Venice!

Venice! 
It's an easy ride from Rome to Venice. I've grabbed a seat that I think will be going the right way and shimmy off my  jacket and get out my iPad. I have on the cutest little dress (so sue me, I bought something!). A man walks by and then stops and comes back to me. I really do look cute! "please may I ?" the price tag is hanging out of the back of my dress. It is not a small tag either. "May I rip it off?"  I remember reminding myself to tear it off but then I was distracted by all the lotions I had to choose from in the hotel. He tears it off and hands it to me smiling. "You are a little thief!" i am cracking up! "a beautiful little thief!" i love it! Next a couple comes and says they have that seat. Oh crap! I just remembered that in Italy even with a Eurail pass you have to reserve your seat( and pay extra for it)! Kind of explains the last train trip! I move across the way and a mother and daughter come and sit facing me. She explains that they don't have these seats but wanted to sit together. Do I mind? Nope (especially since this technically isn't my seat either) They are really cute. The daughter has her iPhone out and is listening to music. She puts one ear bud in her own ear and gives the other one to her mom, so cute! We are in first class so they bring us a complimentary drink and chocolate square. The girl immediately spills hers :( its one of those little glasses that seems to have a lot in it! She's spilled it on her lap but it's trickled into the aisle and is all over her coat which she was sitting on. I am no help. I have a mini pack of Kleenex which I give her. I tell the mom I will move and they can have my seat and the one next to it (how else can they do their cute music sharing thing?) she is too distracted to understand me. The girl is so grateful. God love her, we're only about 30 minutes into a two hour trip and she's drenched! When we get ready to alight, they are both at my seat thanking me. Of course! I'm going to make her sit in a wet seat? Yuck! No! 

I see vineyards! In between tunnels, but still, they are growing my wine right in front of me;) thank you!

When I arrive in Venice the TIs are closed;( but the woman selling tickets for the vaparetto says its about 40 minutes and the guy on board will know where  to exit. It's a nice ride! Ever the optimist, I'm thinking that this place is far but probably has the best restaurant right by it! When I exit I'm looking for someplace that has lights on so I can ask for directions. I find a little gelato shop (imagine that! In Venice!). Like the others I've asked, they have no idea where this place is. Or the street;( even the lady with the catfish lips doesn't know...seriously, her lips are amazingly ridiculous! they do make a phone call to the b&b for me, but there is no answer. I thank them and head on my way. I'm resourceful! I find a nice hotel on the canal. They have a room for me-265€! I'm resourceful, not idiotic! I move on to another hotel. He's booked, but he calls a friend. The friend has a room and is walking over to get me. Enter Julius! Well, he'd like me to call him Juli;) he's about 70 and walks like he's 20! We're chatting as we walk over canals, down alleyways, around corners and I know I will not find my way back. "It's cold!" I agree but tell him red wine always warms you up! My mistake! "you like red wine?i buy you red wine!" oh no, I'm going to drop off my backpack and then go to dinner, but thank you. Nonono you have wine now! Then dinner! We go in a random cafe and he plops down money and we have a tiny glass of red. And then his wife calls. She is Chinese, so he's speaking Italian/Chinese/English. "always everyone wants to know where I am!" On to the hotel! Darling! My room has beautiful antique furniture...bed nightstands armoire desk and a beautiful gilded mirror that reminds me of the mirror in St. Goar in the shape of the mirrors at Cafe Tirholderhof. And of course a huge bathroom to myself-the place I had booked was a shared bath. I love it when things work out for the better! Breakfast in the morning....Juli really wants me to come, 8-10, it's very good! I'm a happy girl;) now for dinner! I want to eat at a cute little cafe on the grand canal...a little wine, a little pasta, a little view/people watching. It is not to be....45 minutes later I grab a  table in a random place that's still serving and have a great chianti and cannelloni with spinach! I love spinach! Getting back to the hotel will be near impossible, but I'm a happy blessed girl;) in the front window there's a table with three girls from Washington. They are cracking me up with their stories. They are given free wine and why not, they are darling! Thank God I'm offered it too...I'd hate to think that I'm that old! I refuse it politely, but then I'm brought limoncello as a gift from the bar...ok...oh no, now he's pouring a glass of wine for me and one for  him. Essentially I now have a dinner date as he's seated himself  at my table :-/ Good news! He's off in 30 minutes and he will take a bottle and we will go. Yeah, no! In some small way, I'm flattered and would almost be insulted if I wasn't hit on, in another way I'm thinking, ugh, enough, stop!

