Arrivederchi....Venice

If it seemed that nothing much was happening here over the past week, it's because no-one was home. We were away having a break in Venice. It's a place we've been aiming to get to for years, and finally we grabbed a few days off and ...

We stayed in a little studio apartment near the Rialto Bridge - nothing grand but perfect for our needs. There was an ice cream shop on one corner, a bread and cake shop on the other one, a friendly wine and cheese shop just down the street and a little wine bar, again friendly, where we got a glass (or two) of very acceptable local Bardolino for only one euro a glass. What more could we want really.

If you've been lucky enough to visit Venice, bear with me, it was my first time and you'll probably see identical pictures in your own photo album, but if you haven't....go!

It must be one of the most photogenic cities in the world and we were blessed with dry sunny and warm weather. A couple of days started with the atmospheric mist which Venice is famous for, but it burned off in the afternoon and we, along with the thousands of other tourists found a photo opportunity round every corner. Canals, gondolas, sunsets, bridges, buildings, I'll keep these for another day - tonight I wanted to share the fantastic colours and textures in the shop window displays. I'm not a shopper. I usually talk myself out of most purchases by asking myself if I really need it, but I love window shopping and Venice must have some of the best shop windows. Mostly small, and tucked in some of the most ridiculous little corners, the shops offer  the most unusual, the bohemian, the quirky, the beautiful and above all the most colourful...alongside the usual tourist tat.

Murano glass, Venetian lace, traditional wooden puppets and toys, leather bags and gloves and of course the famous masks, some of it cheap and of doubtful origin, some hugely expensive and craftsman-made in front of you.

Colour was everywhere, maybe to brighten the dark little passages which are the only streets ( no traffic, no roads, cars, scooters - so quiet and peaceful). So I've put together a collection of the goods on display - you'll see what I mean about the colour.

I'm not very bold so didn't manage to get pictures of the best shop windows ( I don't mean the grandest by any means). The most eye catching displays usually had a sign requesting "No photos" and the shopkeeper predictably standing in the doorway as I walked past, so I just kept going! This is just a taster.

 

Another collection tomorrow!

And now the holiday is over and it's back to work. Christmas is going to be the main thing over the next few weeks, so for now let's just enjoy Venice.