Breakfast at Caffè Florian, Palazzo Grimmani and dinner at Al Vecio Bragosso

May 2, 2014 Rosemary Kneipp 16 Comments

Seven years ago, we had an aperitivo on the terrace of the mythical Caffè Florian on Piazza San Marco, Venice’s oldest café, which dates back to 1720. This time, we’re having a late breakfast, but inside, surrounded by romantic art deco work. Yesterday’s beautiful sunshine has been replaced by thunder and rain.

Through the open window, we can hear the café’s live musicians, a wonderful way to start the day.

We order the Colazione Casanova, which consists of fresh blood orange juice, thick hot chocolate, croissants, toasted white bread with butter, honey and jam, yoghurt, fresh fruit salad and chocolate cake (38 euro).

The waiter asks if we want to share but Jean Michel looks alarmed so we take one each. No need for lunch! It isn’t as good as Angelina’s but we still enjoy it and the presentation is certainly worth it in any case. Most of the other people who come in order coffee and sometimes cake. One couple shares a Casanova.

The rain doesn’t let up all day so we mostly stay indoors. After our siesta, we go to visit Palazzo Grimani, built in the sixteen century and famous for its ancient Roman decor. The frescoes are impressive but the general effect is somewhat disconcerting with its somewhat eclectic ancient Roman marble doors and fireplaces.

Series of doors and alcoves in Palazzo Grimani

The main advantage is that we buy a double ticket to include the Academia which means we won’t have to queue when we go there later this week.

The rain lets up and we are able to wander around a bit. We eventually come across a restaurant we remember well from our last visit, Hosteria Al Vecio Bragosso, recommended by the young man at our hotel and run by members of his family who told us that the fish served was very fresh because his cousins were fishermen.

After reserving a table, we have our aperitivo on the terrace of a small bar with an awning to keep off the rain which has started again in earnest. We try a soave this time instead of our usual pinot grigio and decide we like it better.

Jean Michel examining the menu at Hosteria al Vecio Bragosso

At Al Vecio Bragosso, the staff are very friendly and speak both French and English but still let me order in Italian which is part of the fun for me. We share a delicious raw fish dish of scampi, tuna, sea bream and prawns as a starter, then Jean Michel takes the mixed grill of fish while I have the fried fried fish, with grilled vegetables on the side, all of which are excellent.

It pales a little in comparison with as our first experience when we came with a recommendation and had several raw fish dishes off the menu, but we can still definitely recommend it. It’s best to book as it seems to be popular with the locals and in several guidebooks.

Tomorrow we should have better weather – we hope so, in any case!

Hosteria Al Vecio Bragosso, Strada Nuova 4386 S.S. Apostoli, 30131 Venezia www.alveciobragosso.com . 041.5237277. info@alveciobragosso.com. Closed Mondays. http://www.alveciobragosso.com/restaurant-in-venice/restaurant-venice.htm

Italy, Sightseeing

On the Water in Venice

May 1, 2014 Rosemary Kneipp 9 Comments

I am fascinated by the activity on the canals and lagoons in Venice. I can sit and watch them for hours. There are no vehicles of course and everything has to be transported by water.

[Sorry about the sound – I don’t know how to remove it yet!]

The gondolas, vaporettos and water taxis are the most obvious, but they are actually only a small part of the traffic.

In the morning in particular, there are all sorts of boats on the smaller canals, with people loading and unloading everything imaginable.

Sanitrans picking up a man in a wheelchair

Yesterday, we saw a speed boat called Sanitrans which pulled up at a landing to collect a man in a wheel chair.

Imagine having a mattress delivered or large pieces of furniture. No wonder everything in our home exchange flat comes from Ikea. The delivery charges must be horrendous.

Standard cart with two extra small wheels for going up hump-backed bridges

Of course, once the goods are taken out of the boats, they have to be transported by hand so the delivery men (I have not seen any women!) all have these nifty little carts with extra wheels to help them go up and down the hump-backed bridges. And a lot of arm and leg muscles.

Boat with hoses - we can only guess what they are for. — Boat with hoses – we can only guess what they are for.

