Venice an unforgettable experience

310814JScourtyard PALAZZO: The gorgeous and historic courtyard. PICTURE / JOAN STREET

JOAN
Back home after a quite wondrous trip! Just in time to see Campbell Live's much more accurate and honest feature on Whanganui. Boy, do we suffer from bad press!
However, we all know that our city is very, very special. I am, however, concerned that UCOL seems to be suffering from the same malaise that was present last year, where our unique taonga, the knowledgeable and gifted lecturers in the Arts Departments, are being threatened with dismissal and Palmerston North seems to rule over us. Please tell me that I am wrong.
I had never been to Venice. It is a place that, like New York actually, I have never been able to get my head around before going there. Venice is amazing! Far more beautiful than I had thought possible. The narrow streets - full of wonderful buildings containing impossible to imagine artistic treasures - open out to the Grand Canal, St Mark's Square and the Doge's Palace.
We stayed in a quiet district, in a historic palazzo, with a gorgeous courtyard. Belonging to the family of the present owner for centuries, it gazes over a peaceful canal and was a haven after the hustle and bustle of the main tourist areas.
During our stay, I received the welcome news of the safe birth of our new granddaughter back home. I wanted to tell someone the good news! In a little side street, a young lady sat stitching at her sewing machine in full view of passers-by. I realised she was stitching names on babies' bibs to sell to tourists. I rushed in and asked for one displaying our new granddaughter's name. I then told her, in faltering Italian, my good news. She ran around from the machine and hugged me. Today was her birthday too... a very special moment.
We attended a concert one evening in one of the many breathtaking churches in the city. Performed in the church, Chiesa San Vidal, this was a wonderful setting.Built originally in 1084, the church was rebuilt in Baroque style in the 18th century. Its elegant, pillared, unfussy style suited the "Interpreti Veneziani", a famous group of internationally rated Italian musicians who play mainly Vivaldi on antique instruments with verve and devotion.
Each of their Venice concerts during the summer is packed out and we were fortunate to attend.
We were fascinated by the violincello player, Davide Amadio, who not only played superbly but performed with flourishes and facial expressions quite "over the top" but quite marvellous to behold.
To come out on to a lovely square where we ate a delicious meal in the still warm Italian evening was another unforgettable moment.
Our sailing on a vaporetto (one of the local boats used by passengers like a bus would be elsewhere) up the Grand Canal was stunning. One could imagine being a rich citizen of bygone centuries travelling to one's palazzo, after a day ruling over the city and being renowned as a patron of the arts, examples of which fill this city.
The buildings each side of the canal are superb and many now are claimed as art galleries and hotels. Only sorry that George Clooney wasn't being married there at the time!
After four days of wonder we took the "people mover", a special train, to the Venice Cruise Terminal and boarded, wistfully, our huge cruise ship to begin our Eastern European tour. Highlights from that next time, if I may indulge myself?
Oh, and I forgot our two days in San Francisco on the way to Venice ...
I need to comment on how television in the countries we visited were reporting the terrible situations that parts of the world are now finding themselves in.
At my sister's home in Northern England, the BBC gave us intelligent, brave and constant coverage of Syria, the Ukraine, the IS terrorists, the ebola outbreak. It was devastating but we felt fully informed.
In America, there was a slanted version of the same issues and no attention on local TV to the huge amount of poverty we were surprised and horrified to see in the streets of San Francisco.
Italian TV was the "pits" and it was obvious that, being owned by Berlusconi, it concentrated on trivia , reality shows and games.
Penang gave us BBC World news and we saw and heard coverage of the terrible beheadings and other wretched world happenings.
Here, at home, we seem to be, once again, relying on National Radio's World Watch for information and little is shown as headlines on television news or current affairs programmes. What current affairs programmes are there? Tell me I am wrong.
mjstreet@xtra.co.nz