Padua

Correction to earlier post.... It was a Traghetto (plural: traghetti) which means "ferry" in Italian, not the Ghetto... the quick way to cross the grand canal when you cannot easily find a bridge, which can be often!

Now that we are acclimated and sleeping with the Italians (I wish) it's easy for us to be up by 8 and out of the flat by 10-11:00am!  True vacation mode. Our neighborhood is surprisingly easy to hop in the car and be on the road, or walk a block to catch the #6 bus to Venice proper.  

Today we ventured to Padua (Padova in Italian).  Helen got a little confused a few times as new roundabouts have been built and she'll go quiet when we need to hear "take the third exit off the roundabout"... and Padua is mostly a pedestrian zone, but Helen is insisted we drive through the crowds to get to the car park on the other side of town.  Padua is home to the second oldest university in Europe, which accounts for the first pot shop we've seen.

We didn't plan well today: the D'uomo was closed til 4pm, and the University tour was only in the mornings on Thursdays.  So we found a "hamburger joint" instead and listened to American pop music while enjoying a burger and fries.  There were open markets today in front of the Basilica... so much to see...

We drove the "riviera" back toward Venice which is lined with villas in all states of disrepair and repair and the elegance of past centuries.  The highlight was Villa Pisani.

The cafe was in the old donkey barn, next to the Orangerie... donkeys were needed to bring the potted trees out of the greenhouse in the Spring and place the pots on podiums in the garden.  Next to that was a spielplatz (playhouse) surrounded by a moat.  A good place for a time-out; below which looked like an entrance to a dungeon (if you were really naughty I suppose!), and beyond was a hedged maze from which one could emerge to climb a tower to find your way out!

Honestly, why build a 60,000 square foot home when your bed is smaller than a twin sized mattress!   It's funny... at the Van Gogh/Caravaggio exhibit in Vicenza we saw loads of bored teenagers, and the same at the Villa today.  Appreciation and beauty are both wasted on youth... I remember these kinds of field trips.  The only one I remember getting into was in third grade at the Smithsonian where I bought my first Van Gogh print.  Still have it too.

Back home in time for a quick horizontal rest (I'm awake!)... zzzzzz.... we headed back into the islands for our evening meal at La Zucca... Famous for once being an outstanding vegetarian restaurant, it now serves meat and should stick with what they knew.... The artichoke pudding and tagliatelle carbonara w fresh asparagus was awesome.  My speidini came with beef skewers, black beans and guacamole (?) ... Mark had a chicken curry... It's always booked days in advance, but we were less than thrilled.... The walnut and fig gelato at the organic gelato place in the next square was super tasty, and I have treats from the local patisserie to offset the disappointing meal!

Lastly, I'd like to point out the "control" issues Italians have with their trees.  We see pollarded trees everywhere.  We suspect that the wood is used for a purpose, and the trees do recover each year, but really... Give the trees a head-scarf or something. ;)

We have no idea what tomorrow brings... But we have both coffee rigs setup for the morning's thick caffeine IV... Buena Sera...