No Touch!

Due to our early bedtime and extended sleep the night before, mom and I were up bright and early the next day. We thought we would venture out to find some treats for breakfast and as soon as we stepped out the front door, we could smell the nearby fish market. We hoped that there would be something other than fish and were delighted to see a selection of fruit and vegetables being set up nearby.

We weren’t exactly sure how to go about purchasing from the market, so we scoped it out for a few minutes, but no one seemed to be buying anything! Finally, we decided to go for it and selected a vendor that looked good. We marveled at how great the fruit looked and mom finally reached out to pick up an orange. From off to the side we heard a loud, “No touch!” Apparently, the market doesn’t open until 8:00am.

We headed off to try and find something else, especially a coffee for my mom! We found a nice, little bakery and picked up some delicious croissants and an expresso (the closest we could get to coffee for my mom).

After this, we got ourselves organized for a boat tour of Murano, Burano and Torcello with Tanya. Brian, Esther and Betty Jean were also supposed to join us, but we still weren’t exactly sure when to expect them. We hoped they would be waiting at the vaporetto stop when we got back from the tour.

Our tour was supposed to be an artisans’ tour, so we would see glass-blowing on Murano, lace-making on Burano and the local artists and Byzantine-style buildings on Torcello. We got a chance to check out St. Mark’s Square (or Piazza San Marco) while on our walk to the tour meeting spot. Early morning is definitely the time to check it out because it get crazy busy later in the day.

Our tour started off right away, with the guide telling us about the nearby islands. Some of them were used as isolation for people with dangerous, contagious diseases or as prisons in the past. We also made a quick stop at Lido (we still aren’t exactly sure why) where we learned a bit about the island. It is a long-skinny island that is approximately 12km in length. It hosts the Italian Film Festival each year and was home to the airport until the 1960s, because of its shape, when the Marco Polo Airport was built. It also has cars . . . something that the old city of Venice definitely doesn’t!

We finally arrived at Murano, where we saw a glass-blower at work. We also learned that it takes a lot of work to get into the profession because apprentices have to work with a master for up to ten years before working on their own. We saw some of their beautiful creations, including intricate chandeliers, and picked up some small trinkets, like pendants, as souvenirs.

Next up was Burano, where we would see lace-making. The first thing we noticed about this island was the beautifully-coloured houses. This is something Burano is known for. The residents aren’t even allowed to change the colour of the paint without permission. We saw the lace-maker working on a project and it looked like it would be a lot of work. Then we spent some time admiring the work. I wanted to buy everything in the shop! Like Venice, there were no cars here, just walkways and canals. Even funeral processions proceed down the walkways, since there is no other way to get off the island to the cemetery. Other islands in the lagoon serve as cemeteries, as there are none on the inhabited islands.

Next up was Torcello. The island was heavily populated for many years, but a malaria outbreak caused the island to become virtually desolate as people became sick and others tried to escape the island. Now, the island has a population of eleven people, most of who are artisans or fisherman. It was very strange to see how desolate the island was, but I was excited to see the Byzantine-style architecture, having taken art and art history all through high school.

On the way back to St. Mark’s Square we passed the only green space in Venice, a park. It was created by Napoleon when he invaded Venice! It also reminded mom and I of Stanley Park in Vancouver because people were out running and walking along the seawall.

We finally arrived back in St. Mark’s Square and fought through the crowds to see if Brian, Esther and Betty Jean had arrived. We didn’t see them at the vaporetto stop, but when we got back to the apartment, we found out that they had arrived!

After letting them get settled in, we hurried off for a gondola ride, the number one thing on mine and mom’s list of things to do in Venice. We got ourselves organized into two boats and were off down the canal. We travelled down the large canal and then some smaller ones. I think we’re going to be in a lot of other tourist’s pictures because they were waiting at every bridge we came to get their pictures!

 
We followed up with a delicious pasta dinner (which mom and I were too tired to try the night before). Although I was full after, I couldn’t stop thinking about how good it was! We finished up the evening with some wandering through the shops to pick up last-minute souvenirs and some gelato. Then we headed back to the apartments to get some sleep before embarking on the cruise the next day.

