The Arsenale Biennale D9

I had breakfast at the hotel for the first time. It was quite nice for a change to have yogurt and a nectarine! Then I walked over the strangely grand wooden bridge and watched a boy with the family fox terrier biting his shoe. Then I walked across the grand area of St Mark's and thought of the Place de Concord in Paris. The sun was already beating down and I took refuge in a small park area with a water fountain. 

I met Laurens and her tall knowledgable husband Pierre and we went to see the first two pavillions together - Chile and the experience of tunneling down into wetlands, and the strange ghostly world of Italy with the arrival of Charon. I also enjoyed the whale song, the huge hands, the fire and water of Malta, the strange dreams of Slovenia, the textiles of the Phillipines, the laughter of New Zealand, the sadness of Albania, the endless surprises of Latvia and so on.

Then in the hot sun I made my way to Bar Colleoni Di Vianello G. & C. S.A.S. for cicchetti and a beer, and bought some presents, raced a guy carrying big bags of designer clothes over Accademia bridge and I won! Not sure why we ended up in a race.

Final presentations D8

After all my reading and note-taking, I finalised my ideas over the morning into a coherent whole. Then we started with the presentations - all fascinating and well thought-out. 

After lunch of chicchetti at a friendly place just off from the imposing palaces of the Grand Canal, I made my presentation which was very well received. Laurens asked if she could take a photo and said she would use it. Then we got our papers stamped and signed and got our certificates and toasted to our success with prosecco. 

I went home and had more cicchetti at my local and enjoyed the warm rain from the patio. A lovely day.

A productive day D7

I enjoyed our practical and creative activities as a group today. We also joined the Belgian group for lunch which was fun. In the afternoin we presented ideas for an art toolbox.

In  the evening I had a beer and chicchetti at my local and worked on my final project on the patio at the hotel. 

Working hard D6

We spent both morning and afternoon at the Palazzo Michiel. We presented our views on the visit yesterday. Everyone else had stayed at the Biennale much longer and it was interesting to see how we were all taken with different artworks. 

In the morning the artist Sophia Franzen gave us a talk about her art and ways of working.

For lunch I went to my breakfast cafe for salad and spaghetti vongole. 

In the evening I chatted with some Danish travellers on the roof terrace and enjoyed the cool breeze. 

Giardini Biennale D5

I walked to the Giardini Gardens and had time for a coffee with views of the lagoon. We had a great tour guide of the Biennale and the chosen pavillions - France, Uk, US, Nordic countries (the Sámi pavillion), and also of the central area. It was sweltering and I fermented rebellion in the toilets due to the long queue for the women, ate and drank something, left inspired and returned to the hotel to recover.

In the evening, I went to find a vegetarian cafe in the west, but following google instructions I suddenly saw I was at the Church of the Angel Raffael and there was a relief of the angel and Tobias. There was a small restaurant in the square getting ready to start serving and I had a truly nourishing meal there. Lovely to watch the people as the place filled up and enjoy the food.

Sunset on the eastern tip D4.2

On Monday afternoon, after the ice-breaking activities at Palazzo Michiel, I enjoyed some cicchetti at the Corner Pub and watch the sunset walking eastwards on the southern shore. Great views of St Mark's across the Grand Canal.

I also see the first and last cyclist in the city. He didn't look a happy bunny.

Starting the Course D4

Before starting the hard work of sitting up straight and trying to look engaged at the art course, first I had to solve the issue of dirty washing. I decided to visit the laundry services of Lavanderia Gabriella near San Marco Square and I set off at 7.30 over the peaceful Accademia bridge and through the city heading north. Google helped me find the place and I had a nice simple breakfast next door while waiting for them to open. 

I had plenty of time to get back, have a second shower and head out to the gallery to meet the group. 

We had a very interesting tour for an hour and a half with an excellent guide. The building itself was beautiful as well as the art. There was also an exhibition by Anish Kapoor which was grim in places and engaging in others.