A City on the Water (2)

St Mark's Basilica has been one of the main tourist attraction in Venice. We went there through the canals. The place was fully crowded and it was not easy to move around.

So we just played with the pigeons around the piazza. There were a lot of them and they were surprisingly aggressive. I did not bring any seeds when the pigeons started to surround me and the group. I wonder if they like to eat dandruff too.

As it would take too much time to go into the basilica due to the long queue, we decided to go somewhere else.

Next stop was a beach on another island. Apart from the seagulls hovering on the beach, I guess most of the things are no different than the beaches elsewhere.

From there we went to a glass factory. They have a demonstration of glasscraft making, just in front of the furnance. It was pretty impressive as they can do one craft (fish shaped) for less than 5 minutes. In the outside was the shop selling different kind of glass souvenir. Tourist price.

The cemetery was next. We did not know it was a cemetery until we went in. Looks more like a fortified island from the outside. There were walls all around the island. The place was more tranquil and peaceful. I guess not many tourist went there.

We went to a park before going back to Trento. The leaves were turning yellow signifying the autumn period. It has a good ambience with the sea in the background. Maybe next time we could go again and visit Venice.

A City on the Water (1)

Yay, first group trip in Italy. Venezia or also called Venice is one of the famous tourist spots in Italy. The city has a main island and several small islands separated by canals or small seas.

It is 3-hours journey by Train from Trento, so we departed early morning and came back late night. Return ticket costs around 13 euros.

Water has been the main transport means in Venice. A river bus is the most common transport means here as it is relatively cheap and the places are separated by canals. They charge 12 euros for a single day travel in all the buses. It is basically a boat for many passengers. Alternatively, people can go for river taxis. Gondolas are still used, but only for tourists.

It was interesting to see how the structures were built taking the rivers into account. You can have a house with your doorstep just in front of the Grand Canal. The people seems to naturally live with the waters around them. And the public transport seems convenient too. Every 10-15 mins, a bus will come with a fixed destinations.

Like most tourist spots, the prices get doubled or tripled here as compared to Trento. Most public toilets, for example, would charge 1 euro per entry. They're really into the water business.

The Sweetness of Doing Nothing

I have wondered if the Europeans have a better quality of life. Perhaps they do.

The picture here shows a typical opening hours for the shops (and maybe businesses) in Italy. Morning open 9 - 12 am and afternoon 3 - 7 pm, 3 hours break.

In the offices, a lunchtime of 2 hours is more common. In Sundays, only the restaurants are open. Everything else is closed.

It is a contrast in Singapore where I lived before. With all the extended office hours and shop opening hours, people tend to be rushing most of the time. In Italy, people tend to be more relaxed. You can see the whole family go for the evening stroll together. It is here in Italy, the phrase La dolce far niente ("The sweetness of doing nothing") sprang up.

But of course, the idea of quality of life still differs for each person. Maybe for a workaholic, the idea of doing nothing would sound like a torture. Let's leave that to our individual preferences.

Wine

Wine is one of the main product of Trento. Along the alps you can see many grape fields. So wine is not expensive around. Prices start from around 2 euros for a 0.75 litre bottle.

Here I started to drink different kinds of wine. Red wine. White wine. Not sure yet how people get drunk with wine, for me the effect is that I become sleepy and sleep better.

This is the first time I see an actual grape tree. There is one vine below and the branches go everywhere around the man-made structure. Seems like the branches are more prominent. But without the vine, I don't think they can produce anything. As Christ said " I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. . ."

Chicken Curry

When I was planning to go as a student in Italy, I knew that I had to learn to cook something. At least some pasta or something simple.

Little did I expect to cook something as big as a . . chicken curry . . Well, actually I just help to cut the chicken and follow instruction from my roommate. The masalla spices and all the other Indian spices were provided, just need to mix and put them in. It was actually a good experience for me. I had never gone beyond instant noodle and egg before.

We ate it with rice which brings back normal eating experience. After some time eating pizzas, pastas and bread, the whole thing tasted so good :p. The whole chicken lasted two dinners for around 5 people.

From the Home of Pizza

In Trento, pizzerias(bar selling pizza) are everywhere. I have always thought that ordering pizza is simple, normally in pizza hut, you can just see the picture and choose what to order. But there is a problem now when the menu is in Italian. I don't really know much of Italian. The bar waiter does not speak english. Perfect.

Let's see, we have mozarella, pomodoro, salamino, prosciutto, tonno, gorgonzola, cipolla, melanzane, zucchine . . arrgh . . . The first time I saw the menu I was lost. Now is better, at least I would know which one has meat and which one is vegetarian. :p

Well, actually the pizzas are pretty decent. They are wide but the bread is very thin. And the cheese feels thick. No, I don't take pictures of the pizzas. I eat them.

This makes me want to learn Italian sooner. At least I won't be so lost when ordering food.

Living in the Mountains

The flat I stayed in is in the beautiful mountains area called Povo. The wheather is cold and the air is refreshing. But it is not a small feat going up and down the hill everyday. Around 2 km from the faculty and 7 km from the city.

The main problem here is that not all people speaks English. Or I would rather say only the course is in English. Everything else is in Italian. Need to catch up with the Italian language soon. In the meanwhile, parla Inglese?

Starting a blog

Starting out a blog to record my Journey in Europe as part as Erasmus Mundus programme. More posts coming soon.