I woke this morning to blue skies and radiant sun. The air was transparent. I stepped up onto the balcony to stretch and saw small boats plying through the glassy channel below me. meanwhile just above my head someone was watching me. i could feel it.
several someones.
I have many watchers here which rest on the walls next door of Ca’Rezzonico, a gothic palazzo turned museum of 18th century Venice. Their eyes follow me through the rooms of the apartment. quiet alert witnesses. thoughtful.
I padded around the apartment sipping hot tea, reading, trying out all the chairs, checking my email, reading your nice comments on my first post as girl reporter. smiling and chortling.
ahhhh a sunny day. that felt like a gift.
I unlatched and opened all of the shutters to let in the light. I close them at night to keep in the heat, but of course I leave the window to the balcony unshuttered. So I can keep my eye on things!
My bedroom is down a few stairs in the back. Tucked under the eaves with a skylight to brighten things up. The bed is comfortable and soft just the way I like it.
At around 10ish I left the apartment and strode out into the sunshine. The air felt cold, but couldn’t have been lower than 45 degrees. Pleasant walking weather.
I wore this version of Kung Fu Panda:
I ambled all around Dorsuduro, my neighborhood. Click play on the video below to transport yourself to Venice. (password for all videos = keen) More photos coming tomorrow, but right now, tonight I have a travel journal that needs my attention.
xo,
girl reporter signing off.
p.s. I sent you a postcard today. Hopefully you got it, but if not double check your spam/junk folders. Still nothing? I’m afraid you’ll have to wait for the full monty pdf download when I get home.
So incredibly beautiful it brought tears to my eyes!
Beautiful place, beautiful apartment. Your pictures and video are wonderful. What kind of camera do you use?
Thanks, Cindy
I feel as if I am there! I loved the sound of the water and the bells, but my favorite was the sound of the cart being pulled over the stone sidewalk. Thank you Mary Ann! PS the door knob is beautiful, hopefully it won’t fall off into your suitcase.
That is awesome!! Thanks for taking us with you!
Oh the bells! I love cities with bells! And, because my husband will ask me, I’m sure: does it smell? It looks so beautiful, I’m sure I don’t care if it does….
Oh, beautiful. Thank you for including us on your journey. The lapping of the water, the bells, glorious bells! Your choice of music is spot on! Lovely.
Beautiful, just beautiful. I love “our” apartment.
You’ve outdone yourself, Mary Ann! This is fantastic! I am LOVING LOVING seeing you there in your video. Were you speechless (almost) and were your smiling eyes a bit misty with gratitude & amazement that you are actually in the midst of all that beauty on your first day in quella bel paese ? It’s magical, isn’t it! The weather looks fantastic. I’m getting homesick for Venezia & Italia, in general. I think another 3 mo. stint is coming up real soon. Keep it coming – it’s miraviglia, superba so far!
Buon viaggio, xoxo, s
OMG! I can’t seem to get enough. I just keep playing your video over and over and over. You have such an eye to capture the pure essence. I can feel it .. I’m there. It has stirred something deep in me. Your apartment looks wonderfully comfortable and the weather perfect. enjoy. xoDonna
oh my…..so calming! i think i could watch the boats dance about in the tide all day.
Thank you for a lovely tour of your “hood.” Don’t miss the Rialto Market some morning at 7AM as they set up – especially the fish! Lots to see. Lots to photograph. And lots to sketch. It is wonderful being out just as the city is waking up.
So wonderful to see your smiling face – in Italy!! Can’t wait for more!
Just wonderful. Love knowing who’s behind the camera and seeing Venice through your eyes.
Looks like it was a lovely day in Venice. All that water creates such great light no? Glad you are exploring without a guidebook. My strategy during my visit was to make a list of places/things I had to see, and then pick off one or two (max) each day. The rest of the time was spent wandering, crossing bridges, taking long vaporetto rides, and soaking it all in with tasty food and beverage.
Mary Ann…the video around Dorsoduro is utterly spectacular and magical. Well worth the price of admission right there. I’m already brilliantly happy with this class and I haven’t even started my journal. Thank you. 🙂
Oh my Mary Ann – this is truly a treat to be traveling with you! I am beyond any words to say as I am in awe with it all. I really feel like I am right there with you. Thank you so much for describing and photographing it all in such detail. The video – oh yes, the video, I am absorbed in it over and over and over again. I got a chuckle how you tossed the book and went down your own path!