We can only guess what all the hoses are for on the boat above.

Several times we saw people training for regattas but they are so fast that it’s difficult to catch them in time.

Today we went to the maritime museum near the Arsenal, a bargain at less than 2 euro per person and half-empty. They have a very large collection of scale models of every shape and size, spread out over five stories, including a room dedicated to the stunningly decorated Bucintoro, which was the ceremonial barge of the Doges of Venice.

Mock-up of a Bucintoro, the Doges' ceremonial barge — Mock-up of a Bucintoro, the Doges’ ceremonial barge

Every year, on Ascension Thursday, the Doge would throw a ring into the lagoon, symbolizing the marriage of Venice to the sea. The museum has a collection of these rings. We were mystified when we first saw them!

"Wedding rings" for vessels - about 18 or 20 cm in diameter — “Wedding rings” for vessels – about 18 or 20 cm in diameter

While we were having a cappuccino opposite the lagoon, a barge went past loaded with cranes and cement mixers!

The gondola experience still awaits us so keep tuned!

Architecture, Home exchange, Italy

Secret Venice – Carpaccio and Grande Scuola di San Marco

April 29, 2014 Rosemary Kneipp 9 Comments

As this is our second time in Venice and we’re (almost) living like locals, the main attractions are not on our list. Our home exchange is in Castello, which is a working class area of Venice. Our host, Pierleone, is waiting at the vaporetto station, Ospedale, when we arrive from the airport. He takes us in light rain through a maze of streets that I will never remember. I hope Jean Michel will.

Our first floor flat is on the a corner of two narrow streets. It is small but clean and appears to have everything we need. The windows give directly onto the street and we can see people walking past. Pierleone, who speaks French, has set out a handful of brochures on the table and tells us about several places to visit that are off the beaten track.

In our building at least, everyone hangs their umbrellas on the railing

We leave our luggage but don’t unpack, eager to be outside. We set out for nearby Piazza San Marco, taking photos of each little bridge and palazzo on the way, despite the rain. Even if there is no sun, it’s still Venezia la serenissima and our accumulated fatigue seems to melt away.

Strange as it may seem for people who know me well, we’re looking for Louis Vuitton near the Corer Museum on the corner of Piazza San Marco at Pierleone’s suggestion but don’t have the name of the street which turns out to be Salizzada San Moise. As we walk in, we’re given a long transparent plastic bag for our dripping umbrella. We head for the staircase, nodding at the shop assistants who all greet us with a friendly buon giorno. At the top floor, we browse through the books on display then enter a darkened room on the right.

There are two rather stiff-looking paintings by Vittore Carpaccio, a painter of the Venetian school (1465 to 1525), most of whose work remains in Venice, and two projections, one showing two women sitting on the ground on either side of a stone monument suffering some kind of angst, and the other depicting a diver splashing through the water with a sun in the background. We don’t find the artwork particularly interesting but we like the idea of a private exhibition!

It’s next morning and we don’t feel very refreshed. It turns out there is a very bright street light just outside our bedroom window which only has Venetian blinds (of course!) and we’re used to almost total darkness from wooden shutters in Blois and opaque curtains in Paris.

We send an SMS to Pierleone because we don’t seem to have a single sharp knife and one of our lights isn’t working. He obligingly comes by immediately, fixes the light and asks what sort of knife we want. We explain we want to cut up fruit and vegetables (it’s a fast day) so he brings us back two serrated knives. When we express surprise, he explains that it’s almost impossible to get a smooth-edged knife in Venice. Could this be true?

Campo des Santi e with the Scuola — Campo dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo with the Scuola Grande di San Marco

Following another of Pierleone’s suggestions, we go to nearby Campo dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo to visit the Scuola Grande di San Marco, originally a religious charity founded in 1261 and rebuilt in 1487. It is now a public hospital (Ospedale). The ground floor houses a majestic Renaissance hall but Jean Michel is sure there is something else to visit.

There are no signs to direct us and we are about to leave the building when a man in uniform indicates that we should take a flight of steps to the right. Halfway up we stop in amazement. Before our eyes is a magnificent gilt Renaissance caisson ceiling completed in 1519.

