Carnivale! In Venezia!

VENEZIA

The week before I flew off to Cape Town, my very good friend Geoffrey Chown came for a visit. Geoffrey is responsible for me being here in Italy.  He helped me pack in my final frantic hours in Toronto, and then calmly drove me to the airport.  And many months before I actually departed, in a moment of complete anxiety over whether I should take my sabbatical or not, I phoned Geoffrey and told him what was on my mind. As good friends do, he listened to me talk and by the end of a very one-sided conversation, it was clear that the sabbatical was really the best thing I could do. I remember Geoffrey said little that day – he’s that kind of friend.  So, I was very much looking forward spending a week with him.

Geoffrey arriving in Firenze, not one bit jet-lagged!

We had a whirlwind week, and because Venezia is one of Geoffrey’s favourite cities, and because he was here during Carnivale, and because going to Carnivale in Venezia in February is something that I’ve always wanted to do but wouldn’t because of the weather and all, and because I hadn’t been to Venice in 10 years, we decided to hop on a train and see what all the hoopla was about.

Geoffrey at our pensione.

Well, Carnivale in Venezia is certainly something to experience.  We arrived on the Sunday before the finale on the Tuesday, so things were in full-swing.  Geoffrey quite rightly summed it all up: “It’s a freak show!” and indeed it was.  Other than the summer time, Venice during Carnivale is FULL of people. Scary people.  The tourists were mostly German and French, given the languages we were hearing on the streets, with a few smatterings of Asians and Americans (and two lonely Canadians!)  Everyone was in a party mood, from morning to night, and action central was definitely Piazza San Marco. A large stage was erected at the west-end of the Piazza and it seemed to have something occurring hourly.

Piazza San Marco, looking west.

Napoleon Buonaparte called Piazza San Marco the “living room” of Europe, and indeed it is when the weather is nice and it’s not completely overrun with tourists. During Carnivale, Piazza San Marco becomes a STAGE!  The designers of the Procuratie Nuove – the lovely 3-story office building (finished in 1640) that makes up part of the Piazza – cleaverly included 3 steps along the arcade to ever-so-slightly elevate the building.  And it was on these steps that you got a real sense of what Carnivale was all about: great costumes, and serious (and I do mean serious) posing.



She's saying: not another picture, please!
He's saying: where's the camera?

Some Venetians take getting dressed up for Carnivale very seriously. Having an elegant, period costume is essential.  But the most fun (for this tourist, anyway) was watching how seriously people in costume posed to have their pictures taken.  There was not a camera that they did not like, and the more people taking pictures the better (think media-hungry B-list celebrity and the paparazzi.)  If you even looked like you might like to take their picture, they would stop, strike a pose, and sure enough, others would soon follow suit. More cameras; more costumes; more posing.  It was all very amusing.  And the best show in town was on the steps of the Procuratie Nouve. 

This Dandy LOVES the camera!

Geoffrey made another salient observation about Carnivale in Venice:  “It’s like Halloween for Europeans.”  So, amid a sea of elegantly dressed Venetians in period costumes, there would be someone dressed up as Superman, or Snoopy, or Squarebob Spongepants.  I think we saw every type of costume going and it just seemed to underline Geoffrey’s first observation.

Everyone has a mask at Carnivale - even the portraits in art galleries!

Geoffrey in a mask.

Yours truly, in maschera

The mood in Venice during Carnivale is very festive and happy, probably because half the people on the streets had a bit too much to drink at lunch, so it’s actually a fun time to be there. And speaking of drinking, Geoffrey had a few euros courtesy of one Mrs. Carol Chown (his mother.)  As she said, “it’s to treat yourself to a nice drink somewhere,” so Geoffrey and I experienced a unique Venetian tradition: cicchetti.  Cicchetti is the Venetian version of aperitivi, popular throughout Italy, which is an after work or pre-dinner drink, usually with a bit of food.  A cicchetto is literally a quick drink or a “nip”, as in, “I’ll have a nip of vino,” and that’s what cicchetti is all about. You go out around 7 or 7:30pm, find a bar, have a small glass of wine or other spirit, select a few appetizers, and stand around for 10 or 15 minutes eating and drinking, then leave.

Geoffrey took this picture of yours truly, at a cicchetti bar.

