10-04-2018: Giudecca

Christine didn’t feel very well this morning.  Her cold is a lot worse.  She has a lot of chest congestion, runny nose, a bad cough and she says her head feels like someone punched her in the eye.  Poor baby.  That will certainly keep us laying relatively low today in hopes that a day of rest will help her pass the feeling awful stage.  We did get ourselves ready for a little walk around Giudecca, our island.  We had 2 errands; one was stopping in at the Post Office to mail some cards and the other was to stop in the farmacia to talk with someone about OTC medicine that Christine could take.  We managed to communicate with a nice pharmacist about throat lozenges and some expectorant cough syrup.  We dropped that back at the flat and Christine had a hit of cough syrup.  She wanted to walk a little so we headed back out.

We walked primarily along the fondamenta, the fairly wide walkway along the Giudecca channel between the water and the shops.  I love strolling along looking in the shop windows and doorways.  There is the butcher, the green grocer, the fishmonger, and  a deli, a sweet shop, and lots of bars and restaurants, many with outdoor seating right at water’s edge.  It was fairly windy today and quite chilly, so most of the outdoor seating was empty.  On a warmer day it would be very nice to have a cappuccino along the channel and just watch the traffic go by, but not today.

The fondamenta

We knew that there was a Hilton Hotel not too far down the fondamenta from the Palance vaporetto stop, so we headed down that way to see what it was like.  I had read about the Molino Stucky building, which is a large Neo-Gothic building built around 1885.  It was originally a flour mill and then later a pasta factory.  It was eventually closed after the building deteriorated.  A group bought the building and began a restoration project.  The group partnered with Hilton and the building became a 359-room hotel with a conference center that can seat 2,000.  The hotel has a roof-top swimming pool and apparently the top of the building lounge boasts great views of Venice.  We wandered around the outside of the building and walked through the lobby.  Apparently, the group that owns the building has gone into receivership, so I wonder what will become of the Hilton.

After our stroll through the Hilton, we continued on down the island, crossing a bridge to another section of the island.  Giudecca lies south of the central islands of Venice across the Giudecca channel.  It is primarily residential, housing mostly working people, although there are some more chic, new modern apartment blocks, like ours.  We really enjoyed wandering around the apartment blocks, seeing the locals. I loved all the laundry hanging out and seeing elders with their shopping trolleys heading to the market.  Many of the “streets” are just narrow passageways.  Being here on Giudecca really provides us an opportunity to see life in action away from the crowded tourist areas of Venice.  Giudecca is really quiet, very relaxing.

Across from the western end of Giudecca is the San Basilio cruise ship terminal.  This is where we’ll be embarking on the Azamara Quest on Saturday.  This terminal is for small to mid-sized ships.  The terminal for the giant cruise ships is much farther to the west in the industrial area Marghera.  San Basilio is just 2 vaporetto stops from Palanca and a very short walk over a bridge from the stop to the terminal.  It should be fairly easy getting there on Saturday.  At San Basilio today was the beautiful 3-masted barque Sea Cloud II, a luxury German cruise ship, and a huge private yacht belonging to an Austrian heiress.  The ship just lives at the terminal as the owner rarely uses it.

Protest banner against large cruise ships

Starting in 2021, Venice has banned the giant cruise ships from sailing through St. Mark’s Basin and down the Giudecca channel to the big terminal.  For years there has been a dispute about the role the cruise industry plays in the destruction of the delicate infrastructure of Venice and in polluting the water.  Just as I was writing this, I noticed a larger cruise ship coming down the channel.  It’s not one of the huge ones, only 1,500 passengers, but the ban would affect this ship due to its weight.  From the rooftop terrace, this is what these ships in the channel looks like.

The city of Venice relies on tourism for its economic existence and so this ban has been very controversial and very divisive.

Since we had strolled to the west end of the island, we decided to hop on the vaporetto back to the Palanca stop.  We had walked enough and Christine was getting tired.  We were a little confused because one side of the station was blocked off and I thought that was the side we needed to get to for boarding in the direction we wanted to go.  Eventually, everything worked out and we had a nice little boat ride across the channel to two stops on the other side and then back again to Palanca.  It’s always fun to be on the water watching the comings and goings.  From the Palanca stop it’s just a 5-minute walk down narrow passageways, across a courtyard, and over 2 bridges to our flat.  And again, we’re very grateful for the elevator taking us to the 3rd floor.

We fixed lunch and sat by the window watching the boat traffic.  This is such a lovely place with a stellar view.  It’s very nice being here and our host Daniela goes overboard providing all kinds of things to make our stay so enjoyable.

Christine then took a nap during the afternoon and I worked on photos and a post.  But one of the very cool things about this place is that it is just across a canal from Associazione Canottieri Giudecca, a rowing club.  After school lets out, a whole bunch of young kids show up to learn voga alla veneta, the Venetian rowing technique.  Think gondolier in terms of the oarsman with a single oar, although the technique can also be done using 2 oars.  The oarsman is always standing and facing forward.  It’s so cool seeing so many kids wanting to learn this very special and historical rowing technique.  And I was amazed that there is not a life jacket in site.  I haven’t seen a PFD on anyone in any boat since we’ve been here.  These kids are out in the lagoon with all kinds of boats whizzing by standing in these batelas, boats, using one or two long oars.  They push forward with their entire body and then the steering comes with how they return the oar blade to its starting position.  It apparently is a very efficient way to move a boat around, and some of these kids, and adults, really move.  I particularly like seeing the large batela that holds 4 or 6 oarsmen or women, all standing down the length of the boat, rowing on opposite sides.  The club also teaches rowing in a one or two-person scull.  Those sleek boats really move along, but wow, they are hard to see and it’s a wonder that they don’t get run over. Some of the smaller motor boats really speed along!  And again, not a life jacket in sight.  All this activity at the rowing club is our late afternoon and dinnertime entertainment.

Our Airbnb host, Daniela, has gone all out to make her guests feel welcome, well-informed, and well taken care of.  Her apartment is a museum and a library and a well-stocked café.  Everything is beautifully appointed.  Her artwork is fun, she loves art deco, and her extensive library is both interesting and informative.  I’d say this is a 5-star Airbnb.  Here are a few photos of the place.

Hopefully this nice restful day is just what Christine needed and she will feel better tomorrow.  I know that many of you will think we’re crazy enjoying our rest and relaxation so much while we’re in beautiful Venice, but we are happy being here in Giudecca.

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