Where the heck are we now?: Living on a Venetian island...

We arrived in Venice by train after a couple of hours ride from Milan and as we pulled into the station we were parked next to the Orient Express. This luxury train of restored cars from the 1920s and 30s is legendary and a trip we would love to do but way over our budget. This segment went from Venice to Paris to London and the passengers were just settling in...

Here to look after the passengers...

I did check the price for this trip and it costs about 3000 dollars a person to travel for 2 days and 1 night from Venice to Paris!

So on to our version of Venice...

We got ourselves oriented and then walked out of the train station to this view...

The sun was still shining and we were right on one of the main canals so we had to catch a vaporetto, a water boat to our accomodation.

Our first glimpse of the city of Venice as we went around the corner.

Venice is built of a series of 118 islands of varying sizes that are separated by canals and connected by bridges. We are staying on the island of Guidecca which is directly across from the main sights of the city. It is actually 8 small islands joined by little bridges. It is a working class neighbourhood where everyone knows each other and we meet the same people each day when we walk or go to the cantina for a drink.

There are a number of vaporetto stops along the island which is about 3 km long and 300m wide, ours is Palenca. We got off at the right stop, found our place and no one there to meet us! We waited an hour with no one showing up so I fiqured it was time to call. First went to a little shop a few doors down...no English or telephono! Then tried the Trattoria a few doors up the other way where the waiter spoke English, called the number for me and was so helpful. The owner's mother who was supposed to meet us was in bed by now and wasn't quite sure who we were. Finally she got the message and said she had forgotten us so have a drink and wait for her housekeeper who would be by in an hour! So that was how it went...Freddy showed up in an hour, let us in and we crashed. In all the places we have rented over the years this is the first time this ever happened to us! Oh well, another story to tell.

The studio we are renting is right on the canal....

Here is the walkway that runs by the place.

It also has a two way mirror for a front window so we can see out but no one can see in which makes for lots of interesting views...

This guy was taking a picture of himself.

We can watch the cruise ships gone in and out, several everyday.

Neighbours chatting with each other...

The studio is basic and could use some updating, it is a case of a place that has seen better days but it is warm and dry and the location is awesome.

The next day we decided to explore our neighbourhood instead of going over to the main island. We walked it from top to bottom and all the little alleyways we could find, but our first trip was to the COOP to pick up some grocery supplies.

Don checking out the sardines.

There are three churches on Guidecca but the largest that dominates the skyline is called Chiesa del Santissimo Redentore ( Church of the Most Holy Redeemer). It was built in the 16th century as a votive church to thank God for the deliverance of the city from a major outbreak of the Plaque which killed almost a third of the population.

The church is on one end of the island and the biggest building, a restored flour mill and granary which is now the Molina Stucky Hilton Hotel is on the other. As we walked by we could tell that they had done a fine restoration. It seems that end of the island has picked up as a result.