The women at the table  next to me get ready to leave. I ask where the one woman is from, she is shocked, she hasn't said anything in English (she did when she first came in) she's from Manhattan (not the little apple) and I'm  glad to get this advice...go somewhere where the people are not all from there and they are open to new friendships...Paris (where she lives) not Venice. It is really a good thought.  Slowly, but surely, I will figure this out;) 

The Washington girls have moved to a back table and asked me to join them. Sure why not! I did not realize that my new best friend was going to join me, too. Actually there are two other waiters with the girls.  It's a regular party. The restaurant is officially closed. Carafes of red wine are brought in and fresh glasses for everyone. The girls want to play a drinking game. Jade wants to play cups, but we don't have cups. Aha! Tony has a game! Just to double check, it's one am,  I'm 41 alone on holiday in Venice playing "suck" (you know the game where you pass the credit card around? Except this is a business card for the restaurant. Same thing!) with three 20 year olds and some Italian waiters. yep! Sounds about right! My new best friend is still insisting that he and are going out tonight. Ally and I are rolling our eyes at each other and in one motion we all bolt. To the Irish pub to meet up with a huge group of guys also on break from studying in Rome. One of whom they think is perfect for me. Except we can't find the Irish pub. I passed by it twelve times on my "way" to dinner. By the time we find it, the guys are gone-they thought we blew them off. We have one drink and the place is closing-well of course it is! I have no idea what time it is, but it's late, or early depending on how you look at it. I still have to find my way home! Not an easy task :-/ eventually, I find it and I am ready to crash! I don't know how many bridges I went over but I feel like I have been running stairs all night! Plus there was a little dancing at the Irish pub. My legs are done! In the morning the phone in my room rings. It's check out time, now. Ugh what time is it? 10! I am turning into a 20 year old! I've missed breakfast which I could care less about and on the television there's an opera playing (in Italian of course)?? 

I'm rushing around throwing things in my bag. I can't think about makeup at all, but I do brush my teeth, several times. Uh oh, it's the moment of truth. The jeans I pull out to wear are the 2s. I'm a month in, there's no way...zip! Hot damn! On my way out I find  out that my friend Juli doesn't actually work for the hotel, he was just helping out last night, which is why I didn't know they had such an early check out, and why I got a deal in the room. I don't feel too badly, I barely used the room! The guy at the front desk is apologizing about Julius. You know I'm a little tiny  bit fiercely loyal when it comes to my friends. I have to tell him (not about the wine, I don't think that will help anything) how wonderful Julius was and how he was so thoughtful to come and pick me up and walk me back and how lucky they are to have him. I'm not sure I've convinced him, but he seems to just be a crank. I have no time for cranky people, so I thank him for the room and the lovely stay and I'm off! Now to find my way to the vaparetto....love that word! And somehow, like typically happens to me, after I wind my way around over bridges, through tunnels, down tiny streets....I end up at San Marco square! I love it! I grab the vaparetto and head to the station to reserve my seat for Florence and dump my bag for a few hours. Now I can explore;) not only is this a walking town, it's a climbing town! Up and over bridges down little streets and up and over again! Some of these are looking familiar from last night as we ran in circles trying to find the Irish pub. I settle into a little lunch spot where they have wifi;) but its not working:( I had a coke light and gnocchi. Bridget, you're right the cans are thinner and now they have pictures on them! Mine has a cartoon of a girl laughing with a pink ponytail and heels-perfect! The meal is just okay and I leave most of it there, but the restaurant is what I remember Venice to be...very ornate with gorgeous Venetian glass chandeliers and sconces. The service-food drink whatever-comes in from somewhere magically outside.  The restaurant itself is just this fabulous room.

I keep walking up and down over bridges loving watching the gondoliers. I think if one of my nieces was manning a gondola it would be more like a speed boat! I can picture their business-Three Sisters (we may have to change the name obviously!) Caitiebug will be on charge of everything, Ryry will be gondoliering (it's a word, I'm sure of it) and my Nones? Talking nonstop about all the fabulous things about Venice, and whatever else she feels like talking about! 

I'd like a little gelato but it's so cold, I wish I could have it inside. Aha! A tea room;) there are several little salons inside, one more beautiful than the next. I choose what I'm positive must be the best one with a view of the square. Ahhh, home!

On the other side of the salon (it's not wide, just long) there are two Asian couples. Two men who are taking turns taking pictures of each other and a man and a woman who are doing the same. The man/woman couple ask me to take a picture of them, which I do after listening to a dissertation on how to use a standard digital camera. Now they want to take a picture of me....with thier camera...um, no.
I'm having earl gray and the tartufo that I missed in Rome. Yum! It arrives on a huge silver tray which is placed atop my beautiful marble table. The woman next to me smiles as the tray is set down. "I like being spoiled." she may not speak English but she knows what I mean, smiles and nods to her husband. They add tartufo to their order. I should be on commission. 
New couple on the other side of me....I'm think of you Megan because he is talking to her about something but she is completely lost gazing at her engagement ring;) ahhh, this is the perfect way to say goodbye to Venice! 
Now to Florence!