Day 8: Magical VeniceWhat an Introduction to Venice: Our arrival in Venice could not have been more wonderful. The temperature was a comfortable 82 degrees, a few clouds accented the magnificent, blue sky, and the scenes were vibrant as we drove over the long Freedom Bridge and boarded our vaporetto (waterbus) to the dock by the Rialto Bridge in Venice. Like everyone else on the tour, we'd seen pictures of Venice, but they could not compare to actually seeing this city which seemed to float on the turquoise water.
Learning to Navigate: After a short walk to our hotel, the Serennissima (which, fittingly, means serine), Lisa gave us an orientation walk. It was interesting to follow signs posted on the corners of buildings that pointed to major attractions rather than streets and boulevards. Her directions were great, and it took us no time at all to find our way around. We just had to remember Rialto and Saint Mark's Square, and we were oriented. Food and Friends: We had an awesome four course meal at a nice little restaurant. Of course, we were full by the second course, but that didn't stop us from enjoying the rest of the meal. Paul read that experiencing the food on the tour was a big part of the trip, so he vowed to be more adventurous with his food than he would have been in the states. He was rewarded by really liking the clams with his spaghetti. It was the best spaghetti he'd ever had. Everyone had a great time, so great, in fact, that they had to tell us to quiet down several times. We were enjoying each other's company more than ever before, and sometimes we got a little loud. It was fun watching the kids bond and have fun. Even the quieter adults were more outgoing tonight. An Evening of Romance: The entire tour group wanted to do a gondola ride, so Lisa set it up for us, complete with musicians! Because it was our anniversary tour, we got to ride in the boat with the musicians, along with another couple celebrating their anniversary. We didn't think it could be possible, but it was more romantic than we could have imagined . . . 75 degrees, slight warm breeze, dusk with a full moon shining in a clear sky night over our boat, floating down the canals of Venice with a wonderful guitar player and singer in our boat. We could have done that all night! It was so perfect that it was hard to believe it was real. St. Mark's Square: Although we saw St. Mark's Square in the daylight, it was even more interesting when it was all lit up for the night. |
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