A perfect day

A perfect day! A back blip as I had not a spare moment.

We walked through a quiet St Marks Square on our way at 8.30 to the old Post Office for our guided walk. I hadn’t been that bothered about this part of the package but she was a good guide and we learned some interesting stuff.

Then we had our gondola ride which was quite fun though we shared ours with an American couple who were not happy - she was terrified. The gondolier was patient with her but what a shame she was so miserable.

On our way back to the hotel the water was bubbling up in St Marks - acqua Alta. I took some photos of the reflection of St Marks in it.

We headed back to the hotel for a rest - Jenny wasn’t feeling well as she had a cold and cough. I wish she’d worn her mask on the underground.

She rallied and we got out doing a big detour to find a pharmacy for her on our way to La Fenice for I Due Foscari by Verdi. It has been a long time on the wish list as the opera house was closed for years after a fire. It was the most sumptuous building and such a treat. We treated ourselves to a glass of champagne - of course! Our seats were at the side of the orchestra which was wonderful as I’ve only ever seen the back of a conductor. The singing was just wonderful. It was all just fantastic.

On our way out we saw a group of people dressed in crinolines in full dress up mode but we didn’t linger as we had to get back to meet Tracey in the bar here. Tracey and I met in Kyrgyzstan but she lives and works in a high-pressured job in London so we rarely get a chance to meet. She is staying in her little flat 5 minutes from our hotel so joined us for a Negroni in our bar. (€25 each!) Jenny wanted an early night with her pharmaceuticals so Tracey and I went to her local restaurant. She’s a regular so we got treated well. Everything was local and homemade. We shared 2 starters - courgette flowers with a delicious stuffing, and a plate with 3 different bits including a tasty thing of sardines and another of aubergines. I had a pasta with a creamy anchovy sauce. We shared a tiramisu and a bottle of wine. The proprietor gave us a limoncello at midnight so that she could close up. It was great to be able to spend time with Tracey. Then we climbed the 3 floors up to see her flat and decided to go round to see St Marks at night.

The crinoline people were in the square, having had their ball in La Fenice. The men were dressed either in top hat and tails or as Austrian hussars. It was a wonderful end to a perfect day. Jenny messaged me at 0.22 wondering if I was alright as she’d woken up to find me not back yet. I had to wake us the concierge to get in!