Every 2 years there is a Biennale for the Arts in Venice (every other year there is one for architecture ) which assembles in principle the whole world in one place. Usually visits are divided in 2 parts: there is the area of the Arsenal where the Republic of Venice created their ships and there is the area (next to it) in Giardini (garden) which hosts some country pavilions. As this part is rather old (from around 1920 onwards they were built) pavilions still have names like Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, etc. which resemble a time long gone.

As Venice is a lagoon arriving there can be either done by train or boat

Our hotel offers a free shuttle boat so we waited

finally

whoosh

along the old constructions

Well, we were faster

quite a lot…

Approaching Murano (where they make the glass) towards our hotel (no, not this palace… a bit more modern, please).

Eerie lights

Hold it…

Finally

Evening scenes

Next day – taking pictures…

Churches and water cisterns everywhere

The lagoon is pretty alive

As can be seen everwhere

I am subject of interest due to my camera…

Pigeon rooster

Fancy a mansion?

Nice backyards

And lazy cats

The epitome of the Venetian cat

age is beautiful

The chimneys made all the difference

Old, old…

Brrrr… Kitsch…

Again – life in abundance. It looks (and smells in a good way!) like the lagoon is getting much better

These windows are just great

A saint was taken down

Our hotel entrance

Yep – that’s getting interesting

He knows what he does

Yummy…

View from our room – the hotel is actually a converted glass factory. Just stunning and very nice

Cool design

The mussels are nibbling down the wood

Systematically

A sunny ride

Now we made it into Giardini

Layout of African cities (especially white / black distribution) and breeding patterns of mosquitos and other insects

Colours of the earth

Nature collection

Cool!

Large scale clothes

A view to the eatery

mountain in fog

“the roof came down”

Scenes…

A Japanese artist

Scenes II

Cool installation with balls and floating devices

Scenes III

No longer existent country flags

Scenes IV

Art is everywhere

An old animal skin merchant’s shop in Athens

“News of the fukt world”

Australia

Post-Modernism at its best

3D plots

Don’t lean against the wall

Scenes V

English pavilion

Canada

Germany

Japan – our favourite

Nordic countries

Well, Russia…

The Swatch pavilion

That was part I – more to follow next week… There will be plenty of B/W and colour images, too but I have to develop and scan them first…