23 Blog Post September 25, 2024 “Mosaic”
As we walked back from our favorite new laundromat tonight, I asked Alistair what his theme would be for today, and he said “Mosaic.” I was most impressed. Not only did we see some beautiful mosaic work on our tour of the Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica, but it was a really interesting day of unexpected activities.
Today is our last day in Venice. And let me say it now—Jean, our travel agent was right. Venice is absolutely unique and memorable. I am so glad we had the opportunity not just to visit, but to stay for a few days. While we were staying in a central (read touristy) area, Venice has many surprises, restaurants in tiny nooks or piazzas, art galleries galore, churches with renaissance or baroque elements that we could generally walk into at any time, delicious food, pizza and sweets—yep, we had a final night of gelato. Oh Suso, we’re going to miss you!
We began early this morning in the Doge’s Palace at St. Mark’s Square, and our guide, Moses (yes, that’s his real name!) was exceptional. He loves the history of Venice and shared information with clear enjoyment and investment in the city he calls home. We’ve now had several guided tours, and I would recommend that anyone do a tour like this while on vacation, but our guides haven’t always been very informative. Moses gave us the entire back history of the politics and power of Venice. But he also pointed out the beautiful things, the artistry, the humor, the odd stories—our tour lasted for over 3 hours and it was well worth the cost. Our tour ended at the top of the Doge’s Palace, on the terrace overlooking the Venetian Lagoon, which is part of the Mediterranean Sea. (Doge simply means Duke, but Doges were the head honchos of Venetian politics for over 1000 years). It was a remarkably stable society.
The Basilica defies description. The floor itself was so beautiful with chunks of marble cut into geometric shapes that created optical illusions and perspective. But the ceiling was covered—covered—in hand-set mosaics that were sophisticated and beautiful. The ceiling told the story of Jesus from birth through crucifixion and ascension. Even the day of Pentecost was represented! Each of the mosaic glass pieces was about a quarter inch square—think of them as ancient pixels—and I cannot imagine doing the work at the height that was required along with the curvature of the basilica to be taken into consideration.
We had some special Venetian sandwiches for lunch from a take-out only restaurant run by two young guys who have built a rep as making the best sandwiches on the island. This was the reason we have to do laundry again—the thick sandwiches on homemade focaccia bread were dripping with olive oil, and of course it dripped on my shirt. Doing laundry was well worth the price of a great sandwich!
Later in the afternoon, Alistair and I set out on our own walking tour, as we really love to do, and it turned out to be an afternoon of discoveries. We walked over to a peninsula that forms part of the Great Canal which allowed us to look back over the area we were staying. But that area is known for the Accademia, an art gallery, as well at Peggy Guggenheim’s formerly private art collection that is now open to the public, but we didn’t have time to do those things, but several unique art galleries were simply open to the public. Venice’s theme for 2024 is “Foreigners Everywhere” and they are celebrating the art of artists who are not native to this area, so Alistair and I got to see a Japanese artist’s mesmerizing film, and we also saw an immersive exhibit by an artist from India, entitled “Rooted Nomad”, which I thought was a great description.
We stopped for our final dinner of appetizers and an Aperol Spritz at a restaurant that sat right on the water so we could watch the sun set as we ate. The water here is a living thing, and today it was wild again, choppy with waves and brilliant with colors that ranged from deep green to blue to golden sparkles when the sun hit the surface.
But back to our mosaics. As you may know, mosaics are made with individual pieces of painted pottery or glass that create a whole picture. I think the pixel idea was a good way to describe it. The artistry and the placement of each tiny piece of glass makes a huge difference in the final picture. Our visit to Venice has been like that, with different bits of history, art, natural beauty, culinary excellence, architecture that astonished me, and a life built on water that made no sense until I saw it. I don’t know if nourish is the right word today, but I would say that I have been educated, amazed and my connection to this far-away place is a great gift to me, beyond what I could have expected. `
We, too, are part of the mosaic of visitors from all over the world. We have heard many languages, seen the national dress from a variety of countries, and contributed our own personalities into the mix. I love the idea that being here wasn’t just random, but that God (and Jean!) knew how important it was that we dwelt here for a little bit, helping us see the way the world seems to shrink as we connect with one another.
Tomorrow we have an early water taxi which will take us for one final ride down the canal, back to the train station and to real life where cars and e-bikes rule the world, and we will once again have to pay attention to crossing signals and traffic lights. Florence is our next stop, or Firenze in Italian. I’m sad to leave this water world, but excited for our next adventures.
One final note—we walked across the Bridge of Sighs on our tour, which is only accessible from the Doge’s Palace—the entire bridge is enclosed, which is unusual for Venice. But the legend says that when couples kiss on the bridge, their love is sealed for all time. Do you even have to ask? Of course we did! One more piece in this colorful mosaic of sabbatical.
May God give you the brightness of color and light to nourish your soul today. Perhaps that means the beautiful autumn leaves that we are missing in upstate NY.
ML+
