Holiday Slideshow: Venice, Italy

So here's the thing - we were not going to get off the big boat in Venice!  I know, some of you might think that is crazy but we have all been to Venice numerous times (not that you'd ever get tired of it), the view from the boat is really quite wonderful and unique, plus Venice at the height of Summer is not as magical as it could be (the heat! the crowds! the rip offs!).  Hence the plan was to spend the day on the boat - relax, enjoy the empty pool, soak up the birds eye view, and maybe have an early cocktail o'clock.

But then we realised that the Biennale was still on, and how often do you happen to be in Venice when famous artists from all over the globe are staging a show?  So we dragged ourselves off the boat, paid some hideous amount for a cab driver to take us 20 meters, and threw ourselves into the stinking out streets of Venice.  Unfortunately by the time we ate lunch (pizzalicious!) and walked all the way from the port end of Venice to the garden end (where the Biennale is held), it was time to get back on our big boat (or risk being stranded in Venice forever, a concept I am not totally at odds with).

I was a bit disappointed not to have made it to the Biennale.  I am a total sucker for 'concept' art, and I've been lucky enough to visit the Biennale once before - it was fantastic!  The pavilions alone are wonderful (each country has their own, built in different styles and eras) - lots of deco and mid-century modern goodness to soak up there.  And then there are the installations which range from the wonderful to the surreal to the comical (and which also neatly reflect the stereotypes of each country, so that in the German pavilion you'll find weird stuffed toys hanging from the ceiling wearing gas masks, and in the Japan pavilion you'll find giant anime/cartoon characters constructed from animal skeletons).  Oh well, I guess I'll just have to visit Venice again in two years time...