"Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go." --Truman Capote

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I couldn't have said it better...

Buon Giorno!!!!! would somebody please pinch me? Perhaps a hot Italian in a gondola get up? (just kidding) It's been two full beautiful days in Venice and I still can't believe I'm really here soaking it all in. We arrived late Sunday evening just before midnight by water taxi. It was quiet, the stars were out, and it was the perfect arrival. We tip toed into our hotel to find our room, then took a quick stroll to explore our neighborhood....

In Venice, I feel a bit like a mouse trying to make my way through a maze to find a piece of cheese. It is all part of the adventure of course....until your feet are tired and you want to make it back to your hotel in the dark. Good luck if you are drunk. Unfortunately, Warren and I spent two whole hours going in complete circles only a small bridge across from our hotel. We must have asked 20 different shop workers which direction we should go and every one seemed to have a different answer. Apparently we weren't the only tourists to experience this. Oh well, two nice spanish students walked us back but I admit I was cranky.

Despite getting lost, the rest of it has been unforgetable. It's been sunny and warm, not a cloud in site. We have done everything on our list and more. We got an early start yesterday to st. Marks square before the crowds arrived and then onto our 3 hour boat tour to the islands of Murano (where they make glass), Torcello (the first and oldest Venetian church), and Burano (where they make lace). After that we walked all day trying to navigate our way to the sites. First the Rialto bridge where we sat by the Grand Canal and had a margarita pizza, then onto the Guggenheim museum with works of Jackson Pollock, Picasso, and Max Ernst. After that, besides getting lost...I was roped into buying a Venetian mask at supposively a great discount by a pushy Italian girl with a big smile who refused to let us window shop. It's very pretty, Casa Nova the great lover guaranteed to be of genuine quality paper. Kinda like bringing home a pinata from Mexico I suppose but I'm hoping it doesn't get crushed on the plane.

Today was a bit more relaxed, we finally have a sense of direction. We slept in and are more refreshed. We spent time talking to our hotel server at breakfast and found out I needed a 3 prong converter for my electronics. We meandored around and checked out the local church of Santa Maria Farmosa, ate a slice of pizza near the Rialto bridge, took the elevator up the Campanile in St. Mark's square for amazing views of the entire city, toured Doge's Palace, the took the public vaporetto #2 through the whole loop of the Grand Canal, ate gelato ofcourse, the went back to the accademia bridge to find the Istituto Veneto di Scienze Lettere ed Arti to view a photo premier by Stanley Kubrick. Tonight we went to a nearby restaurant that was very touristy with the guy waving people into the door as he went back and forth taking table orders but it was our first nice dinner...I had the buffalo mozz caprese salad, pesto qnocchi, and cuttlefish with polenta. They threw in a shot of limoncello shots on the house. Good stuff but really sweet...a bit like lemon cough syrup. Then it was back to a local Irish bar of all things to watch a bizarre soccor match between Italy and Serbia. Some chaotic protest ended it all...the game was postponed.

Now we are back at the hotel...Warren is flipping channels watching Sister Act with Whoopi Goldberg dubbed in Italian and I'm sitting on the bathroom toilet blogging (where the only wall socket is where I can use my adapter) and trying to figure out how to best store the 400 pics I've taken already. If I download them to the computer....will it hold them all by the end of the trip? I'm so worried about coming home with them all!!!! I've been way to snap happy....but oh well. Tomorrow, we catch the train for a 5 hour ride through Milan and onto the Cinquerre Terre. Picture of Italy soon to come....

Ciao friends,
Tami & Warren

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Photos

Warren and Rialto Bridge
sitting at a cafe by the Grand Canal

The Canal in front of our hotel
Santa Maria Formosa

Warren in St. Mark's Square
waiting in line at the basilica. Tip: bring your water socks for the puddles and extra change for the public toilets - they aren't free!!!