Francis Bacon

I did some museuming over the holidays. The most powerful works I saw were at the Francis Bacon exhibition at the Tate Britain. While I had seen his work many times before, I'd never had the opportunity to see such a comprehensive retrospective.

To say that it was powerful seems, frankly, weak. Perhaps, emotionally gut-wrenching is more accurate. Because of the immersion that the Tate's retrospective provided you couldn't just move on to the next artist in the gallery. You were compelled to let the feelings wash over you. The imagery portrayed such depth of pain and sadness, it pulled you in - often unwillingly - to his world, his viewpoint.

I will never see his work again in the same way. Bacon offers an important reminder of how hard it can be for some people to smile, to be happy and the need to be tolerant and accepting of those challenges. This acknowledgment of others journeys' is particularly of importance for those of us that have enjoyed a "glass half full" existence and serves to remind that you never know when something's going to knock over the glass.

The Dakota

I've just finished reading Life at the Dakota, by Stephen Birmingham. The book is the history of the famous Dakota apartment building in New York, from its inception in the late 1800s through the late 1970s. Probably not everyone's idea of a great read, but if you're curious about this famous building and New York around the turn of the last century I can highly recommend it.

The only negative is that the book does leave the story wanting. At the end, John Lennon has not yet been shot and the building is facing a series of major economic challenges. Clearly it has survived those challenges, but you are left wondering how things progressed during the last 30 years. Online research didn't provide me with much insight other than the book was reprinted about 10 years ago and includes an afterward that talks about the murder of Lennon.

I remember cutting class in high school the day after he was shot to go to Manhattan and stand outside the building. It was thronged with people, mostly quiet, some singing and the flowers were piled so high at the entrance you could barely see the iron gates. It was a moving tribute to John Lennon and his music.

Mid-Century Modern

Over the last several months I've been picking away at a very fun read, Brini Maxwell's Guide to Gracious Living. Brini started out as a local access cable TV star in Manhattan. Her show was picked up the Style Network, which is where I found her.

A mix of Donna Read, Mary Tyler Moore and That Girl, Brini's book offers all kinds of ideas and tips for making life more fun. She's an aficionado of the 1950s, 60s and 70s and the height of mid-century modern design, fashion, food and lifestyle.

So if you're looking for a look back, or just need a good recipe for some classic your mother served at bridge parties, this is a great place to start.

Atlas Shrugged

About a month ago I took a deep breath and picked up Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. A paperback at 1168 pages of pretty small text, I wondered whether or not I could get through this in a reasonable amount of time. I know the book is renowned for it's political statements and it's promotion of Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, but I just wanted to read it to read it.

It was a breeze, in large part because it is a compelling story. It was a little hard to read given the economic crash that was continuing in November from September and October. Much of the story is about the fall of the American economy from over regulation. As you may recall from the news the last few months, Alan Greenspan referenced that Objectivism had in part guided his tenure as Chairman of the Federal Reserve.

Certainly plenty to think about, but it does make one recognize that too much of a good thing only leads to trouble. Something to think about as the pendulum swings in the direction of more regulation. Not that I'm saying it's not needed, just that it will be interesting to see if the US government, as well as the other governments around the world, can keep the pendulum of regulation from swinging too far.

London Bridge Hospital

As planned, a few days after we got back from Venice I spent the day hanging out at London Bridge Hospital while Joe had some minor day patient surgery. We have had a couple of direct experiences with the UK health care system, but this was by far the largest.

Before this our experiences with UK health care had been limited essentially to our annual physicals. The National Health Care system does not allow for annual physicals, in fact its approach seems to be one that askews the idea of preventive medicine. We shell out hard cash for the physicals, about £500 each.

