May 18 and 19 May 20 May 21 May 22 May 23 May 24 May 25 May 26 May 27 May 28 May 29 May 30 May 31 June 1 June 2 June 3	Friday 5/31/02 I slept like a rock! Got up about 5 and met the rest downstairs at 6. We were taking the 6:10 water bus to Burano. Knowing that it would be a while before we’d get anything to eat, I had half a Clif bar before leaving the room. We caught the correct water bus and successfully made the transfer at Punta Sabbioni. They must have radioed ahead that we were making the transfer, as the second water bus waited for us. The official there was waving frantically for us to hurry aboard... Burano is as colorful as they told us it would be. Each house is painted a different color. Even homes that are in the same physical building will be painted different colors! The three photos above show some typical canal scenes from Burano. There’s a couple of theories as to how this started. One is that the island is gloomy in winter and the many colors lift the spirits. Another is that fishing is the main industry for the island and a returning fisherman could find his own house quickly from a distance. If there was a message for him (like come home quickly), the family could hang a sheet in the window and the fisherman would know it was for him. Nowadays, it’s probably to attract the tourists... It’s a colorful, clean town and quite a delight to photograph. The bell tower for the church is one of the leaning towers of the area (photo to the right) and is visible from quite a distance, if you know where to look. We would spot it later from the bell tower of San Giorgio. However, it was an overcast day, which dulled some of the colors and made it impossible to include the sky in any of the shots. After shooting for a while, I found a bakery and picked up a pastry for breakfast. I joined Bill for a while, just talking about this and that. The three photos above are from Burano. The ones on the left and right show typical windows while the center photo is another canal scene. The other main industry for the island is making lace. Authentic handmade Burano lace is hard to find and is very expensive. I found a nice butterfly that they had framed. It may be machine made, but it’s a nice souvenir. Everything here is delivered by hand. I saw a produce boat pull in and the man carried his crates to a nearby table for the daily market. And we watched the garbage collectors. They had push carts that they pushed through the streets, collecting the little trash bags that were hung everywhere. We had trouble shooting around them... After we returned to Venice, I realized that the same was true there. No cars, no trucks, no mopeds, no bicycles. Construction materials were wheelbarreled through the streets. UPS deliveries were by hand cart. And the carts had one set of large wheels and one set of tiny wheels. The tiny wheels would help them climb the stairs over the canals. Really ingeniously designed. While shooting pictures in Burano, the church bell started tolling mournfully. There was a funeral in the church (which is quite lovely inside) and we watched respectfully as the procession formed (photo to the left). First there were three large floral wreaths on stands that were carried by men, then the coffin and the priest, then the mourners. As I watched the church empty, I realized this must be someone important or well loved in the community, as most of the townspeople were in the church. Looking in the church later, I realized that every seat must have been taken. Laura joined us about 11:30 and we caught the next water bus back to Venice. We landed near the Fundemente Nuove, which means new fundament. A fundament is a road that follows a canal. This fundament was built in the 1700s or so. Really new.... Here we ate lunch at a small cafe. I had a ham and cheese sandwich, which was very good. Bill left us here to scout more shooting locations. After lunch, we boarded another water bus to visit Cimitero, the city’s cemetery island. There’s a nice church there with an interesting cloister square. We wandered around here for almost an hour. The baby’s section is quite touching. There are some celebrities buried here the only one I recognized was Igor Stravinsky. He and his wife are buried side by side in simple graves that only have their names on them. No dates or any other details or embellishments. The three photos above were taken on Cimitere. the photo on the left shows a statue to St. Francis. The center photo shows the church located here. The photo on the right shows one of the children's tombs. Then we took a very crowded water bus back to the hotel. It was late afternoon by now and this bus is the one that returns from Murano, where the famous glass works are located. Several people had large boxes marked fragile. On returning to the hotel, I talked with Bill and Judy for a while. Bill showed us where he had gone and had found some nice places to shoot. We’ll be heading back that way tomorrow morning. Then I went out to look at masks again. There are lots of mask shops in the area. I had already narrowed my selections down to two specific stores, both quite near the hotel, and spent some time this afternoon settling on exactly which masks I’d get. I think I’ve decided. Back for a quick shower, then I joined Judy and Betsy for a quick supper at Roberto’s. Shirley decided she’d go out for a full dinner later by herself. I had fettuccine with meat sauce and fruit salad and shared a small decanter of wine with Judy. Still yummy. They have good food there. Then the three of us went up in the Campanile. The elevator to the top is nice. Decent sized. And we had timed our visit perfectly. The bells didn’t peal until we had returned to the ground! There’s a nice view from the top. Oh, and the bells are close enough to touch, if you’re over 5' 8". In fact, one tall man almost bumped his head on one of them. The photos above were taken in the Campanile. The one on the left shows San Giorgio Maggiore, a lovely church in the middle of the lagune. The one on the right shows the large bells located in the Campanile. Then we split up and went different directions. I kept plunging into one interesting small street after another, until I realized I was major lost! I kept finding streets that would dead end or that would end in a canal - one more step and I’d be sorry! Once I got to someplace with a name that I could find on the map, I realized that I was nearly back to where we had eaten lunch, which was on the opposite side of town from our hotel. I finally found signs for San Marco, but wound up at the Rialto Bridge instead. I caught the water bus there and headed back to the hotel. I was bone tired. I’d done a heck of a lot of walking today. The three photos above were taken while I was wandering around. The photo on the left is another canal scene. The center photo shows a bridge over a canal. And the photo on the right is a this cat mask with glasses that I spotted in a store window. When I returned to the room, I found that the air conditioner had quit again, yet it had been working when we left at 6. So we called the front desk and they said they’d send a bellman up. I can just hear what they were thinking - stupid American women can’t figure out a simple air conditioner - we’ll send up a bellman to get it going. Well, he fiddled with the thermostat. He flipped the switch a couple of times. He apologetically double checked the window to verify that it was “perfectly closed”. Nothing. Out came the cell phone and he called the front desk. He explains that a technician will come out tomorrow and fix it. In the meantime, just open the doors to the balcony and let the lovely breeze in. And, no, they don’t have any fans. He had thought of that and already asked. He was cute, attempting to explain all this in a language he doesn’t speak. And very relieved when I told him that I understood what he was saying. So, we opened the doors wide. The room cooled off quickly, but we needed to keep them open or it would warm up again quickly. Luckily, the street noises died down after a while. Unfortunately, the mosquitos never went home for the night.... And, for most of the night, there was a cat in heat calling for a mate every 15 minutes. I finally spotted her the next morning - gray with white stockings. She’d return each night for the rest of our stay. Next...