A logistical nightmare (Day 9)

A good start to the day when I saw an interesting pile of rubbish.

The refuse collection here is very different to Cardiff. They collect the bins everyday. I've been watching the bin men, on foot, wheel big carts around and realise this is why. The logistics of living and working in Venice are that you have to do everything little and often. Anything you want, you have to carry home yourself. There are no cars to load with shopping.

I can imagine that if you needed a new sofa in Venice you'd put it off for as long as possible, not wanting to get it up the stairs or home from the shop. Maybe that's why everything is so old, not because it's preserving history but because no one can be bothered to carry the new stuff here in the first place! I've found myself judging shop owners thinking "why did you choose to open a furniture shop, surely postcards or other less cumbersome goods are a better way to go?" I'm guessing there are delivery boats for this sort of problem but not all houses are situated on a canal. It begs the question why anyone could be bothered to build Venice in the first place? Did they not think these things through? It's lovely for me as a visitor because everything is beautiful, there are no cars, I shop for fresh food everyday and wander home with it. But I bet trying to live here permanently is a nightmare. All the old ladies have shopping carts, but they're still no use if you're telly breaks or you decide to invest in a dishwasher.

On a completely different topic, the dog moved today. Here he is, a few feet outside the shop (his owners are from the wiser bunch of Venetian's selling small things that aren't too heavy). He looks a bit confused and dissorientated.

And the pidgeon has taken to sleeping the other way around. Maybe he doesn't like having his photo taken. Maybe Autumn is coming, animals can sense these things.

I'm afraid I don't have many illustrations of my day today. Just the above observations. After work I went for a nice glass of wine and some food with friends, and we watched a really rubbish band in the square by the market.

And also found the entrance to a secret house. Not sure if this picture does it justice but there is a keyhole in this pillar by Bancogiro bar on the side that faces the Canal at Rialto.

My shoe broke on the way home. Rubbish. It's all that walking I'm doing. Then the internet broke when I got home (hence why I am posting this blog the morning after).