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After the last few days, a low-key day of wandering, floating about on the water Venice, and daring to eat at McDonalds was a change of pace. And it was the girl's birthday, so I got a bit caught up in the celebration of the anniversary of her escaping from that amniotic Attica.
| 6:33am | I woke the girl up by singing, "Happy Birthday." Yeah, she’s an old one now. All of 24. Definitely off my date-able list now, me at the tender age of 16 (17 next month). |
| 7:15am | The Italians just do breakfast differently than we do. They usually just have a cup of cappuccino and get on their merry way. Their attempts at Americanized breakfasts are frightening. Dinner rolls, hardened as though exposed to air all day long, are a constant staple. The eggs were okay in Rome but today’s scrambled egg attempt reminds me of a scrubbing sponge you’d use for dishes. Porous but rough. The girl joyfully spooned up some canned fruit medley. Good for her. |
| 8:00am | Went by private water taxi and sat in rigid wooden seats as we went to St. Mark’s Square. We passed a public bus (boat) (only 3.50 euro, and they don’t even check if you have a ticket) and a police boat. We even saw a hearse boat with a casket on board but I couldn’t get the picture in time. |
| 8:30am | We land near the Square and the Doge’s Palace. The Doges were the folks who ruled Venice back in the day. As there was a hefty admission fee, I decided against seeing the palace and ABC (that stands for "another bloody church"). The Palace is built right next to the jail. The Bridge of Sighs connects the two buildings. It’s called that because prisoners would sigh as they walked that bridge because they either heard all the free folk in the area or they were worried what the Doge would decide or they got bad news from the boss man of Venice. |
| 8:32am | Did I mention it was snowing today? A rare “treat” according to the Venetians because snow is very rare there. Just my luck. I grew a California coat for the winter. And it doesn’t snow where I live -- I usually have to drive to see snow. |
| 9:00am | Scurried like mice to see the glass-blowing demonstration. One, because it was freakin’ cold and two, because I had to use the bathroom and didn’t feel like paying to do so. |
| 9:03am |
The dew shaken off, it was time to listen to this guy talk about glass blowing. Another dude made a decanter, starting off with just this and worked it as so. Then he made a cat. It was quite enjoyable. Everyone was oohing and ahhing. |
| 9:45am | The amount of money flowing from hand to hand was amazing. This glass and decanter set went for 380 euro (about $560 U.S. dollars) -- ouch! There were huge chandeliers but I decided to leave before, well…you’ve heard that saying about a duck in a china shop, right? |
| 11:25am | I spent an hour or so wandering about the convoluted streets near St. Marks. I stayed with the girl as she allowed me to cuddle closely inside her jacket. She and a couple from Los Angeles, Gigi and Orlando, and I attacked McDonalds. I needed a burger fix. We perused the menu and I got a McRoyal Deluxe. The girl wanted ketchup for her french fries, so I went to the counter to get some. |
| 12:30pm | After finding a yarn shop for Gigi, we all took a public boat back to the Hotel Continental. It only took 45 minutes to get to Stazione di S. Lucia, which was right next to the hotel. We thought we were taking the fast boat. We were wrong. |
| 2:45pm | After a short nap, the girl and I headed over to a nearby internet café (www.ve-nice.com) to see how the rest of the world was faring. The girl spoke with one of her sisters and her mom via yahoo messenger and it was decided that they call her shortly. |
| 3:13pm | Back at the hotel, I grumbled about manners, abrupt behavior and the like. The girl needed snacky foods and got foa sandwich and some sugary yum-yums. Her madre called and I took a shower as to not here the girl babble on senselessly. |
| 4:45pm | Rachel and I met up with Gigi in the lobby area. We waited for another chick to show up but she went shopping with someone else. |
| 4:51pm | The three of us wandered up Lista di Spagna, a veritable tourist street. Gigi bought some bracelets, while I got a few postcards and the girl went ga-ga in a jewelry shop. I didn’t know she was so gung-ho for earrings. Must be the short haircut. |
| 8:10pm | I’m getting hungry so I tagged along with Kathy, David, Peggy and Doug for dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. |
| 8:22pm | The gang sang Happy Birthday to Rachel and toasted to her with scropennis. I’m not sure how it’s spelled but it’s a drink composed of lemon sorbet, champagne and vodka. No one was saying the name of the drink correctly but Rachel, ever the nurse, came up with a memorization tool. “Just combine scrotum and penis to make scropenni!” Smart cookie, that girl. And a bit sick as well. |
| 9:20pm | When the girl started teaching the others how to remember the order in which to move your hand for the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit motion, I knew it was time to pack her up and head to bed. If you want to know the method of learning that one, just remember: spectacles, testicles, watch, wallet. (If you're a visual learner, check out Nuns on the Run (1990) from your local video store. In the film, Charlie McManus (played by Robert Coltrane) is teaching him this very thing. |
| 9:59pm | And the girl is out for the count. |