  I've taken to calling baby Tiny Dancer.  

My heart is bursting with love already.  I knew it would be pretty special but I had no idea how epic and life changing it would feel.  Jessica and John are over the moon.  Jess is dealing with morning sickness and fatigue, but handling it all like a champ.  She's almost through that first trimester.  If you follow me on instagram you'll get weekly baby bump photos (as well as pics of the Gigi shopping that has already started. Such fun!)

Can you believe I'm still posting about our weekend in Venice, Italy?   I told you I took an absurd amount of photos.  Today I'm sharing photos from our afternoon excursion to Murano and Burano.  If you go to Venice it's so easy to pop over to these two islands on the "vaporetti" or water buses.  Line 12 will get you to both.  

Our first stop was Murano which is known for its glass making.  In the 13th century, the foundries in Venice were all moved to Murano to protect the wooden structures of Venice from potential fires.  Murano became the center of glass-making in Europe.  Venetian glass and ornate glass chandeliers from Murano are known the world over.

We planned to look at the glass, but first things first... margherita pizza with a glass of vino in a sun dappled courtyard.  Once our stomachs were happy, we began to wander. 

Don't you love these amorous lampposts?

Murano is about a mile from Venice and is actually seven islands connected by eight canals with plenty of bridges to get you around and about. 

We strolled around for maybe an hour, visiting shops and studios, enjoying the beautiful canal views. 

Of course, a few purchases were made and at one of the shops we were able to see a glassblower in action. 

After a short wait, we hopped back on the vaporetti for a little longer trip to Burano.  This group of islands also connected by canals is known for its traditional lacework and colorful houses. 

Each home has an approved list of colors and any changes must be approved.  The doors were draped with striped clothes fluttering in the wind and the canals were rippling with the reflected colors.

How could you not be happy living in one of these bright happy homes with the water on your doorstep?

I definitely recommend a nice leisurely afternoon spent strolling Murano and Burano.  If you time it just right, you can catch the sun setting over the water on your boat ride back to Venice.  You haven't lived until you seen a sunset in Venice.  

Which was your favorite, Murano or Burano?

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