I just love you Mary Ann Moss. You are crazy in a very special way. Let me know when you are ready for a farm retreat to WA. You can journal with the chickens!
xoxoxo
reenie
PeculiarAmbitions.com
This video brought back memories of when I traveled to Venice. I was only there for a day, but it was wonderful. I loved the amazing venetian glass mirrors and to this day, I regret that I didn’t buy one! I did buy a lot of handmade glass candy from a few Venetian factories. This is such a cool way to take a class and I look forward to what’s to come!
Mary Ann, wow, what gorgeous views from your windows! And your stone-face guardian angels, how cool. You look so happy, camera in hand, capturing your moments. Enjoy it all!
Hoo hoo sister! Church bells!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you.
I am grinning like a hyena. Don’t fall in a canal.
I love how you document things – whether on paper or in moving images. Simply stunning.
wonderful post … i love this place . yes best to chuck the book … just walk and follow
your own instinct . you are staying in my favorite area . nice and quiet .
the videos are wonderful .
OMG….it really is Venice! just as i imagined that it would be. i love the view from your apartment, is it a window or a balcony? can you really see the gondolas going by? or are they valporettos? (i love the silver things in the front….i’ll have to find out what they are called).
this is the real thing Mary Ann! the bells, the lapping water. and what is your musical accompaniment? lovely, lovely.
Verklempt. That about describes it.
You have the aesthetic of an angel winging your way across that pearlescent water. Truly you are an artist of emotion working at the top of your form. Venice suits you, I can tell. Haunting, perfect. Stuff of dreams.
Lovely! And you took the time to add the tranquil soundtrack, too. I’m sitting on the verandah of a luxurious hotel in a gorgeous garden in cool Bangalore; but I felt transported to such a different, wonderful place. Having my cake and eating a dream, to mix the metaphors. Thank you!
Oh Maryann! I feel so priveledged to watch your video. The music is so moving and the opening shot was so wonderful! Love love love!!!
I am sitting here with dewy eyes – so magical to be with you and to see a new place through your eyes. It truly feels as if I am there!! The church bells thrilled me, the gentle rolling motion of the water soothed me.
Such a gift – thanks for making this the best Christmas present ever!!
Hugs and kisses to you Mary Ann – you are a kindred spirit <3
Fabuloso. The first glimpses will always have that realest of meeting-magic.
And thank you for the ferros. I am in Love with the ferros.
The lapping, bobbing, is so very lovely, too.
O it’s good to see the Sun, even on a screen.
I hope the couch was good for a nap.
I thought today, how glad I am that you are away, there, at this time,
at the start of your new time
which coincided so specifically with the intense heart-opening times in your homeland.
I am glad for you that you are following your fine nose to simpler, Beauty-full, soothing and exciting times.
And on we go.
Snack pics soon?!
xxxj
ps – Did you crop out the red stiletto boots in the mirror pic? : ) xxxj
dear mam! simply and cant wait to see what each new day will bring! is it just me or does that orangd stripey cushion look like one of your handmade llollapalooza journals? i am seeing journals everywhere now.tonight i had to fight my hostess for the empty chocolate mint oreo box.i have safely squirreled it away.venezia journo here it comes! ciao bella! blessu for taking us with you.
and here I am with tears in my eyes and this heavy heart laden with homesickness. You have a gift of showing what really is Venice including the church bells ringing, the music and the ancient moss with the water lapping against it…..oh so beautiful, and so much home. Thank you for taking me with you.
dear mam.stunning videography.
this is what a travelogue Should be! thank you for taking us to venezia.blessings! cant wait to see what the morrow brings to you to share with.us. ciao.
Wow! I am so enjoying going on this journey with you. Thank you so much for sharing all this beauty. I think (for the first time in a long time) I’m almost speechless. Wow!
Bene Bene Kung Fu Panda I loved the video! I agree with the other travelers you could definitely feel the magic watching it. I also loved your self portrait I know you were just saying ciao! however it looked like you were about to bust a move too 😉
Mary Ann, I am mesmerized. The video is truly magical. Just like so many others here have commented…..Those church bells, the rolling lapping water….everything! With you as our guide, our senses are alive. It’s all the little details you share that help us see the whole. I don’t know how to say it, but I feel it.
I viewed your video on my 27″ screen and it was as though I were there – I am very jealous of you right now Mary Ann, I want to be transported through my screen to that beautiful setting!
