We're Home.....

Can't believe the trip to Italy is already over, although it was good to get home a few hours ago and will be good to sleep on my own pillow tonight! There's lots of laundry to face tomorrow, so back to reality...

We did get the gondola ride in yesterday and it was wonderful. There were a few from our group that opted into the gondola excursion, so there were a group of 3 gondolas. The three followed each other along the canals for probably 45 minutes, but the special treat to this excursion was that we were 'serenaded' with a singer and accordion player in the middle boat. It was so cool!

We started the day today at 4:00 am local time in Venice and had a taxi pick us up at the hotel, but not any old kind of taxi....we took a water taxi from the hotel to the airport....about a 40 minute 'drive'. Venice is a city with no cars, motorbikes or bicycles. You either walk or you take a water taxi. As I've said, only in Venice...

It was an amazing trip. Italy is an amazing place.... As I believe I shared early on, beginning in Rome, it really struck me that Rome IS the place where modern civilization started. The history of Rome, Florence and Venice....the art scattered all over is near overwhelming. I think of sites over the past few days, then have to think....what that in Rome, Florence or Venice??

We met some really great people. Attached are some pictures with our new friends at dinner last night. (me and Katie, Katie and Ana, our new friends..the Soules, Singers and Tuxons, along with a pic of the last gelato outing of the trip, after dinner last night).

Katie and I ended our time in Venice last night sitting out on the piazza facing St. Mark's Basilica with our new friends, Donna Soule and her daughter, Ana, listening to classical music being played by an instrumental ensemble. What a life, huh???? Only in Venice....

Ciao... Abbia un buon resto della settimana.... Have a good rest of the week....