What Happened?

So, yeah, I haven't really posted in a while. I blame the strike! Here's what's been going on . . .

The Strike

About three weeks ago, the union at the airport announced that they were planning a labour disruption for Labour Day weekend. As of Thursday night before the long weekend, I was going to be spending 36 hours at work in 12-hour shifts for the long weekend. Yikes! Luckily, they settled and I spent the weekend being as lazy as possible to make up for the fact I ALMOST had to work so much. I was a bit disappointed because I would have had a pretty cool job in operations (temporarily anyway).

Aritzia Warehouse Sale

Instead of making money that weekend, I went and spent some at the Aritzia Warehouse Sale. Aritzia was started in Vancouver, so I felt it was appropriate. Totally worth it too, $50.00 is not an acceptable price for a scarf. $14.99 is (especially when it was originally $50.00).

Boat Cruise

Although it might look like all of the boats were in that last picture, they aren't! Two weeks ago we had a "partnering session" with one of our contractors. When I first received the invitation, I thought I was being invited to a work meeting for four hours on a Thursday night. I was definitely not excited. Then, I learned out what a "partnering session" was. Luckily, I had also just received by brand-spanking-new British Columbia's driver's license. We started out at the River Rock Casino (where I needed my ID), then took a paddlewheeler down the Fraser River (where I also needed my ID).

School

I also started taking a Distance Education course. Yay for Introductory Marketing. I also have a very enthusiastic professor. He responded to one of my emails and every sentence ended in an exclamation mark. He's even more bubbly than me.

Tragically Hip

The boyfriend ended up getting some free tickets from work last Tuesday at the Orpheum Theatre. We went with a few other lucky free ticket receivers from UBC. I didn't really know the Tragically Hip that well, but the lead singer gets a A+ for enthusiasm. He was very entertaining to watch! I also recognized a few songs, so I wasn't totally lost. We were right behind one gentleman that obviously loved them. He was SO EXCITED the entire concert. It was a great time (although Wednesday was a little tough to make it through)!

Lillooet

This past weekend, we went on another "partnering session" with my team from the airport. Seven of us headed up to Lillooet. It was a beautiful drive up and we drove through Hope, Hell's Gate and Jackass Mountain. The roads got a bit sketchy as we got close to Lillooet. In one section, they just keep cutting the mountain back because the road is literally falling off the edge of the cliff. Lillooet also has the Mile 0 marker of British Columbia, everything used to be measured from there! The house we stayed at reminded me of Girl Guide camp because it was a huge empty building (normally there are renters living in it, but they had recently moved out) and we just put our mattresses and sleeping bags down all over the place. We also made a giant screen out of paper and a projector. I spent the weekend watching kung fu movies and I finally stayed awake for Star Trek.

We went exploring the next day by the river that runs through town. It is like the desert out in Lillooet. There was no shade and just this stagnant heat. We skipped rocks, built rock towers and tested out the water temperature.

We also went and saw the "hanging tree" (which was used to hang people until the late 1800s) and the Chinese rock pilings (they were searching for gold). It was so desert-y that there were even tiny cacti growing!

Then, we headed down to the salmon spawning channels. There were fish jumping everywhere! There was also a floatplane docked and a small train going by (I love trains). The colour of the water was incredible!

Our last stop on the nature excursion was Marble Canyon. We met a duck!

By then we'd had enough nature and stopped by the local beer and wine festival. I had an "Old Jalopy" pale ale. It was actually so good! It was some sort of award-winner. I also got to use that ID again! After sweating way too much, we headed back into town for dinner at Dina's Greek restaurant. Yum!

On Sunday, there were some things to do around the house. On the way home, we stopped at Duffy Lake. There was a really cool log jam and more beautiful water. You could also see glaciers.

We also stopped at a few creeks on the way home (and there was more beautiful water).

We also came home though Whistler and Squamish, which I had never seem before. I'll be doing more exploring up that way when my parents are here!