{"id":9050,"date":"2016-09-01T10:07:10","date_gmt":"2016-09-01T00:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/write4publish.com\/?p=4223"},"modified":"2023-02-25T19:17:35","modified_gmt":"2023-02-25T08:17:35","slug":"a-birds-eye-view","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.anneskyvington.com.au\/a-birds-eye-view\/","title":{"rendered":"A Bird’s Eye View"},"content":{"rendered":"
We\u2019re heading for the air space over la Belle Paris<\/i>, where we will spend such a memorable few days, meeting up with V\u00e9ronique and Thierry, and Manya and Hakeem. You can tell it\u2019s France down below from the beautifully sculpted blocks of land, some tilled, others awaiting cultivation: the richness of the French agricultural tradition.<\/p>\n
Whereas Venice will be a feast for the eyes, Paris is style, fresh food in street markets, wonderful cuisine and products in delis, and interesting, generous people. Admittedly, there\u2019s also a creeping sense of depression there, as the young abandon ship and take off for richer pastures further afield: New York, Sydney, Berlin \u2026 anywhere they can find work. But things augure well for the future, so long as its youth return, once the economy recuperates. Few leave for good.<\/p>\n
Mark had one day working hard in Paris teaching the Lidcombe Program. He was exhausted afterwards, but we were served dinner: \u2018foie gras d\u2019oie\u2019\u2014home-made by Thierry!\u2014and baked lamb with vegetables and sauce and lots of red wine!\u00a0 It was a real feast, and a once-in-a-lifetime experience, like staying in the Presidential Suite in Cavtat. But I must admit to suffering from \u2018mal au foie\u2019 the next day.<\/p>\n
We caught a smaller plane out of Charles de Gaulle Airport heading for Venice.\u00a0 Venice was a feast for the eyes!<\/p>\n
Even the tourists from all over the world, milling around the Piazza San Marco, didn\u2019t put us off. The buildings there were worth the discomfort of the throngs of people and the trinket sellers and their stalls staining the sight of the ancient monuments in the background.<\/p>\n
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I took photos of Mark in front of the Duomo San Marco and we had coffee in an expensive caf\u00e9 nearby.<\/p>\n
Then we learnt how to escape the tourists, by exploring along smaller wharves, across bridges and into the hinterland of San Paolo. I became expert at choosing tavernas where locals were eating, and I enjoyed the small jugs of house vino and the various seafood and pasta dishes.<\/p>\n