Glass cases around the wall contain primitive-looking antique surgical equipment all beautifully presented as part of the Museum of the History of Medicine.

The Sale Capitolare with its magnificent ceiling and cabinets of antique medical instruments

A smaller room contains books and paintings, mostly copies (some the originals are in the Accademia). The one that appeals to me most is by Gentile and Giovanni Bellini depicting Saint Mark preaching in Alexandria, Egypt, the original of which is in Galleria Brera in Milan. I later find further information on Venezia Blog where you can see a lot more (and better) photos.

We then have our first espresso for the day in the Campo to rest our weary feet and watch the gondolas and working boats plying the river. We sigh in contentment.

Opening Hours for Grande Scuola di San Marco

From Tuesday to Saturday, 9.30 am to 1.00 pm, 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm

Italy, Travel photos

Travel Photos – Venice in the Rain

April 28, 2014 Rosemary Kneipp 6 Comments

The first time we came to Venice 7 years ago, at about the same period, we had stunning weather. This time, we arrived in the rain and it seems it may last quite a few days. But the moment we started walking through the tiny streets from Ospedale vaporetto to our home exchange in Castello just behind Piazza San Marco, I felt the magic of Venice descend upon me. Here are my first impressions.

First sightning of Venice from the vaporetto that took us from the airport

San Michele Cemetary on an island just opposite Venicei

One of the typical palaces on a minor canal

The gondolas didn't do much business while it was raining but each time there was a lull, the canals were full! — The gondolas didn’t do much business while it was raining but each time there was a lull, the canals were full!

The famous Bridge of Sighs, with an unusually empty canal beneath due to the rain

The Fenice opera house o on the right with two different palaces on the left

Architecture, French language

Friday’s French – fenêtre, vitre, baie & vitrail

April 25, 2014 Rosemary Kneipp 8 Comments

You’d seriously think that something as simple as a window would have a direct correspondence in French, now wouldn’t you ? Well, it doesn’t . The English word “window” has a much wider connotation than the French fenêtre.

The comparison starts off simply enough. J’ai regardé par la fenêtre = I looked out the window. Mon appartement a cinq fenêtres = My apartment has five windows. Its when you start getting more specific that it gets more complicated.

The house has a big window overlooking the sea = la maison a une grande baie vitrée qui donne sur la mer. Baie actually means an opening in a wall, a door or a window, and vitré is the adjective from vitre = glass. Fenêtre in fact is generally used to mean the window frame even though the technical word chassis exists.

In English you would say, “I cleaned the windows” but in French you’d say j’ai nettoyé les vitres or even j’ai nettoyé les carreaux (since a lot of window panes are square) and not j’ai lavé les fenêtres. A window with a lot of little panes is a fenêtre à petits carreaux.

Whereas we would say “his ball broke the window”, in French you would say il a cassé la vitre avec sa balle. Verre can be used but it’s not the correct term.

Avec toutes ces fenêtres, le château de Beauregard est très vitré. Beaucoup de fenêtres à meneaux.

A reader drew my attention to the use of vitré meaning a large number of windows in a TV programme about the Château de Champs sur Marne. La maison est très vitrée, même archi-vitrée. This is not the way the word is usually used and conveys the idea of a large amount of glass.

You would never use fenêtre to describe a large window that doesn’t open. It’s a baie vitrée as above. Note that our bay window is protruding where as baie vitrée is not. The French use the English term bay-window or fenêtre en saillie.

Une belle vitrine et porte vitrée pour faire du lèche vitrine dans la gallérie du Palais Royal

A really big glass window is called a verrière while a shop window is called a vitrine, with lèche-vitrine (lécher = lick) meaning window shopping! A ticket window in a train station, for example, is a guichet and the same word is used for ticket counter.

A stained glass or leadlight window is a vitrail in French (plural vitraux) with no distinction between the two in French. Leadlight could actually be used for both in English but stained glass is used traditionally for ornate windows and leadlight for windows of domestic and commercial architecture that are generally simpler.

