Venerdi in Venezia

Tourist rage
I went out to get some pretty "murano glass" (maybe) necklaces I had seen in the ghetto, but the narrow entrance was blocked by a group so I "permesso"ed my way through only to be blocked by another slowly ambling group in the narrow passageway, so I dodged my way through them getting crosser and crosser and realising what it is to be a Venetian and put up with it permanently, especially if not making a living from anything tourist related.

The ghetto nuova square - a very pleasant place now, where children can play in safety, saw some squirting the fountain at each other in the heat. I don't think many Jews live here now but there are many religious themed souvenirs, and apparently there is still a synagogue and other buildings. Apparently during the second world war the Venetian Jewish population suffered the loss of about half its people in the death camps and there are sculpture plaques to remember them on the walls of the square. It was really close to our house so we went there several times. 

Meanwhile David went off for a walk alone, starting in giardini where many office workers were sitting in the shade eating a picnic, and he overheard a Venetian girl talking to an English speaking boyfriend and she was  complaining that it was terrible there were no Venetians in St Marks Square and it was terrible that there were so many tourists.
He walked to Fondamente Nove from there via the back alleys of residential Castello and past the Arsenale lions. This seems quite a well maintained area, possibly more wealthy than Cannaregio?

In the evening we went out for a final look at Venice, catching a boat to Santa Maria del Salute which hasn't changed a bit since being built to give thanks to god that not everyone in Venice had died of the plague in 1630 (just most of them!). Its on a narrow spit of land facing St Marks and we just had time for a quick look before it closed. Lovely evening.

Then we wandered back via the Zattere and Dorsoduro (past the Guggenheim) to Accademia Bridge which bizarrely had loads of padlocks on it with initials.

Guardian 2011 "Inspired by a bestselling romantic novel, young lovers are rushing to attach padlocks to the city's historic Rialto bridge, risking damage to the stonework and requiring policemen with bolt cutters to remove them. The craze, inspired by I Want You, the 2006 novel by Federico Moccia, involves couples writing their names on the padlock, swearing eternal love and throwing the keys into the canal".

 Finally we wandered slowly back to our house, with a look at this amazing staircase on the way (Scala Contarini del Bovolo. Venice is so incredibly beautiful, and even in July there are places to get away from the masses.