Tuesday, we set out to see one of the churches we have not been able to get into over a period of a couple of trips. It is San Giobbe and it is in Western Cannaregio. Taking the vaporetto at the Zattere and getting off at Tre Archi, we made very good time. Alas, we got to San Giobbe, and not only is it still closed for repairs, it doesn’t look like anyone has been there in the two years since we last tried to see it. Here are some outside pictures of it, and its cloister and/or school.

We left there and walked down the Fondamenta Savorgnan whose name changes to the Fondamenta Venier to the last bridge over the Canale di Cannaregio before the Grand Canal (Ponte delle Guglie). After crossing over it, we turned onto the Fondamenta Cannaregio until we reached the entrance to the Ghetto. When we were here two weeks ago with Barry and Lois, everything was closed because it was a Jewish holiday (or two, actually). Today almost everything was opened, so we window shopped for a few minutes and then went to Gam-Gam for lunch. This is a totally Kosher restaurant and also has Israeli food. My favorite thing to get there is the “Specialty of the House,” better described as mezes (Middle Eastern tapas). There are about ten small plates of vegetarian foods including falafel, hummus, and a hot, spicy green sauce. I had this, Alan had fish with haraimi sauce which was a spicy red sauce. We split an order of latkes (potato pancakes) which came with, of course, apple sauce.

After lunch, we wandered through the Ghetto, tried to go to a shop a friend of Lois’ had recommended but it was still closed, decided not to go to the Ghetto museum again, and stopped at a Ghetto antique store and bought a Hanukah gift for my brother and his wife. Alan’s cold was getting worse, so we got on the vaporetto to come home. After we got off, we walked over to the Accademia vaporetto stop so Alan could add money to his card. This is a picture of a dog water bowl built directly into a wall of a building along the street to the vaporetto stop.

Alan ran over to the grocery for mixed ground meats as he wanted to make meatballs and spaghetti for dinner. He also picked up peppers and zucchini to roast. He then slept the rest of the afternoon before making dinner.

We saw a couple of young kids in Halloween costumes but not many.

Yesterday, we really laid low so that Alan could nurse his cold. November 1 (All Saints’ Day) is a national Italian holiday so a lot of things were closed. Alan had to go to a distant pharmacy to get cough medicine and also went to the market and got stuffed peppers and some octopus salad for dinner. He slept the rest of the day and went to bed early. I read all day yesterday and enjoyed an “at home” day. Today (All Souls’ Day) we are doing very little in the hopes that Alan’s cold will be much better for tomorrow. Tomorrow is our cooking lesson day and we are both looking forward to it.