Just a quick update to everyone who ha been so kind about our friend Noelle’s broken arm. She is back in Cambridge, UK where she lives and has been to the Fracture Clinic there. They will be operating on her arm on Thursday morning to stabilize it with either plates, pins or wires. Think good thoughts for her then, please.
Yesterday we decided to go looking in San Marco sestiere for the Santa Maria Novella Soap store to get some olive oil soap. Just before we left our friend Christy (JustTravel) posted on Facebook that she had heard the acqua alta sirens. I didn’t hear them but probably wouldn’t know them if I did. We set out across Campo SS Giovanni e Paola and saw that the water was very high in the rio in front of our apartment.

When we turned up the first street off the campo, we realized the water was covering the street and we were going nowhere. Back to the campo, a quick stop at Rosa Salva for tramezzine (crustless, white bread half-sandwiches stuffed with various fillings). One was prosciutto and hard cooked eggs and a second of pickled vegetables, anchovies and hard cooked eggs–surprisingly good! We went back to the apartment, heated up the chicken soup, and had that and the sandwiches and waited for the tide to go out.
A couple of hours later we were able to move about with no water problems so we headed towards a part of San Marco we were not familiar with. As we have said before, one of the best things about Venice is getting lost in little streets and deadends. You never know what you will see. Here is a sign above a home on a street that we made a wrong turn into. It says that George Sand stayed at this house in the summer of 1834.

Around the corner from the George Sand sign was this interesting doorway to a beauty parlor.

It was a beautiful day to turn corners and find lovely canals

and see bright colors

We found the soap shop near San Samuele and bought some soap and Alan also stopped in a wine shop and bought his Nardini Reserved Grappa. Crossing the Grand Canal on the Accademia Bridge gave us another chance to see this magnificent view. We never tire of it.

Since we were now in Dorsodoro, we went back to another wine shop and picked up a bottle of red wine that Alan had especially liked when we were at La Cantina. More wandering around the area and then we headed back toward the Rialto Bridge. We were passing San Pantolon Church when we noticed it was open. We had tried to go there several times before on previous stays in Venice so took the opportunity to go in. Wow does not cover the ceiling of this church. It is an amazing feat done by Gian Antonio Fumiani. It feels like you are being drawn into several simultaneous scenes and the perspective is amazing. Of course, no pictures allowed so you have got to see this church on your own!
As we got toward the Rialto Bridge, we came across a sausage and pasta shop with this window.

It was so clever, we had to go into it and came out with dinner to make at the apartment–fresh made ravioli filled with porcini mushrooms, pesto sauce and marinated artichokes. Speaking of porcinis, we also found the spice shop behind the Rialto Market and they had loose, dried porcini mushrooms, so we bought some to make a porcini and Roquefort cheese risotto in the next day or two.
The ravioli and the artichokes were both great and after a day of wandering it was nice to be home. Tomorrow, if it is as nice as today, we will go to Burano.