Sunday, July 1, 2007

Last Post from Europe (unless we miss our flight)


Well, it's hard to believe that 5 weeks have passed so quickly. But they were incredible weeks filled with adventure, magic and wonder.

Last night was the perfect culmination of our trip, we found a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant away from the touristy part of town, and enjoyed a fabulous dinner. I had to laugh, though, because I noticed that the lady was cooking with a box of Barilla pasta - the same stuff we can get back home. :-) But somehow, it tasted better here.

After dinner, we wandered around aimlessly, waiting for the sky to grow dark. And at the magical time of twilight, we took our gondolla ride. It was incredible beyond words... romantic, relaxing, and an interesting way to see parts of Venice. A few stars were out. Bats were flying overhead. Our gondolier whistled romantic Italian songs while he rowed us around the canals. He pointed out places of interest like the houses of Marco Polo and Cassanova. We learned that there are 360 bridges in Venice and 126 churches. Amazing. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and plan to do it again when we return to Venice (because this is a place worth coming back to!)

After our gondolla ride, we wandered back to St. Mark's square. Picture an incredible full moon shining on the square, orchestras playing romantic music, and stopping to dance at a random spot. That was our evening. We listened to music from "Phantom of the Opera", classical music, and even the song from our wedding, "What a wonderful world." I know I keep using the word "romantic" but I don't know how else to describe the experience. Sigh. I know my parents would love this experience, and Dad would especially enjoy the fact that all of the orchestras have accordian players. It's fabulous!

We've checked out of our hotel and have about 8 hours until our night train. So we are enjoying our favorite activity of wandering around. I hope everyone is well. The next time we chat we will be back in America. Looking forward to catching up with everyone in person. Ciao!

3 comments:

Mike said...

Susan and I have enjoyed reading about your adventures. You've given us some inspiration for our trip next year, and some good travel tips. We wish you safe travels as you make your way back to the States.

Anonymous said...

Grandma Stella and I liked your photos and the news of your trip to Italy. We especially liked the photo of the lit up tent with the musicians. Wish we could of seen you at Lerin and Wendal's wedding, but was happy to spend time with Fran and George.

Anonymous said...

Grandma Stella and I liked your photos and the news of your trip to Italy. We especially liked the photo of the lit up tent with the musicians. Wish we could of seen you at Lerin and Wendal's wedding, but was happy to spend time with Fran and George.