For Joe's surgery, he first went to his NHS assigned doctor, who acts much like the primary care physician in the 1980s/1990s -- now tossed -- HMO system in the US. Once the doctor gave the diagnosis, our private health insurance kicked in. The coverage was excellent and easy to navigate and paid 100% of the doctor visits, hosptial, surgery and follow-up directly to the providers. And because it was private and not NHS there was no wait -- the wait for the same procedure with NHS was at least 6 months in our area -- and we were able to choose the doctor and the hospital, ensuring we had an expert. During our search, we were pleasantly surprised to also find that most private doctors disclosed a one price covers all for the costs of the procedure including the hospital fees, follow-up, etc. The surgeon Joe picked is considered one of the UK's top ten surgeons for the procedure.

Being an all private, for-profit hospital -- it's owned by HCA -- meant that service was excellent. Plenty of nurses and attendants and a person who's sole job was to make sure that everyone in the day surgery section was fed when and what they wanted within doctors orders. Plenty of TV, video on demand and a very friendly and helpful atmosphere.

Is NHS better? It's hard to say. Between what we pay in NHS payroll taxes, plus private health insurance, plus the cost of our physicals we put forth much more cash than if we were paying for our health insurance on an individual basis in the US. That's the down side. On the up side, everyone has access to health care. I'm not sure though that Americans could handle the limits they would have on prevention, testing and access to the latest techniques and drugs that are common with the NHS.

Venice - the last hours

It was our last day in Venice, but our flight didn't leave until early evening so we still had a day to take in a couple of museums and grab lunch before getting on the boat to the airport (which takes a little over an hour).

The museum stop that day was Palazzo Grassi. This museum had an exhibit entitled italics that looked at contemporary Italian art from 1968 through 2008. It's on until 22 March 2009, so if you're in Venice, try to go. After seeing so much art through the centuries, there was something extra fascinating about seeing such recent creations. The palazzo is beautiful as well. We learned that the foundation that supports the museum is rennovating a huge building on the point of the Dorsoduro as a permanent home for contemporary Italian art.

Then we decided to try see if a restaurant we had passed the day before was open for lunch, but first we we went to Santa Maria della Salute. Considered the greatest baroque church in Venice, it was constructed in thanks by those who had survived the plague and held its first services in 1630.

On our way there we passed a small building that was noted in our guidebook. It was the gondola repair shop. A building that had maintained the same function for centuries. It was great fun to just accidently come up it.

From there we went to Lineadombra for lunch. By far the most amazing place we ate in Venice. It's location along the waterfront provides an amazing view of Giudecca, one of the lagoon islands and all the water traffic inbetween. In warmer weather they have a huge deck that juts into the water. They had the best wine list of any we'd seen our entire trip, it went on for so many pages it was hard to focus. Before ordering they brought out the most beautiful platter of the fresh fish of the day -- there were about half a dozen to choose from -- and while they had recommended preparations they were happy to prepare them any way you wanted. We just had wine and pasta and then the most incredible cheese course to wrap things up. The espressos and lemongellos that ended the meal were not on our bill. It was the perfect way to end an amazing week. I would obviously recommend this restaurant, especially if you like seafood, but make it a special occassion meal, because it's not inexpensive. That said, I don't think you'll walk away feeling like you overpaid.

Venice Wanderings Part III

This was our last full day in Venice. Venice like so many cities has it's major sites and then tens if not hundreds of things to see and do once you've covered the top ten or so. We made it a heavy museum day. But first we did some serious shopping.

The night before, we had been wandering about and saw these amazing glasses in a shop window. We headed to the store and bought a set of stemware to be shipped to London. The store is in the Campo San Barnaba made famous in the Katherine Hepburn film Summertime. Elena who helped us with the order was really great and she sent us down the street to meet Francesca, the store's owner and a local architect who has designed the glasses. Madera had lots of other cool kitchen and housewares, but we figured the glasses were enough.

Ca' Pesaro is a beautiful example of Italian Baroque archictecture and houses the city's modern art collection. Compared to the feel of Venice, it was an exhilerating juxtaposition of modern art including Gustav Klimt, Mark Chagall, Paul Klee, Henry Moore and more. Just not what you eyes are expecting to see in Venice.

