Marta to Venice
Who hasn't heard of Venice, one of the most famous cities in the world.
A city that draws tourists like mouse into a bag of oatmeal - at least!
And who wouldn't want to snap a picture of themselves in a gondola in one of the city's canals?
Venezia Biennale
But - Venice has another attraction that also draws many visitors. It's something called a Biennale.
A word Marta had never heard before, but Tanya explained that the word actually means something taking place every other year.
And the word is most often associated with art exhibitions that last for two years - indeed.
So - guess who got to go with Tanya to Venice, to the oldest and most famous biennale, the Venice Biennale - which started as far back as 1895.
The departure was early in the morning, so Marta was already dressed and ready by 5:00 AM. Dressed, by the way, for those of you who don't know, a cloth mouse is always dressed. And when Tanya put on her coat, Marta, as usual, was tucked inside and peeked out just at the collar. If some people found it a bit unusual to see two mouse eyes staring out right there, so be it.
And people are usually in such a hurry at airports, so not many had time to be surprised by the sight, not even when passing by flight attendants.
That's the most exciting part of flights for Marta, flight attendants have a tendency to sing opera at the sight of a mouse - indeed!
There was no such entertainment on this flight either.
Three days in Venice - here comes Marta!
On the first - and the second day, Tanya was going to enjoy visiting exhibitions.
To avoid attracting too much attention, and thus stealing the spotlight from all the exhibitions, Marta and Tanya agreed that Marta would keep a somewhat low profile, safely sitting inside the jacket.
And then Marta learned that it could also be interesting, a unique experience indeed.
To hear all the sounds, all the different languages being spoken, all the different voices. It's actually something that can be recommended, just listening.
Marta thought that back home she had heard the saying: "Speak with your voice, and I will tell you who you are"..... or something like that….
And that's true, at least a bit true.
Some voices are harsh, others softer, some are rough, others are light, but none quite matched Marta's squeaky voice.
So sometimes she peeked out through the top buttonhole, and could ascertain that a tall lady doesn't have a squeaky voice, a short man rarely has a rough voice. That's how it is.
But - feel free to read HERE about the Venice Biennale.
Now this isn't an exhibition in a building, like in Vienna, but it's an entire area.
Since Marta is Norwegian, she was a little proud that all the Nordic countries have collaborated on their own pavilion, and this time used to present Sámi art, which you can read about HERE.
But before Marta disappeared inside her hiding place, there were some pictures taken of posters and advertisements. 🙂
Rialto bridge
The second day didn't go without experiences either.
On the way to the Biennale, Marta, of course, got to sit outside the jacket. One of the most famous bridges is called the Rialto Bridge.
It's at the spot where the first bridge was built over the canal, and this one was built in 1591. It also has stalls selling all sorts of things. So, there was a stroll along the canals, where there were plenty of people and lots to see. And, not least, Marta got to see the famous gondolas that everyone just HAS to take a ride on. Such a special boat exists only in one place in the world, Marta dreamed of taking a ride, for that would be something to talk about!
Even if it's crowded, it's still a nice stroll along the canal, and Tanya had set a small goal for the day.
Marta would get to meet some relatives.
Murano Vitrum
Marta is a little cloth mouse, and she's fine with that. Then you don't need to be so careful, you can take a little bump. But those who were waiting for Marta can't handle anything, they can almost only handle being looked at. And - they are almost as famous as Marta.
If you look at the picture below, you'll see a large collection of fantastic glass mice, namely from the famous Murano glass art.
Now they haven't just made glass sculptures of mice, but many other animals.
You can see them HERE.
The rest of the day was Tanya's - she had to see everything possible at the Biennale. After all, that was the purpose of the trip. A tiring but fulfilling day, both for Marta and tour guide Tanya!
A trip with the gondola
So it was time to head home on the third day, but before the trip to the airport, Tanya had planned a surprise.
Guess what!
Imagine that as the first mouse from Norway, definitely the first, perhaps even in the whole world, Marta would get to go on a canal tour with a real gondola.
The day before, Marta had seen that the skipper, or whatever it's called, had a very special hat.
It almost resembled a bottle cork, and Marta found one that she would have liked to decorate herself with, as if to impress the one standing at the back of the gondola. But despite all attempts, it was completely impossible to get it to stay still on her head. So the attempt was abandoned.
There were some stops along the canal until they reached the long boat. On board, the skipper with the beautiful hat was ready, and off they went. Now it was just to enjoy the ride, look at all the beautiful old buildings, pass under bridges, where people stood watching as Marta Mouse was on a gondola ride in Venice itself!!!
By the way, on a gondola is not called a skipper, she learned on the trip that it is called a gondolier!
And they always wear a black and white striped shirt, and a hat with a bow. An easily recognizable uniform!
But one thing Marta still wonders, what is the yellow hat made of?
If someone knows the answer, please make a note about it in the comment on Facebook post.
I wonder how many of the tourists took pictures of this, how many places the picture has been published, maybe some live in a completely different part of the world and want a visit from Marta Mouse.
Because - when Marta is back in Vienna with Tanya, there are only a few days left of the stay there.
There's just one little story left to tell.
And - it's something Tanya and Marta have agreed on, Tanja actually has a big wish.
A wish that all of you reading this can help Marta fulfill.
Marta will tell you about it in the next travel blog - stay tuned!
