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Ciao a qualcuno, ciao a tutti, ciao agli amici , ea coloro che semplicemente gustare un buon bicchiere di vino !
Una Bella Notte! That is the best way to describe the event that can make you proud to be a friend of Venice and Melioria, and to La Contessa Rezzonico. It was mainly a quiet sort of event, fine music and vocals in the background to dance to, wonderful guests of course as the guest list was very strictly invitation-only. The conversation was not of the most abundant but that which was going around was of great interest with anyone with an ear for amusement and laughter.
The Hostess provided us with a gondola to the event just outside the Villa of il Princpe di Melioria, driven by the apprentice gondolier Fiorino. The ride was pleasant, gliding along the moonlit waters around the paradise isle, towards the beautiful location that hosted the event. A pavilion of fine make, decored subtly but finely, and laid out with many foods and wines- the wine was awful of course, it was not of the great make. Vino Loredano is much better, please keep this in mind for next time, Contessa Rezzonico, less you have happier guests who do not have the taste of rot in their mouths throughout the night.
Alas I digress. The event was calm and pleasant, filled with the air of happy and joy, to enjoy a time among friends and family, all those we have grown to love, hate, and love to hate. Those notably well dressed were the Hostess, a man in armor under the alias of Apollo, a man robed in ruby-red Carnevale attire, and a briefly-seen man dressed as a Chinese Emperor. If there was ever a night, that could bring a tear to any Venetian's eye, at the remembrance of a time not so long ago, this was a night and place for it.
I do not do it often, and I do not like to do it, but I salute La Rezzonico and her efforts for the Carnevale fun that was had. It will be remembered for a long time. Una mascherata pi degno di nota.
After three tournaments ( Orange-Nassau, Coeur and Melioria), the rankings in this ongoing competition are:
1/ Hera Poliatevska: 18 points
2/ Selina Vayandar: 11 points
3/Joesf Fitzpatrick: 10 points
4/Maria Louisa Muircatsle: 7 points
5/Myron Byron, Paco Gothly: 6 points
6/Emma Streusel, Blue Revolution: 5 points
7/Marie-Josette Laville, Elisabeth Milneaux, Susannah Tigerpaw,Melled'Andelot,Pekel Panacek,Capacitytodd Elswit: 3 points
8/Tatiana Dokuchic Varriale: 2 points
9/Maria Antonia Barenhaut, Sophia Trefusis, Quecay Amat,Martie-Therese Glendevon, Bedrich Panacek, Trasgo Beaumont, Roy100 Allen, Monty Merlin: 1 point.
I can see quite a few fencers in this list who are not ranked high enough according to their skills with a foil or sword.There will be a few more tournaments to allow them to climb up .
3000 L$ in the end for the winner! 
The MELIORIA fencing tournament turned out to be a wonderful event, and a success in terms of attendance, enjoyment, and high fencing level.
The Prince of MELIORIA had carefully prepared this feast ( with the deft and friendly help of Aria Vyper, Contessa di Mocenigo, CeeCee and Blue Revolution), adorning the lawns of the glorious Villa Vesuviana with tents and lovely blankets, where spring water, wines ,liquors and picnic baskets were at hand.
This event drew an incredible crowd, from all horizons, coming and going during the two hours and a half it lasted. Therefore, I will not be able to mention all attendants, as I usually do: please accept my apologies. it was entertaining and even enthralling, to see this fashionably elegant assembly and to hear the witty discussions and, ahemgossips.
The duellists of the day were , in no protocolar order: Capacitytodd Elswit, Prince of Melioria, our host, Marquesa Quecay Amat, Hera Poliatevska, professional fencer and Maitre dArmes in the Royal Court Fencing Group, Contessa Sophia Trefusis di Loredan, Doctor Pekel Panacek, Madame la Comtesse de Noailles, Senora Emma Streusel, Princess of Switzerland, Sir Blue Revolution, Her Grace the Duchesse de Rochefort, Conte Myron Byron di Loredan, Mademoiselle dAndelot, Joesf Fitzpatrick, Contessa Selina Vayandar di Loredan, and Monsieur de Monty-Merlin.
