Venice

Venice is old and decaying, though there is such beauty and grace in the decay, its time worn sadness can be breathtaking.

Up at sunrise still, a little jet-lagged, we venture from our hotel to St Mark's Square. Our goal, to take some photos before the masses arrive from the cruise ships. The sun is shining, it's breezy, it's a perfect day in Venice; and I'm already thinking, what's for lunch?

We ventured to Castello a lovely neighborhood in Venice. We see old couples walking arm in arm, children playing, shopkeepers preparing for the hordes and in the neighborhood restaurants, the staff are setting tables getting ready for lunch service.

We chose:
Ristorante San Georgio Castello. Riva de la Ca' di Dio Castello 2185 | Castello, 30122 Venice, Italy

The menu was typical Venetian fare, with lots of seafood, fresh pasta, and local wine. Seeing this menu made me very, very happy.

We started with the local Merlot del Veneto. It was a young wine served chilled and it was very refreshing for a red.

We shared a typical “Insalata Caprese with buffalo mozzarella, local tomatoes, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar”. While eating, what we noticed most about Venice was; everyone there is usually from somewhere else. As we sipped our wine, we ended up having a delightful conversation with a couple at the next table from London. Really nice folks.

We finished our salad and with that our entrees arrived. Jane had “tagliatelle with local smoked seafood in a white wine cream sauce”. The pasta was cooked perfectly and the smoked seafood permeated the dish, though it did not overpower. It was fantastic.

I had spaghetti "busara" with langostinos. It was an artful combination of pasta, in a sauce of tomatoes, garlic, white wine, hot pepper, and langoustines. It was one of the best local dishes I've had so far.

After walking as much as we did that morning, it was a well-deserved meal, Happy Anniversary Jane!