Geoffrey and I were on a mission to experience exactly how cicchetti worked, so we found a great bar just down the canal from our pensione, and stayed for more than one drink. It was loads of fun, and as one does on holiday, Geoffrey pondered what it would take to open up a cicchetti bar in Toronto. I’ll keep you posted.

Geoffrey in Venezia

Other highlights of Venice included wandering the streets and canals, watching guests arrive by boat at a grand Venetian Carnivale Ball which was happening across the canal from our pensione, travelling about the Grand Canal by boat, and just experiencing Carnivale for the first, and perhaps, last time.

Geoffrey on the train coming home - whew!

Geoffrey and I were like sharks while he was here – always on the go. We hosted a luncheon for my friend Sue N, who was travelling through Firenze on her way back from a mission in Uganda.  We had aperitivi on several occasions, one of which was to say goodbye to Natalia L, who was leaving Firenze for a six-week stay in Paris. 

Geoffrey's behind the camera:
Maria, Me, Natalia & Sue - post-luncheon.

Geoffrey post-Aperitivi @ Open Bar, with Maria, Natalia & Me.

Geoffrey in Piazza della Signoria, Firenze, playing tourist & eating gelato.

We also went to Roma for Geoffrey’s last day, and stayed overnight with my friend Anna (grazie mille!) It was a beautiful day and we strolled to the Vatican and soaked up Piazza San Pietro. And then the week was finished and we said our goodbyes at the airport. Fun! Fun! Fun!



Geoffrey at the Roma airport, saying arrivederci Italia

The post-script to this story is that all the while we were having fun in Italy, Mrs. Carol Chown was sick in the hospital in Kingston. She spent 10 days in hospital and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  It is an unsettling and indeed sad situation for the Chown family and all those that know Carol, myself included.  Needless to say, Geoffrey and sister Sally are quite rightly spending lots of time with Carol and setting up the needed supports.  Luckily, she’s not facing this cancer journey alone, but it is devastating news nonetheless.

Geoffrey on the steps of the Convento di San Francesco in Fiesole.

CT #7 - Final Random Pictures

Some final thoughts, random pictures, and facts about Cape Town.

This is the South African Art Gallery.
It is perhaps the one art gallery I haven't visited!
I'm saving it for my next trip to Cape Town. 
Devil's Peak is the mountain in the background

Coming soon to a Mini Cooper store near you: the new Mini Coupe.
In Italian, you would say: carino!

Naturally, lots of Dutch influence in the local architecture.

Who doesn't like a good statue of Queen Victoria?

The Legislature Building, in the Company Gardens.

Hello from Cape Town - this is Cecil Rhodes.
Rhodes founded DeBeers, was a statesman, and was probably gay.

Cape Town has a large stock of Art Deco building, like this one.
The reason is a lot of development took place between 1900 - 1940.
This is the South African Mutual Life Assurance Society building.
It has a lovely carved relief just above the ground floor window,
telling the story of the "founding" of the Cape Colony.

This is Jan Christian Smuts.
I bet he was teased in high school.
Smuts was, for many years, the Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa.
He was also the thought-leader behind the League of Nations, precursor to the UN.

This lovely building is "De Tuynhuys" the President of South Africa's Cape Town office.
His other office is in Pretoria.
South Africa has three capital cities:
Cape Town - legislative captial
Pretoria - Executive captial,
Bloemfontein - judicial capital.

FINAL THOUGHTS:  South Africa in the post-apartheid era is an interesting place: multi-coloured, integrated (to a degree), multi-dimensional with a challenging but interesting history, and a future of its own making.  The challenges are great, but it's evident there's a desire to move forward for the benefit of all South Africans.

Cape Town was a unique and wonderful experience.  South Africa was a place I've always wanted to visit.  Now that I've been, I can't wait to go back and see more!  I am indebted to my friend Karen C and her beau Charles for giving me the opportunity to tick something off my wish list.  Without them, I would never have ventured so far afield.  Thank you Karen and Charles!

CT #6 - Tessa

It is comforting to have a routine, even on sabbatical, and even on a vacation while on sabbatical.  And so it was that every morning (except for Sunday) I would visit Tessa (above), owner of the Whitburn Flower Shop.  Tessa moved to Cape Town from the UK some forty-odd years ago simply because she fell in love with the place. Like Beulah at the Scotch Coffee House, visiting Tessa became an important part of the day, and was very much a touchstone for my trip.  Tessa was interested and interesting, and always seemed to have time to chat. Her smile made you smile, and she always seemed to have just the right bit of advice or insight. As with so many things, visiting Tessa made my time in Cape Town all the more special.

