The First 300 Pictures

God only knows if I will ever be able to figure out how to transfer the second half of the pictures. The ones that you will find are full of doors and alleys and birds and dogs and just stuff. I have not had a chance to go and turn everything so it is sort of like getting neck exercises.

A short version of our trip goes like this:

April 26: Arrived after being up 28 hours, decide the Water Taxi guy is too much so we take the regular transport. Find our place after hauling our bags over several bridges, find our person, settle in and decide we have to stay up. Off to find dinner and to wander a bit. Find dinner with a "turist" menu ( a big no no with the guide books) Order a great dinner. Did I mention that a Venetian specialty is liver and onions? Wander back, collapse into bed.

April 27: Up the next morning, girls and Vickie go to San Marco's to feed pigeons. Ruth's luggage is to be delivered ( total story to be told with the entry on the disasters of the trip). We wait all day for a no show. I go at the days end to find a church and light a candle. I find St. Alvise, our local Parrish. Little old lady tells me that you can not light candles during the day but when there is a mass, she will light them for me. My prayers are safe. Great dinner with little or no understanding of what we are ordering. We understood Tirimisu.

April 28: Try to go to Murano; "No Vaparetto" Es Protesto. So we head back into town and we find a garden, a few churches, try and are rejected by the Schuolo *sp* Ruth's Luggage has been found, she and Whitney return, we stay and go to the Fariri Church. We all agree Bellini is less depressed than Tintoretto. Off to find our way home. More good food.

April 29: We go to visit the Academia and the Peggy Guggenheim. Off to the other side of the canal and Dorsodoro. The Redeemptor church is also visited. Black Madonna, amazing space and feel. We head home, a challenge with full Vaporettos.

April 30: Vickie and I get up early and go to San Giomo for mass. Long trek a few missteps, rain in faces, lovely mass, attended mostly by tourists, trip up to the bell tower, feels like 2 degrees. Marvelouls views. Find Ruth and the girls, have dinner is a place recommended by Mr. Boyle from St. Joes. Sepia Pasta is great.

May 1st: Head to Murano and Burrano: Wonderful quiet day. We forget to eat until 4:00 p.m. We try to eat, they are too busy to feed us. Trip on the Vaparetto is fine, we have seats and Burrano is magical. We are amazed at the colored houses. We realize there are a million leaning towers in Italy. No need to go to Pisa.


May 2: Girls and I go to find Tintoretto's house. No clue so we take a picture, pronounce it the PLACE and move on. Madonna Del Oro, one needs a good dose of 13th century history before lunch. Off to the Lido and to ride along the outside of Venice. Land on the Lido, lunch with cars and the world's bicycles. We were so glad to visit but even happier that we did not stay there. Back to San Marco, more pigeon feeding, more shopping. Visit San Marco's, wonder more in the streets.
Home for a home cook meal, burned pizza, raw rissoto, great salad, and unknown zucchini stuffed with something.

May 3rd: Vickie to Verona, We take trip to cemetery Island,time at Florins ( only been in business since 1720) Served on a silver tray by guys in white coats. Expensive meal but worth the location, in San Marco's square. More pigeon's fed, off to see some more. Ruth and I to Mass.

May 4: Trip to Padua to see St. Anthony's tongue. (Tongue was closed for lunch). M-E and I head home, take the wrong train, hop on another end up back in Venice late. Go to apartment, change. Rest of gang shows up and Whitney and M-E and I head out in search of Gondola ride. None found, Stalking of gondolas begin. We have great ride and great success. Last dinner, last walk through the ghetto, last stroll on "our canal".

Home.
This entry will be edited and the proper spelling added at a better I hvae been up since 3:20. I have had coffee. I will come back to it, I am going to see if I can get the rest of the pictures loaded.

I was dead to the world by 7:00 last night. It will be interesting to see how the day goes.