We traveled back and forth across the grand canal using gondola shuttles. For 50 euro cents you go from straight across one side of the canal to the other, standing in a gondola. It's much easier than getting on a bus or going up to a bridge to cross. And a fun and inexpensive way to get a gondola ride.

Another key stop for the day was the Palazzo Mocenigo. This museum was really interesting as it is pretty much as the family left it about 100 years ago. It's just a tour of the house, its furnishings and its rooms. It was the first time I'd ever seen a bathroom from the early 20th century. This is a good place to look for samples of the old Burano lace.

We had a great late lunch at Muro Pizza & Cucina, Campiello dello Spezier, Santa Croce 2048. We had passed it several times during the week, but thought it looked too chic to be any good. Looks can be deceiving. The service was friendly, the food was creative contemporary without being over the top, the wine list varied and the restaurant was full of Venetians. I would recommend it for lunch or dinner.

After lunch we went to the Basilica San Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. A feast for the eyes with major works by Titian, Bellini, Donatello and many more. It was breath taking.

Padua

There are lots of places in the region of the Veneto that are an easy day trip from Venice by train. We decided to go to Padua. Joe has always had a strong connection to St. Anthony of Padua and I really wanted to see The Scrovegni Chapel and it's Giotto frescos.

Having heard that seeing the Giotto frescoes can be a long wait, we headed there first and got very lucky. It being a weekday and the first week in December, not only wasn't there a wait, but our timing worked out such that during our 15 minutes in the chapel it was just the docent and us. This incredible piece of Italian Renaissance art is lovingly restored and cared for and to be in the room, just the two of us was one of those special moments you will remember for the rest of your life. The ticket to the chapel also includes entry to the city museums including the Museums of Archeology and Painting. The collections are extensive and worth the time.

From there we walked our way to the center of town. It's a totally walkable town with roots going back to the Romans and medieval times. We enjoyed the tenor the streets which were setting up for a Christmas market that would open later that day and visited a couple of churches before heading to the Basilica di San Antonio.

The other "big site" we took in, was to wander down to the Prato della Valle, which is considered the largest public square in Italy. It was originally the site of a Roman theater.

Venice Wanderings Part II

We awoke to the most amazing fog that made the view out our window like being in a Turner painting. After breakfast we headed to the Basilica San Marco and the Doge's Palace. There's everything and nothing to say about these amazing buildings rich in the history of the ages that hasn't been said. All I can add is that they will not disappoint, no matter what your expectations.

After an sandwich and some espresso to clear our minds we jumped a Vaporetti, found a seat in the open end of the back of the boat and road up the grand canal. Our DK Eyewitness Travel Guide for Venice has several pages that cover the houses along the Grand Canal making this the best buy for a guided tour of Canal. We road once covering the entire canal in one trip, taking pictures and diligently reading the guide. After that we were able to enjoy and admire, looking up a particular house we were curious about after we got back on dry land. It's fun to ride at night and look in the windows and see the people, beams and chandeliers.

We had a very late lunch, early supper that night at Casin Dei Nobili, S. Barnaba, Dorsoduro 2765. The best pizza we had the entire time we were there, but they only took cash, so we only had enough for a bottle of wine and one pizza. We tried to go back for lunch another day, but were told they don't serve pizza at lunch time. We got some cash and stopped at a small deli to get some wine cheese and olives and headed back to the room early for a long hot bath in the huge tub.

MuranoBurano

On Tuesday there was no high water, and none for the rest of our visit. As Venetians went about the business of cleaning up and drying out, we got transit passes and grabbed a Vaporetti (water bus) to Murano the island famous for its glass. The transit passes are great, total hop on/hop off transportation to almost all the islands in the lagoon and around Venice.

Our first stop in Murano was the Museo Del Vetro, the Murano Glass museum. This was an excellent way to start our wanderings around the island. The exhibits provide an excellent review of the history and progress of glass making artistry on the island.

