Venice

Wow.  I am going to have a difficult time describing Venice.  My friend Diane Elrick said "just walk around and look."  My friend Theresa Thalken said her brother described Venice as "Disneyland for grown ups."  I agree with both.

Lee and I spent two full days walking all over Venice.  We actually stayed in Mestre and took the train over.  The first day we got there just in time to have a thunderstorm break overhead.  So, while we were standing under the covering at the train station we started talking to a couple and their teenage daughter - turns out they were from Ontario, CA - my hometown!  Had a wonderful conversation with them while we waited for the lightning to stop.  Those who know me know that I HATE thunderstorms unless I am inside.  This did not amuse me, but it passed. (No Diane Elrick, I could never live in the mid-west or southern states - and Florida is totally out of the question!)

After the storm passed, it just continued to rain.  So we continued to walk.  We decided to head to St. Mark's Basilica, along with thousands of our closest friends.  It was a light rain as we were walking - but the heavens opened up when we got to the square.  Everyone - and I mean EVERYONE - was under cover around the square.  We did our best to take pictures from where we were.  It worked okay. 

We walked out the back side of St. Mark's Square and were taking some gondola pictures when an older Australian gentleman approached us and began a conversation with us when he saw Lee's t-shirt from Blue Tongue Lizard Brewery in the Hunter Valley.  Turns out he lives near there and thought we might be Aussie.  We probably talked with him for 20 - 30 minutes.  He was grumbling a bit that the weather was worse than his winter.  Too much rain.

After that, we went to the Hard Rock Venice to get my pins and wound up eating there. I know, sacrilegious, but I wanted a hamburger, it was dry, and they had a WC.  

We continued searching for geocaches - apparently there are several in Venice.  They, however, are very tricky and while we didn't find any that day, we found more places to take photos of than just about anywhere I've ever been. (Maybe Dubrovnik.)  I took almost 200 pictures that day.  But it was absolutely spectacular! And then we crashed at the apartment after walking a good five miles.

The next day, we went over even earlier.  This time - the sun was out (I forgot my sunscreen, BTW), the sky was breath-taking - it was a perfect day for pictures.  We stopped at a little cafe and had breakfast and espresso before heading out to walk.  We took several roundabout paths heading back to St. Mark's Square.  We took more great pictures with blue skies in the background. Lee went to find a particular geocache while I toured the Doge's Palace.  It was good to be the duke! All in all, we walked over 10 miles that day - and I was sunburned.  You'd think at my age I'd learn, but apparently some lessons must be repeated multiple times in our lives.

So, coming up are a couple of the pics from Venice.  The next day we rented a car and drove to Porec, Croatia - our current location.  And last night - thunderstorm! Great, just great.
Laters, baby.