Four rounds were needed to reach the final, won by the irresistible Selina, Contessa di Loredan, over Hera Poliatevska. To crown this ceremony, the Prince of Melioria offered two prizes of 2000 gold coins and 1000 gold coins respectively to the winner and finalist.
The competitors gained also points for the Royal Courts fencing Group Award of Fencer of the Year, as follows:
- Maria-Antonia Barenhaut, Quecay Amat, Sophia Trefusis, Pekel Panacek, , Joesf Fitzpatrick, Monty Merlin: 1 point.
-Marie-Josette Laville, Melle DAndelot, Capacitytodd Elswit, Myron Byron: 3 points
- Emma Streusel, Blue Revolution: 5 points
-Hera Poliatevska: 8 points
- Selina Vayandar: 10 points.
(see for present rankings after 3 tournaments in my upcoming post).
And now A FEW ANECDOTES :
-As usual, a big controversy arose about fencing Ladies outfits: gowns or breeches? Well, this a far too serious matter for us, male fencers, to decide! We , who heartily endure scars and blood wounds, would NEVER take the chance of interfering between Ladies arguing about this: we are courageous, but no fools! ( with the possible exception of Blue Revolution, who suggested we could wear skirts in replyJ)
-CeeCee missed the Tournament, and we missed her : we learned (once again) that , as she was in charge of transferring the spring water bottles from the cellar to the picnic, she mistook them for the vodka bottles of the Prince, and realized too late her error ( too late meaning after sipping two bottles at least) so she overslept...
-At one moment, a little girl ran everywhere through the crowd . One of the Versailles Grandes Dames was trying to catch and keep her May I? She looks so much like my Pomeranian dog! she said.
-Extracts from the dialogues during the final duel :
-Hera Poliatevska: I must confess at this point, that I am not a part of any Court. I am from the peasantry, and I fence for a living, Mesdames.
-Duchesse de Rochefort: For a living? What do you mean? What a curious expression! ( I love learning new words and expressions)
-Selina Vayandar: For a livinglike work. A concept lost to you, perhaps.
-Duchesse de Rochefort: Oh! Work ! I learnt about work the other day, what a curious occupation!
-Gallyon Milneaux: *tries not to laugh*
-Duchesse de Rochefort: To work to earn moneyodd concept
-Hera Poliatevska: I work as a fencer, sometimes as a trainer
-Duchesse de Rochefort: Personally I think inheritance is much simpler
-Hera P. : Much simpler indeed, for those who are lucky!
-Myron Verne: tsk tsk tsk, never mind, Hera, focus on your fencing! 
A fresh warm breeze enters thru the open windows of the Villa. Looking out onto the Great Lawn I see all is in readiness for our distinguished and talented guests this weekend.
Saturday February 5 th is only a few days away. The En Garde fencing tournament commences at 2pm SL time so guests should be arriving shortly before so they may have their maids and valets unpack their (18 th ) fencing attire and be down on the terrace just before 2pm to make sure they are included on the register of participates.
As I finish counting the prize moneys and place them into the purses I can smell the fresh baked goods being prepared for the picnic baskets. How I love a wonderful relaxing afternoon spent with my near and far cousins.
I gather my things and head for Vienna. Deciding to go solo and to begin freelance work I seek out as atutor, and become a family man. My relationship with the Archbishop of Salzburg deteriorated over the years. I had thought enough was enough when I got fired at Salzburg court for the third time. My relationship with my father wasnt as strong as it once was. I had this feeling of wanting to prove myself to him, showing him I could make it on my own and making the entire family proud. Freelancing begins; I start off by composing, playing in concerts and teaching all over Vienna. Although, I hoped for a well-paid job at court, I made a reasonable living as a freelance musician. At last I was getting the success I well deserved not as the boy genius, but as a serious and talented classical composer.