Notre petit vitrail avec son cabochon de la cathédral de Chartres

One of the most surprising words connected with fenêtre that I know is défenestration. The first time I heard il s’est défenestré du sixième étage on the radio, I had no idea what it meant. I’ve heard it many times since. They never say “he jumped out the window” or “threw himself out the window” but always use the verb défenestrer.

Here are a few other windows to finish off :

fenêtre à guillotine = sash window (typically French, huh?)

fenêtre à battants/à meneau = casement/mullioned window

fenêtre à croisillons = lattice window

porte-fenêtre = French window

And in the world of computers :

fenêtre de dialogue = dialogue box

fenêtre d’aide = help window

fenêtre active = active window

I’m sure you know some more.

Accommodation, Architecture, Paris, Restaurants

An Easter Monday Birthday in Paris

April 22, 2014 Rosemary Kneipp 12 Comments

Jean Michel usually takes me to a Michelin-star restaurant for my birthday but it’s Easter Monday which is a public holiday in France and there isn’t much open so we’ve postponed it until Wednesday. Instead, he surprises me by suggesting we go for breakfast at Angelina’s. I’m secretely a little disappointed because it means I’ll miss out on talking to my brothers and nephews but can I refuse breakfast at Angelina’s?

Entrance to Angelina's on rue de Rivoli — Entrance to Angelina’s on rue de Rivoli

It’s spitting very slightly as we walk down Rue de Rivoli and we hope it will eventually clear up. At 9.30 am, the beautiful turn-of-the-century dining room is still half-empty and we order a full Angelina breakfast with mini croissants, pains au chocolat and pains au raisin, fresh bread rolls, thick hot chocolate (its speciality), scrambled eggs and fresh fruit salad. We can skip lunch!

After breakfast, we wander through the Jardin des Tuileries and discover a large stone arch we’ve never seen before. Yet we must have passed it countless times. We notice the chestnut trees are in bloom. Jean Michel has always told me they’re the first trees to flower in spring but this year they are certainly not. I had never noticed the delicately-coloured flowers up close before – you can have white, pale yellow and pink.

Ponts des Arts weighted down with lovelocks now crawling up the lamp posts

We cross the pedestrian bridge that leads to Orsay Museum which we’d love to visit but Monday is closing day so we continue on to the Pont des Arts where the number of lovelocks seems to have doubled since the last time we were there. They are even climbing, clematis-like, up the lamp-posts! It’s seems that as soon as they are removed, new ones appear.

Jean Michel suggests we walk down to Ile Saint Louis for lunch (as though we’re hungry!). On the left, just before Notre Dame, I see a sign for Hôpital Dieu (God’s Hospital), the oldest hospital in Paris, which we’ve never visited. Despite the overcast day (I always prefer a blue sky!), the entrance looks very attractive. We walk in and it’s like an oasis of silence in the noise and bustle of Paris, almost deserted. We are the only ones in the garden.

Etching on the first floor gallery of Hôtel Dieu

As we walk along the upstairs gallery, etchings of the past tell us the hospital’s story. It was built as a charity hospital in 651 and was added to over the centuries. The two original buildings were joined by two bridges, one of which collapsed from a fire caused by a barge overloaded with hay. Another fire destroyed most of the hospital in 1772.

View of Notre Dame from the second floor gallery

The current buildings were constructed between 1864 and 1872 at the initiative of Baron Hausmann within the new perimeter of Notre Dame and completed at the end of the 19th century with the main entrance at 1, place du Parvis.

Pink chestnut tree in the Hôtel Dieu garden

The etchings show the extreme youth of some of the novices – they look like mere children – and how the patients were lodged – often two to a bed. They had two meals a day – 11 am and 6 pm – which I find interesting. A visit from the Duchess of Orleans and her retinue one day caused such excitement that several patients died. Hmm.

Discreet hotel sign inside the Hôtel Dieu

Then I remember that there is supposed to be a hotel here somewhere. We go down to the desk and ask. Yes, Hôtel Dieu Hospitel is in wing B2 on the 6th floor. There is a lift, fortunately, and when we get there, the lady very kindly offers to show us one of the rooms. They are all under the eaves, small, very clean, with an en-suite bathroom and wifi. I wonder about the heat in summer but all have air-conditioning. Two of the 14 rooms are suitable for people with reduced mobility.

