arrivederci - goodbye (italian)
dan soaks in our last moments in venice - then inhales a last slice of pizzaday 5 - we leave sun for snow
our last day in italy. boo. we sadly check out of the hip hotel, leave our bags with the miffed porter from the day before, and use the morning to see the peggy guggenheim collection.
peggy guggenheim lived in venice on the grand canal until she died in 1979. in that time she collected modern artwork and started galleries in london and new york. now, of course, the foundation has started many more galleries, but this particular collection was her own. the pieces that decorated her own house, most in the original spots where they hung when she lived there.
being huge modern art lovers, dan and i were in awe of the calder sculptures that decorated her entry, her patio, and hung above her bed. there is very little furniture left in the house and it is very gallery chic, but there are pictures in each room of peggy, with one of her 12 beloved dogs, wearing a crazy wig and witch shoes, sitting in that room. it would have been hard to imagine someone living in the house without those pictures. it made the experience feel more personal and gave one a glimpse into her slightly wacky sense of humor. the gift shop even has a children's book about jackson pollock called "action jackson". i highly recommend it. the museum was incredible, we thoroughly enjoyed it, you can find it in our upcoming travel article about modern venice. (why not?)
we walked to the end of the island, snapped some photos, grabbed a slice of pizza, fed the pigeons even though you're not supposed to, and headed back to the bus station for the bus to the airport. everything had been so quiet and peaceful and lovely. then we got to our gate.
discount airlines in europe, as i may have mentioned before, are pretty hellish for those of us who love the idea of lines. at some point someone decides to get in line at the gate and there is a mad rush to the desk. then there is a mad rush to get into the bus that takes you to the airplane. that is followed by an insanely crowded (though as dan points out, "it's no matatu") bus ride that smells european if you know what i mean. then the doors open and there is a mad rush to the plane. literally running with bags. once on i find the first seat available and get out of the way!
but there is no escaping the group of italian high school students that virtually fill the plane. they yell and are typically rowdy. my sense of calm is destroyed and i find myself wondering when i got so old that they bother me. it was only 10 years ago that i was a rowdy american high schooler on a plane in italy. "of course, we weren't that bad" i tell myself - and dan, who can read my thoughts. we quickly learn from the squeals and "buono dio!" screetches that these are kids who have never been on a plane. every turn brings another round of italian curses but i don't mind because we circle over venice twice and i have an amazing view of that beautiful and interesting and sinking city.
we come home over the alps and then the gray plain of germany and the czech republic only to be told there is heavy snow in berlin and we'll be late and the runway is icy. the kids love that! another round of screetches. then we have the bumpiest, most fear inducing landing i have ever been involved in, and this time everyone does a little screetching.
we are glad to be home, the cat won't leave us alone, and we are exhausted. no passport stamp, but we have our photos and our memories. and this blog i suppose, which will be lost in cyberspace years from now.
our last day in italy. boo. we sadly check out of the hip hotel, leave our bags with the miffed porter from the day before, and use the morning to see the peggy guggenheim collection.
peggy guggenheim lived in venice on the grand canal until she died in 1979. in that time she collected modern artwork and started galleries in london and new york. now, of course, the foundation has started many more galleries, but this particular collection was her own. the pieces that decorated her own house, most in the original spots where they hung when she lived there.
being huge modern art lovers, dan and i were in awe of the calder sculptures that decorated her entry, her patio, and hung above her bed. there is very little furniture left in the house and it is very gallery chic, but there are pictures in each room of peggy, with one of her 12 beloved dogs, wearing a crazy wig and witch shoes, sitting in that room. it would have been hard to imagine someone living in the house without those pictures. it made the experience feel more personal and gave one a glimpse into her slightly wacky sense of humor. the gift shop even has a children's book about jackson pollock called "action jackson". i highly recommend it. the museum was incredible, we thoroughly enjoyed it, you can find it in our upcoming travel article about modern venice. (why not?)
we walked to the end of the island, snapped some photos, grabbed a slice of pizza, fed the pigeons even though you're not supposed to, and headed back to the bus station for the bus to the airport. everything had been so quiet and peaceful and lovely. then we got to our gate.
discount airlines in europe, as i may have mentioned before, are pretty hellish for those of us who love the idea of lines. at some point someone decides to get in line at the gate and there is a mad rush to the desk. then there is a mad rush to get into the bus that takes you to the airplane. that is followed by an insanely crowded (though as dan points out, "it's no matatu") bus ride that smells european if you know what i mean. then the doors open and there is a mad rush to the plane. literally running with bags. once on i find the first seat available and get out of the way!
but there is no escaping the group of italian high school students that virtually fill the plane. they yell and are typically rowdy. my sense of calm is destroyed and i find myself wondering when i got so old that they bother me. it was only 10 years ago that i was a rowdy american high schooler on a plane in italy. "of course, we weren't that bad" i tell myself - and dan, who can read my thoughts. we quickly learn from the squeals and "buono dio!" screetches that these are kids who have never been on a plane. every turn brings another round of italian curses but i don't mind because we circle over venice twice and i have an amazing view of that beautiful and interesting and sinking city.
we come home over the alps and then the gray plain of germany and the czech republic only to be told there is heavy snow in berlin and we'll be late and the runway is icy. the kids love that! another round of screetches. then we have the bumpiest, most fear inducing landing i have ever been involved in, and this time everyone does a little screetching.
we are glad to be home, the cat won't leave us alone, and we are exhausted. no passport stamp, but we have our photos and our memories. and this blog i suppose, which will be lost in cyberspace years from now.
posted by jordan at
11:05 AM
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