Ok, so I’ve been looking forward to this all day. I opened the class blog today and I knew as soon as I saw the new post, noticed to vids open for viewing that I wanted to save them for later, after the hustle and bustle of the day, well of course there were various errands to run with one college kid home, then there was a meal to prepare, then 2nd kid was off for the night whilst oldest was told she was to be on call for work; I’d thought I’d have most of the day to myself; well that didn’t happen, but now, now at 11:35pm oldest is at a friends house for the night, and both other DD and DH have crashed for the night…I’ve lit candles, poured wine and just now watched the vids, a 2nd go round and then a third transporting myself to the cobbled streets and waterways of Venice and I’m charmed, sweetly, delightedly transported away. I knew it would be worth the wait, I knew I’d love every second, I just knew it. You never disappoint Mary Ann. I for one am happy to be tucked into your special pocket amongst so many kindreds. Venice looks beautiful from here.
I feel so blessed to be able to experience Venice again through the eyes of a true creative soul like you Mary Ann! Agreed – you have to get lost in Venice to truly experience the beauty and the mystery. The map is only to help you get back home. Your use of video as a journaling medium is indescribably beautiful – those close-up shots make it feel so intimate and real. The wonder of modern technology is that I’m doing this virtual journey with you while taking a trip down the Pacific West Coast through Oregon and California. The ultimate fix for a travel and journal junkie like me! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Thank you for this beautiful gift. I’m awed and touched. I’m teary eyed. Smashing panda fashion photo!! I feel cozy in the apartment and I’m sure the tea tastes better there. Loved the girl reporter report and the postcard.
Thank you, thank you, thank you Mary Ann you made me feel like I was there, it is so beautiful. I can totally see myself walking around in Venice. Someday. . . someday : )
After fighting LA traffic for three hours to get home today, your video was a balm to my soul. Living the dream babe! Thanks for sharing your adventures, so much more fun than watching Rick Steves blathering on…always thought he taked too much. Love your specs too:) Now, just waiting for the video where you ask for directions to the nearest McDonalds. Don’t forget to get some pics of those Venetian felines, I have heard they all can swim — is that true? So fun to join you on your travels with everyone else, this is a great group! TTFN
The apartment is great. I LOVE to look from the windows. How cool is that. I´m so happy to be able to follow along.
OMGosh, i am so in agreement. What a treasure – great gift to be able to travel along w/ you. Got the post card, feel the fresh air, and adore the fab foto ops. A treat to my current -22… Hugs from Alaska. Karen
Mary Ann – this is just lovely
thank you thank you thank you!!! your comments make me feel like im carrying you along with me. every step of the way. i am SO GLAD youre here!
What a wonderful and soulful peek you’ve provided us, Mary Ann! And I love the Kung Fu Panda… 🙂 If you are very, very lucky, maybe you will find the puppet shop just down an alley from the square and inside it you will stumble across the very same larger-than-life hancrafted renaissance cat marionette (ruffled white collar and all) that almost inspired me withdraw the very last of my funds to purchase. But no, I (barely) resisted and left him there…maybe he is still waiting there…for…you.
Thank you Mary Ann for taking us along with you to this lovely, magical place….the beauty of the water, the chiming of the bells, those guardian angels! I love Venice and all of its offerings! Your photography and videos transport us right beside you. Also, post card arrived in mail! Only a few water spots adding to the charm….grazie!
Silly me, I watched the 2nd video the first without sound (don’t ask me how that happened, because it was right after I listened to you speak on the 1st video!) and kept thinking, if only there was sound?! D’oh! Enjoyed it even more the 2nd time! 🙂
So excited to be travelling around in your pocket on this trip, loving these first few dispatches!!
Have to make yet another comment. Look at the LIGHT in your photographs! I had forgotten. It’s one of those places in the world that has that very special unique light – perhaps because of the water, but then who knows. I only know it’s incredibly beautiful. It drives artists wild. Try and calm yourself MA. :o) xoDonna
that stunning place! the mermaid in me wanted to stay forever … to live on/surrounded by the water? the water lapping at the entry way, everywhere? My lovely mother’s and my favorite memory was leaning out our window at the hotel and seeing a man walking his children to the school boat/bus, with their little backpacks and lunch sacks. TO GO TO SCHOOL VIA BOAT?!!!! I am SO in …
Thanks for taking us to Venice. I loved the video. I grew up by water so looking at all that water made a bit homesick. I loved listening to the church bells so very European. The boats are so beautiful. I liked seeing the delivery guy on the boat. Christmas packages in brown paper packages.
what beautiful video footage! and i’m sitting here thinking how it must be even like a million times more invigorating and inspiring to be there knowing that you are on “leave” from work….i imagine the enjoyment can feel more stretched out somehow…love to see the wonderment on your face! enjoy xo
I love it when you chortle!!