Typical room in L'Hospitel — Typical room in L’Hospitel

The hotel was initially built for outpatients and their families, but there is no restriction on guests and if you’re looking for somewhere peaceful in the heart of Paris, this could be the perfect solution. However, the hospital is threatened with closure so the hotel may not last for much longer.

Outside again, the sun is starting to appear and we come across a jazz band on the little bridge leading to Ile Saint Louis. We sit down on the edge of the pavement to listen. Ah, this is Paris!

Hôtel Dieu Hospitel, www.hotel-hospitel.com, 1, place du Parvis Notre Dame, Galerie B2, 6th floor, 75004 Paris

Singles are 139 euro and doubles 150 euro a night with breakfast from 4.50 euro.

Architecture, Art, Eastern Europe, Food, Paris, Uncategorized, Weekly Blogger Round-Up

Weekly Blogger Round-Up: Origin of the croissant – Road Trip to Romania – Le Petit Palais

April 22, 2014 Rosemary Kneipp 2 Comments

This week’s Blogger Round-Up is all Australian. French Moments shares the story of the croissant with us which is more Turkish orAustrian than French while Andrea from Rear View Mirror takes us on the ultimate road trip to Romania, a country that is definitely on my wish list. Gemma King from Les Musées de Paris, a newcomer on these pages, takes us through Le Petit Palais, one of my favourite museums in Paris. Enjoy!

The Formidable Story behind the French croissant

by French Moments, a Sydney-based organisation with an international focus which promotes the French language and culture to English-speakers worldwide. Their French team is all about the language, culture and experience

France is known for its “croissants”. It is up there with the Eiffel Tower and beret as a French icon. Here in Sydney, most people know that the croissant is a true French delicacy and it is loved in all its forms: plain croissant, chocolate croissant (“pain au chocolat” in France), almond croissant, ham and cheese croissant and more…

The idea of researching the croissant came to me in June 2011 when one of our French students asked me the meaning of the French verb “croître” (to grow). While explaining this word in French, I wrote on the board another word using the same root: “la croissance”. Immediately, the man pointed out: “then it’s like ‘croissant’!”. Read more

The Ultimate Romanian Road Trip

by Andrea from Rear View Mirror (formerly Destination Europe), a fellow Australian who, after 6 years of living in France, has given up her Paris apartment to live a nomadic life slowing travelling around Europe, experiencing each destination like a local.

I don’t know why I had such a poor opinion of Romania before visiting. I was expecting it be more like the Balkans and less like Eastern Europe. I was thinking it would be more than a little rough around the edges but in actual fact the cities are much like elsewhere in Europe with their beautiful historic centres, delicious traditional and modern cuisine plus some very cool castles. Read more

Le Petit Palais

By Gemma King, from Les Musées de Paris, self-proclaimed muséophile, and an Australian PhD student working between Melbourne and Paris. She writes on movies for work and goes to museums for fun.

Many Paris museums work because they adopt a single point of interest and run with it. Le Musée du parfum features nothing but perfume, but it investigates the topic like nowhere else. The good people of Le Musée Clémenceau seem to think nobody on earth has ever mattered as much as Président Georges, but by the end of your visit, you’ll probably agree. Paris museums go to all manner of extremes, favouring the most precise of objects (ahem, Museum of Eyeglasses) and exploring that object, its history and its specificities, with incredible dedication. These extremes of passion are often what make Paris museums so special. Read more

Flowers & gardens, Paris, Restaurants

Photos of the Week – Tuileries Gardens

April 20, 2014 Rosemary Kneipp 4 Comments

Back in Paris this week, trying to recover from our renovation stint! A favourite cousin came through Paris so we spent a delightful afternoon catching up in the Tuileries at Café Diane because it really does have the best view.

French language

Friday’s French – travail

April 18, 2014 Rosemary Kneipp 3 Comments

I wrote a short post last week about travaux so I thought I should talk about travail today. You may remember that travail comes from the low Latin trepalium, instrument of torture, derived from the Latin tres, three, and palus, stake.

