Northern Italy Today
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| Evidence of Spring |
Today I see the postman arriving on his motor scooter, he stops to unload a few pieces of his bag, then with the sound of a bee motors on. He is bundled up because the blustery winds have brought winters last gasp to northern Italy. We have had rainy weather for two days now, but there is hope as tomorrow will be our first sunny day. Last week the forecase was for temperatures in the 70’s, but the weatherperson changed the more positive forecast to a bleak look at clouds and some rain throughout the week here.
I would like to be in Venice today, there are few tourists and I could set up my easel and paint without being disturbed. They have disappeared, the virus ran them off, and the government has produced warnings and closed meetings and gatherings and festivals. This is a big hit against the economy in Venice, all those restaurants with few diners, all the shops without clients. It would be quite interesting to be there and see the difference.
I like Venice in the winter, the cold doesn’t ward me off. The birds fly close to the water, the whitecaps brush against the poles and the boats cut their way against the wind. There is a bar that is well known for its chocolate drinks, served so warm and tasty. It is not to be missed on a cold day like today.
Our favorite trattoria, Il Millione, is hidden behind several alcoves and one can quickly regain warmth while having some authentic Venitian cuisine. I especially like their pasta with onions, which sounds to the ear very plain without meat sauce, but it is so flavorful and smooth tasting. I imagine that today that trattoria is missing a lot of diners because of the virus. It is sad to think of the economic disaster to the many places depending on tourists.
Today I was reading an article from Associated Press which discussed how the situation is becoming a bit of a struggle for the hospitals. This year’s student nurses will graduate early and be used to help the health authorities. Retired doctors are being asked to return to work and help the epidemic. They are trying their best to make sure citizens will have the care they need.
Yesterday it was announced that my village had its first person to have the virus. My village is not large, I think 8,000 people live in the area. I sure would like to know where this unfortunate person lives in my village, but they will not publish that information.
Factories are still working, people are going to work, schools are closed and I heard that the local church was closed. Everyone is making a good effort to contain the problem.
Later today I will go out for my walk which will take me to a small canal. Yesterday a large white bird with long legs and beak was searching for food there. The birds do not feel the cold like we humans. I enjoy watching them.
Lastly, if you want to see some of the effort fighting the virus, here are some examples. First one you can view is the workers disinfecting the public transport in Venice. (You do realize that they use boats instead of buses, right?) Ciao!
Just copy the link and paste to see the video.
utube.com/watch?v=hDVfWu0TV1w
Another one showing the Venice airport. You will see fewer passengers, of course. Yesterday Ryanair cancelled our flight to Great Britain that was in two weeks, as a lot of flights from Venice are being stopped. The good news is that we got our money returned. Take a look.
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