I fell in love with Aloysia Weber, a cousin of the composer Carl Maria von Weber, but she rejected all my advances. In August 4, 1782, I married her sister Constanze Weber. A month before the marriage, I produced my German opera Die Entfhrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio.)
I decided I didn't need to take on a paying job with a wealthy patron; instead I set myself up as an independent composer. By playing the piano, publishing piano and violin sonatas (also for solo piano), and the occasional opera commission, I was starting to live pretty well. Between 1782 and 1786 I wrote fifteen piano concertos including some of my finest works, giving myself the opportunity to establish my name as both composer and pianist. More importantly, to me was the set of six string quartets that I dedicated to Haydn. Written more for my own satisfaction than as a moneymaker, this showed the serious side of me, with a mastery of the genre.
William Wordsworth
On the Extinction of the Venetian Republic
Once did She hold the gorgeous east in fee;
And was the safeguard of the west; the worth
Of Venice did not fall below her birth,
Venice, the eldest Child of Liberty.
She was a maiden City, bright and free;
No guide seduced, no force could violate;
And, when she took unto herself a Mate,
She must espouse the everlasting Sea.
And what if she had seen those glories fade,
Those titles vanish, and that strength decay;
Yet shall some tribute of regret be paid
When her long life hath reached its final day:
Men are we, and must grieve when even the Shade
Of that which once was great, is passed away.
(1802)
Entry from the journal of Capacitatodd Elswit, Principe di Melioria
By Capacitatodd Principe diMelioria, 2011-01-04
il quarto di Gennaio durante l'anno di nostro Signore 1780
Villa Vesuviana
Musing on this ever changing best of all possible worlds I think on my home and what direction it should face the future. Since 1383 when that little favor was returned from Charles III of Naples with the blessing of Papa Urban VI Melioria has stayed unchanged. Peacefully traveling through the seasons and years, enjoying her anonymity and the occasional guests journeying from afar.
But Mayer warns me that the old ways may not last through another Turmoil especially one that he and my spies tell me is looming and coming quicker and more terrible than we can ever imagine. Look on the Americas. Madre della Mary del Dio! Who would ever expect such a change? And even here in Europa one wonders how long these old Families can go on the way they have without heeding the rumbles that our Age of Science has created in our people.
Even with taking Mayers advice to diversify and expand my holdings and all the financial return I have seen he thinks it may not be enough to shelter my ancient home. And though I feel comfortable at any of my far flung estates if I were to loose Melioria in the coming storm it would be as if my true spirit had been taken from my soul.
Something must be done. I am resolved.
Therefore I will be Moderne. I will take this small tiny island and push it towards the future. I will make it a place that all can call home even if only for a few weeks so that they have a stake in its future and will safeguard its existence.
I will leverage her peaceful neutrality and expound her natural beauty and vistas. I will take her sleepy streets and make them the Promenade of Europa. The best craftsman, the best goods will fill her shops. I will invest in and encourage bankers to open up branches here that provide their clients a partnership of absolute private transaction and security no matter what nationality. Couple that with no taxation of foreign residents or their deposits I will lock in Europas wealth here so that Europa dare not march on my sweet Melioria for fear of turning their world upside down.
I see a tiny glamorous principato di Melioria. A fantasy of perfectly groomed lush gardens when the rest of the Continent is freezing in winters grasp. And my dear jewel, my home, my heart, my Villa Vesuviana (long secret) turned into the apex of sensual pleasures, brilliant culture and curative waters. A destination to rival any Spa town in Europa.
All nationalities will be met with open arms. A high point on ones Grande Tour where one sees and must be seen.
So much to do
Cece must start to bottle that old spring water immediately. I wonder if I can dress up that old maid and have her greet the ships? Hmmmmm Contact Cece Barzan for reservations for the upcoming Season. Has a nice ring to it I think.
Forward
CE Who knows what fate in store for us? How could i imagine in that cold winter morning, while I was seeing the snowflakes falling through the windows of my studio in Languedoc that only a few weeks later I would be arriving to the sunny Caribbean.