Murano really is all about the glass. You can take factory tours and shop for glass in what must be 100+ shops. A must visit are the two shops for Venini. It's more of a visit to an art gallery than a store. Everything's for sale, but chances are you won't be able to afford it. What I really liked about this store was you were encouraged to touch, unlike most stores with signs everywhere saying "DO NOT TOUCH". Communing with the pieces that cost tens of thousands of Euros was a great thrill. If you don't have time to get to Murano you can admire a smaller selection of Venini next to the Basilica San Marco.

Regardless of your budget you'll be able to grab a souvenir as prices cover the full range. We bought some double old fashion glasses, a vase and a small hand blown Christmas tree with little glass ornaments you hand on it. Murano also struck us as a nice place to get away from the crush of tourists during the busier season and the restaurants were a little less expensive, so plan on staying for a bite.

From Murano we took a round-about route to Burano. The head housekeeper had encouraged us to see this quaint island. Renowned in the past for its intricate lace, the designs of the past really aren't made anymore, but you'll see examples in the Venetian museums. Today the island is known for the visual appeal of its brightly painted homes. Fun to look at, we walked the main street and experienced a phenomena we started to notice elsewhere in Venice. At the end of the work day, rather than going home, the people would gather in the middle of the streets and piazzas, smoking and talking. The men would make the rounds of the local bars having a single Compari and moving on to the next bar after a smoke outside. We joined in, stopping in a couple of bars for a glass of red wine on our way back to the boat.

That night we had dinner at Osteria ai Schiavoni, Calle del Dose, 3734. They had a good wine list and a nice atmosphere.

Aqua Alta

We awoke on Monday morning to the worst flooding Venice has seen in 22 years, the water level peaked at about 61" - 40" is considered flood level - turning our relaxing holiday into more of an adventure.

After taking pictures from our room and dressing, we headed to breakfast on the ground floor. If you've been to Venice you know that ground floors all have places to put panels in front of windows and doors and keep high water out. The panels in the windows made the dining room a bit surreal. Sitting at the table, looking out the window our eyes were at water level and little waves lapped at the panels in the windows. There was a great deal of activity as the hotel staff worked to keep guests calm and the water at bay. I finally understood why the flooring on the ground floor of the hotel seemed like a solid sheet of plastic. I think that's exactly what is was, some kind of poured composite plastic.

The head housekeeper (a lovely Scottish woman who came to Venice 30 years ago on holiday, fell in love, got married and became a Venetian) assured us that as hard as it was to believe the waters would recede with the tide as quickly as they came. After breakfast she told us where we could go to get some wellies since the waterproof shoes we had brought along were not up to the challenge. Then she fitted Joe with a big trash bag on each leg and taped them up tight. About 30 minutes later he was back with 2 pair of boots - shockingly in our sizes - for a mere €10 each.

We dressed and headed out to see what we might be able to see and do. As we walked along, we had to move slowly and carefully plan our route as the water was lapping at the tops of our boots which came just under the knees. We saw lots of people in waders. At Piazza San Marco people were literally up to their chests in water - we learned later that this is the lowest part of the city.

The devastation was incredible. We saw if for days afterwards. Shops that had inventory on the floors; restaurant food and equipment; lots of ground floor residents with all their stuff drying outside; candlelight. It wasn't until we got back to London that we learned much of the city had been without gas, electricity or land line services. Other than no Internet access at the hotel we survived unscathed.

The biggest post-aqua alta challenge was finding places to eat because of the water damage, many eateries were closed. Unlike Rome where your chances of getting a great meal run very high, it's just a matter of what you pay for it; we found finding great food in Venice to be much more difficult. I remember in particular stopping in a little cafe for a late afternoon snack and ordering pizza, it was horrible. Like something made with canned supermarket ingredients and cooked in a toaster oven.