I was about to give travaux scientifiques and travaux manuels as examples of travaux when I realised that you can also say travail scientifique and travail manuel and it doesn’t quite mean the same thing, even though the translation is often the same. In fact, travaux scientifiques – scientific work – are often the product of travail scientifique – also scientific work! But the line between them can be very fine.

C’est un travail scientifique original = It’s an original scientific work

Il vient de publier les résultats de ses travaux scientifiques. = He’s just published the results of his scientific work.

Il a fait un travail scientifique extraordinaire = The scientific work he carried out was extraordinary (though this can be translated in many different ways depending on the context).

The distinction between travail manuel and travaux manuels is a little easier.

Il aime le travail manuel = He likes manual work.

Les travaux manuels occupent les enfants et aident à leur développement = Manual work occupies children and helps them to develop.

But the main meaning of travaux manuels is arts and crafts.

Travail intellectual is intellectual work in the sense of brainwork or mental work while travaux intellectuels corresponds to the work produced and is often opposed to travaux manuels.

Il fait un travail intellectuel = He does intellectual work.

Jean Michel often says “Qu’est-ce que c’est que ce travail?” to mean“what’s going on here?”

And here are a couple of expressions to finish off:

Le travail c’est la santé which approximately means that work is good for you.

“à travail égal, salaire égal” = equal pay for equal work.

Alors, au travail !

France, French customs, Italy, Sightseeing, Weekly Blogger Round-Up

Weekly Blogger Round-Up: the San Pellegrino headquarters – Le Crotoy flea market – Gourd festival in Nice –

April 15, 2014 Rosemary Kneipp 1 Comment

In this week’s Blogger Round-Up, Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris takes us to Bergamo in Italy where she was given a special guided tour of the San Pellegrino art nouveau building, while Janine Marsh from The Good Life France takes us to a flea market in Le Crotoy in the lovely Somme Bay on the coast of Normandy, one of our favourite cycling spots. To end up, Margo Lestz from The Curious Rambler introduces us to the gourd festival in Nice, “the perfect place to see all things Niçois”. Enjoy!

The Casino of San Pellegrino Terme – a magnificent Art Nouveau building reminiscent of La Belle Époque

by Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris, an American by birth, Swiss by marriage, resident of Paris with a Navigo Pass for the metro that she feels compelled to use

If you’ve ever ordered a bottle of San Pellegrino sparkling mineral water while seated on the terrace of a Parisian café or purchased a six-pack of the distinctive green bottles from your local grocery store, you may have noticed the elegant building on its label and wondered about its history. Thanks to a special guided tour of the Casino (Grand Kursaal) of San Pellegrino Terme yesterday afternoon, I now know that the building is one of the most famous examples of Art Nouveau (or Liberty Style as it’s called in Italy) structures in Europe. Recently restored at a cost of 10 million euros, it’s also one of the most impressive buildings that I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting. Read more

Le Crotoy on the Somme France

Written by Janine Marsh from The Good Life France, an independent on-line magazine about France and all things French, covering all aspects of daily life including healthcare, finance, utilities, education, property and a whole lot more.

It was a lovely spring weekend in the north of France – perfect to indulge in the national French pastime of visiting a brocante. France is famous for its second hand markets, bric-a-brac markets, marche au puces, braderies and vide greniers – flea markets are known by several names and they are held in all regions.

They take place throughout the year but the majority are from March to October when better weather means stalls can be laid out in the streets of towns and villages. Some are small with just a few sellers and some are huge like the Lille Braderie with 10,000 stalls. Read more

Celebrating the Gourd in Nice

by Margo Lestz from The Curious Rambler, who lives in Nice, France where she likes to bask in the sunshine, study the French language and blog

Nice is a French city, of course, but it also has a strong and proud culture all its own. It was Niçois long before it was French and the people work hard to keep their Niçois traditions alive. It has its own language, anthem, traditional costumes, dances, songs, and food. The language is taught in schools and there are dance groups that perform at many events throughout the year. These associations ensure that the traditions are passed from generation to generation. And the calendar is dotted with several events each year that are typically Niçois. Read more

Aussie in France