It looks amazing…thanks
Oh Lady! You are such a gift. I have LOVED all your classes, and knew I was in for a treat when I signed up for this one on time to follow your adventures. Your idea of a class with “travel-alongers” is truly awesome! A breath of fresh air! I have been to Venice a few times, and walking around without any particular plan was SUCH fun, but hey! I’ll follow along with you for now. The church bells in the background toward the end of your video just about put me over the edge… I am not religious, but there is something about those bells in europe that is just heavenly! Wishing you many more days of blue sky, so you can share even more! Have fun…, my toddler is calling! 😉
BEAUTIFUL vid. I’m sitting here tearing up and grinning ear-to-ear at the same time. I’ve only been to Venice once, and it was (much too) long ago–of course now I’m jonesing for a return trip for real 🙂
I loved the package delivery boat brought memories of that moment over a half century ago, of that Oh wow moment! they really do use the water as a road!
Mary Ann,
I don’t quite understand why, but you touch my soul. I often find my eyes moist after moments spent with you. Thank you for your gentle spirit and willingness to share with us. I have been fortunate to visit Venice twice but I am so enjoying this third visit through your eyes. With this tiny first peek, the journey back is most magical, and I say thank you. Your apartment looks and should I say sounds perfect. I can’t wait to spend more time with you in your temporary Venice abode.
Hugs to you Mary Ann
Catherine
PS
Loved the first postcard…
Mary Ann – I so love this – all of this. Especially love your eye for the beautiful details both in the photos and the video. Hope you had a lovely nap and looking forward to seeing what we do next 🙂
This is fantastic, Mary Ann it’s like being with you and experiencing it in person. You just found your new job, travel spirit reporter. Going to watch again.
Thank you for that Italian sunshine, what an utter treat. I love the dancing boats, the music fits so perfectly.
Beautiful video. Loved the church bells. Please go to a farmers market with your video camera. Definitely want to see some street stalls. Oh, I just want to freeze frame the video and do some sketches. TFS. And loved the first post card.
Aloha, Kate
The apartment and location look perfect. What beautiful light for your first views of Venice. The postcard seems to have come through fine. Are you sure that isn’t you?
so…I had no idea what exactly I had signed up for but knew it would be good. I love the videos and photos from your daily walk abouts.
So much beauty! So much fun! So much more to look forward to! I’m so happy to be along on this trip with you, if only virtually! I’m loving every minute, every word, and every exquisite photograph! XOXO
So excited to find you’re staying in the Dorsoduro. I think this neighborhood is where Peggy Guggenheim’s museum is. We stayed in the Dorsoduro a night at a monastery-turned-hostel. Another place we stayed was at writer Paola Zoffoli’s apartment which she rents to travelers in the Canaregio, Tintoretto’s old neighborhood. In fact her apartment is almost next-door to the Madonna dell’Orto church, where Tintoretto is buried. (Oh, Venice!) Have saved up all videos for a weekend treat. Will write all comments in appropriate postcard style. So nice to be traveling with you!
(yes the guggenheim is in the dorsoduro — perfect for a rainy afternoon http://www.guggenheim.org/venice/)
Hi. I joined in late having just discovered your blog only yesterday!!! Venice in December must be wonderful. I was there one in July and once in November and november was definetely the better time. TECH question: I can’t download the course on my ipad. I clicked on the link-nothing happened. I copied the address and placed it in google and I got directed to you public blog. Anybody else with the same problem? I’d love to have it on my ipad as I will be travelling between xmas and new yar
I especially love the video of water and boats….. The movement….. Makes it all seem very real. 🙂
You are hilarious in that first video! I can feel your delight to be in such a beautiful city. The second video is so lovely. Thank you for sharing both of them!
I just got here – to Venice with you i.e. – and have set my mind to take my dh there next Christmas. Plans to be made!
I feel like I am there again! The neighborhoods are so comforting. Parents and grandparents picking the children up from school, people walking to the market with their wheeled pull alongside. The boats and narrow walkways. The colored buildings and windows with planters hanging in them..ahh thank you