Despite all that was going on, there were still plenty of tourist activities, Venetians being a tough bunch. Our first stop was the Museo Correr, which is the Napoleonic wing of Piazza San Marco, in addition to the collection we had a great second story view of the Piazza. I think whether it's flooded with people or flooded with tourists this makes a great place to get a good view of the Basilica and the Piazza. You can grab an espressro or ice cream at the cafe without having to pay the entrance fee to the museum. The archictecture of the museum itself if worth the visit. Venetian glass chandeliers adorn many rooms. The collection itself is officially the Venetian "civic" museum, but given Venice's rich history the word civic fails to convey the true depth and breadth of this museum.

We then headed to Ca' Rezzonico. I had wanted to go here because our guide book had described it as one of the few Grand Canal homes that was open to the public. At one point the house was owned by poet Robert Browning. Great art, but also great furnishings too. It gives you a real sense of what it was like to live the high life in 18th century Venice.

As promised, the water receded pretty rapidly (most of the photos on this page we taken about 3 hours after high tide). After a rest and refresh in the room, we had dinner at Trattoria alla Fonte Di Marguglio Vincenzo, Castello, 3820 - 30122 Venice. Though very bright, this place was packed with a mix of locals and tourists. We had good pasta and pizza for a reasonable price. Nothing fancy, but good italian food and friendly service.

Venice Wanderings Part I

We started our first full day in Venice sleeping in and having breakfast in our room. It looked wet out there, but nothing like what was to come. We decided to mostly wander on foot and to make our primary goal of the day the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.

The collection is a definite must see in Venice even if you are not a fan of 20th Century art. The house, right on the Grand Canal offers the opportunity to see how someone actually lived in Venice in the 1950s, 60s and 70s and how she incorporated the art into her home. You can also get a great look at the Grand Canal from the terrace and grab an espresso at the cafe. The collection held a personal highlight for me, Rene Magritte's Empire of Light. My self-guided art education began with this image, which I had only seen in print prior to this moment.

The other major stop of the day was the Scuola Grande S Rocco. This was an amazing building, which frankly sounds like an understatement. Two "halls" one on top of the other, are covered with Tintoretto's. A moment for a beautiful indoor respite - grab a mirror, take a seat, rest your feet and feast your eyes.

For dinner that night, we tried another recommendation from the hotel for our neighborhood. Il Nuovo Galeon in Castello at Via Garibaldi 1308-1309 was really excellent especially if you like seafood. Our only disappointment came from the fact that we had asked for a place that had excellent risotto or pasta. There was one pasta dish on the menu and no risotto, that said, it's a great little place.

Water Taxi Ride

We spent the first week of December on vacation in Venice. We took a Saturday afternoon flight that landed after dark. We had debated a bit about how best to get from the airport to our hotel and decided to splurge and take a water taxi about €95, versus €24 for both of us to take a water bus.

It was so the right decision for so very many reasons. First it was a 30 minute ride in the cab, the water bus would've been a little over an hour. Second, the water taxis are really nice boats. Finally, and most importantly you arrive in Venice and within minutes of getting your luggage you're on the water, moving fast and you start to feel immersed in the reality of water that is Venice.

We stayed at the Hotel Bucintoro. It was a great hotel. Really beautiful rooms, great service and nice breakfasts. They offered room service breakfast for a small surcharge. Though there wasn't a restaurant, the bar offered coffee and gourmet munchies so it was a perfect place to take a break between touring and the evening out, or after the evening out for a night cap. We also had the most amazing view of Venice from our vantage point on the water and we're steps away from the water bus to the airport as well as all the major Vaporetti routes, making getting around really easy. St. Mark's was about a 15 minute walk and yet we felt like we were outside of the main tourist center and living more among the Venetians. I totally recommend the hotel as well as the location.

That first night we asked the hotel for a recommendation for really good pizza and were direct to this amazing, very locals, pizzeria called Al Tosi Grandi at Castello 985/A - 30122. We only had better pizza in one other restaurants in Venice, but we had to eat with lots of tourists there.