The Market at Greenmarket Square.
 I stayed in the grey Art Deco Building on the left.

CT #5 - Time Out on Sunday

Sunday is definitely a day of rest for Capetonians. Very little was open and the sun was shinning, so I decided to explore a new part of town: Sea Point.  As the name implies, it sits right on the ocean and reminds me a lot of English Bay in Vancouver.  There was a seawall with people jogging and walking along it.

There was also a lot of parkland, and because the ocean is really cold, a 50m pool was perched on the  beach. 

And there is no better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than having a picnic with your friends and family.

CT #4 - Table Mountain



View of Table Mountain, from the City Bus Tour

Right in the middle of Cape Town sits Table Mountain which towers 1,000m above the city and creates the most spectacular backdrop for everything that is Cape Town. Table Mountain is also the top tourist attraction and it does not disappoint.

Going Up Table Mountain

There is no need to climb to the top of the mountain (although you can) – a wonderful gondola takes you up 700m in 5 minutes. The ride is worth every penny and the floor of the gondola rotates 360 degrees on each ascent and descent, so everyone gets a view.

This Gondola brought to you by VISA

View from half-way point going up!

Once at the top, the views are simply jaw-dropping. You can see forever across the South Atlantic Ocean and catch views of False Bay, which is part of the Indian Ocean.  The Cape Point peninsula stretches south, and is the official separation point between the two oceans. 



Looking South along Cape Point

The beach community of Camp's Bay

The "City Bowl" of Cape Town

Many of CT’s landmarks standout from the view points: the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront (Alfred was Queen Victoria’s second son); Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned; the new Cape Town stadium, site of the FIFA Soccer World Cup in 2010; Lion’s Head, Devils Peak and Signal Hill, “lesser” natural landmarks but all impressive in their own rights.

The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront.

Robben Island - the hill in the foreground is Signal Hill.

The Cape Town Stadium

Lion's Head

Looking south along the peninsula the mountains continue – the “12 Apostles” as they are called, although I think there are more like 14 peaks, but who’s counting, and Cape Point itself, the most southerly point in Africa.

The 12 Apostles

It was at the top of Table Mountain that I fell in love with Cape Town and with so much natural beauty, how could you not!!!??

CT #3 - Getting There

This is the plane that eventually got me to Cape Town.  I say eventually, because I did a little tour of major european airports on the way there. Little know fact: you cannot fly direct from Italy to Cape Town. You must go North to go South.  So, I booked myself on KLM from Firenze through Amsterdam to CT.

The connection at Schiphol Airport was 55 minutes - lots of time I thought, and anyway, why would KLM sell me a ticket with too short a connecting time, right? Wrong!  I thought our flight landed on time, but according to KLM's computer, we were late. Even though I made it to the departure gate with 15 minutes to spare, there was no seat for me PLUS my luggage would not have made it onto the plane.  So I was automatically rebooked to fly to CT with Luftansa out of Frankfurt at 10pm - twelve hours from my original flight time. While I like the Frankfurt airport and I know how to get to downtown Frankfurt from it, I didn't relish spending the day there.  So, the nice people at KLM got me a seat on a British Airways flight from Heathrow which departed at 17:00 hrs.  Less time waiting in airports, plus I hadn't been to England in awhile.

With time to spare, I explored Schiphol, which is just one big mini-city.  It has a public library, a casino, every type of amenity you could think of, and an extention of the Rijksmuseum, which had 16 lovely paintings and a great gift shop! On exhibit was an outrageous painting of William III, 4 yrs of age, dressed up in drag! It was hilarious...and then he went on to marry Mary Stuart, but I digress.  The blue piece above with the ship is actually a tile work and it was quite beautiful.

Heathrow, Terminal 5, is just a couple of years old and is just one big shopping mall. There are actually 3 buildings to the terminal, so it's bigger than all of Pearson T1 in Toronto.  I resisted the urge to shop, and the plane departed on time and it was an uneventful flight.  Once in Cape Town, I waited and waited and waited for my luggage to arrive, but it was no where in sight.  I was assured it was "in transit" and 24 hrs later it showed up and was delivered.  In the meantime I was welcomed to CT by my roomie John (from Glasgow) and did a bit of shopping so I had a change of clothes.  A bit of adventure getting there...but OH so worth it.