I will not try to reproduce here all the complex events that gave to me the chance to begining this new adventure, an inheritance from a distant relative, a business oportunity in the new world... sometimes there are an inner force that moves you to jump to the inexplored althoug you know the hazardous of the new way that you start.
The Atlantic voyage was not too bad. We was lucky with the weather and thanks to the Captain skills our crossing was a monotonous but nice experience, relieved by the portions of the evening playing cards and telling histories on the poop deck.
After six sailing weeks we arrive to Dominica where I had to spend a few days organizing my travel to Guadalupe. From there, I could rent a boat to reach my new posessions in the little Island of La Dsirade, my new home in the New World.
(...to be continued)
The Battle of Sedan Chairs ( pamphlet in the manner of Beaumarchais)
Listening recently to some comments in Royal Courts corridors, it seemed that sedan chairs are back in style again. New models should be available soon, and I have no doubt that they will be beautifully crafted. Perhaps events will follow like sedan chairs races, who knows? Anyhow, we cannot but be grateful to those who provide us, day in and day out, with their remarkable skills, all the commodities of our late 18 th century.
However, you will NEVER see me in a sedan chair. I have a strong personal dislike for this invention, based on the fact that I hate to see men ( porters, in this case) treated as low as horses replacement.
Some may argue that it is only a practical and funny mean of transportation, but it is not: it is slower than walking , highly uncomfortable, and I miss the amusing part in it. I can understand , in some circumstances, that Ladies use them to keep their formal shoes and dresses clean before a ceremony or event, and for short distances, but no more. Men should stay away from a sedan chair, they look ridiculous in it, and besides, I often stated that some of them use it more as a way to show off their pretended superiority , and their actual domination, with some disdain to other human beings. I do not belong in this , and I have the weakness to believe more in reconciling the traditional values of Nobility( protecting the people, and centering on our duties more than on our privileges) with the contemporary ideals of Enlightenment.
But , this being only a matter of opinion, after all, I would not have posted this pamphlet, had I not a funny and revealing story of sedan chairs to tell you.
One day, I rode through the narrow streets of Paris on my dear horse Sultan, when I was blocked by two sedan chairs, moving slowly forward and side by side, ( de conserve as we say in French), so that their owners could continuously converse through their side windows.
I recognized their arms on the chairs: Madame la Comtesse de Marsan, et Madame la Marquise dEsparbs, two long-time best gossip friends, two of a kind ( the kind of stuff that nightmares are made of, according to me).
Now you must know that the porters and valets of the Maison de Marsan and the Maison dEsparbs, were all Southerners: these Ladies had married a Comte from Languedoc, and a Marquis from Armagnac, regions were people (except nobles and grand bourgeois) still spoke the ancient langue dOc, or Provencal, quite different from the langue doil, spoken in the North, from which French was derived. The Ladies, as superior as they thought they were, could not understand their porters, but the valets could very well understand them.
By then, a long string of horsemen, carriages, merchants and passers-by was now queuing up behind the sedan chairs, and the Ladies did not seem to bother: I could even have sworn they enjoyed it.
Suddenly, as I was losing patience, the four porters began to sing, alternatively, a charming traditional melody, with lyrics in their language. I distinctly heardthe Comtesse de Marsan say:Oh, Ma Chre, listen to their beautiful song! Dont they sound like modern day troubadours?
-O Yes, lovely, indeed, Ma Chre! answered the Marquise. And how it shows they enjoy their work!
It was difficult for me to hold back a laugh: as you may know, I was born in Provence, and I understand the langue dOc. And the translation of the lyrics of this beautiful song was approximately the following:
-Marsan porters: Our Comtesse eats too much, and she weighs bout a ton
-dEsparbes porters: -Our Marquise is lighter, but her feet are stinking
-Marsan Porters: -Lets toss em and bump em for the next mile
-dEsparbes porters: -Oh yes, and if they dont know why, we do!
Thats the way the world goes
And why youll NEVER see me in a sedan chair.