Pub tour..

The tour last evening was great fun.  The group was made up of 2 couples from the UK, 2 from Australia, one couple from Belgium and me.  :-)

Our guide was Giovanna, born and bred and still lives in Venice, as well as Roberto, who was in training.  It was great to have 2 guides because then each could answer questions when sitting chatting.

Fun group!  Fun guides! Good food!  Good wine! Good times!

Bit of a break...

... it's about 2:15 and I'm taking a wee break.  Not long but later I will be doing my 3 hour pub and appetizer walk, so do need to put my (aching) feet up for  bit.

Some thoughts....

On the vaporetto today there was a group of school children with their teachers.  One teacher, or possibly a chaperone, was wonderful! The kids were about 7 or 8 years old but this lady handled them perfectly.  She would just reach out and jerk them toward her.  Then she's give them a quick hug before hurling them into a nearby seat.  They obviously adored her too, clustering around her, smiling, laughing, talking.

I wonder whether that would be allowed in Canada?

Today...

Peggy Guggenheim Collection, more meandering Venice, more Chiesas (churches), more museums and the topping it off with my Historical Pub and appetizer walk in the evening!

Maybe I was wrong..

Is this the place Heather?  (Wine 3.50 Euro, so if not no worries anyway... ANOTHER glass of wine next to a canal in

Venice.

The place was the little building and it was right outside Formosa Chiesa.

Formosa Chiesa ...

Off for a glass of wine in the place Heather recommended.

Travel experiences

I keep flailing and waving one of my hands in a futile attempt to find the light and switch on the bedside table. The hotel has a different wolf's of course. :-)

Travel thoughts -Venice

Okay, so why doesn't my feminist spirit rebel when an Italian man smiles and winks at me?  Gotta say that while there are lots of good looking men in all nationalities, there seems to be  much greater percentage of Italians. :-)

Random thoughts on travel ...

People - and by people I actually mean you men - seem to make the most extraordinary noises in public.  Or ID it only European men?  Case in point, the man who sat beside me in the plane (long segment).  Very often he would simply let out with this long Baa.  Yes, you read that correctly. A Baa.  Just like a goat. Happy travels.

Just to see if I could do it. This was from home.  Now it is very much my bedtime. :-)

In Toronto

After many hours - I think 28 or something like that - I got to the hotel.  Poured rain for 20 minutes then stopped.  Went for an hour walk before eating a quick sandwich and soon bed  Very boring post I know but I just wanted to let people know I arrived safely.

In Toronto..

And trying to post an update.  Very kind young person from Germany helped me to log on WiFi.  She was very nice and did a good job of containing her laughter, only smiling a wee smile.  Flying Lufthansa flight 471, I think.  Next update in Frankfurt in many hours.

oh no

I just heard from Marco with two "major issues" (his words).... a close relative of his wife just passed away.  He doesn't know yet, but he may have be going out of town to the funeral (Russia).  The second major issue is "heavy rain" forecast for many of the days of my time in Venice.

Sad.  Very, very, very, very, very, very sad on all accounts.

I only hope he will be available and that the weather clears up.  The latter, especially since so much of the joy I take in Venice is the strolling through its alleys and squares and bridges.  

Deflated.

 

Going solo with Rick Steves' Tours - ONE DAY mark!!!

I guess I better pack.

Visit here every now and again to touch base with me!  And see pictures that aren't two years old.  (Be kind when you see how much I've aged.)
Going solo with Rick Steves' Tours!
 

Going solo with Rick Steves' with technology....

Okay, I've been playing around with my tablet.  Unless I'm mistaken (and I wish I were), it appears I've replied to Marco (making final arrangements re: starting time of tour) six times within a two minute time frame.  Or rather, sent him his own message back six times within a two minute time frame.  

I wonder what he's thinking? 

Hmmm... doesn't bode well for my camera taking/ camera setting learning abilities when I'm there, does it?  

Also it begs the question whether I am competent enough to be 'Going solo' ANYWHERE in this world, let alone 'with Rick Steves', let alone to Italy? 

Nevertheless, I will be.



 

Test with tablet

Test

It is just possible I may be able to update my blog a wee bit in Italy!

Going solo with Rick Steves' Tours - ONE WEEK MARK!

Deep, deep, deep breath.  In one week from now I will be waiting for my ride to the airport to begin my journey to Venice.  I can hardly believe it.

Passport - check
Euros - check
Itinerary - check
Bought Tablet - check

In touch with Marco re: Photo walk - check
Arranged for mail collection and daily in house inspections by friends - check
Cash passport - check
Let credit card know when I'll be travelling - check

Packed rolling carry on - ahhh... no... but I've started.
Packed other carry on - ahhh... no... but I've piled up stuff.
Made a list - I made many lists but lost them all.
Know how to use my tablet - not yet, will be instructed today (but first will be cooking and hosting an Easter dinner)

But ready or not - in one week...

 

Going solo with Rick Steves!


 


 

NOT related to my Italian adventure...

Rather, it's all about my adventure with the car wash.  
(I really did have to deviate from my theme today.)

What adventure you ask?  Well....  I got stuck in the car wash ...... (wait for it).....AGAIN.

Honestly, this is getting past being a joke.  Here's the full story...

Last week I was asked by our facilities department if I could return the government car washed.  It's spring in Saskatchewan and it really could use a wash.  However, they must have thought I was crazy with my initial reaction - one of utter dismay.  You see, I have not had the best of luck with car washes and the very idea of them raises my blood pressure no slight amount.  However, it is work and a job duty so I must comply.

After my session today I trundled off to the car wash.  And, as you might have already surmised, it didn't go so good. 

Yes people I put my wheel on the moving tread path and put my car in neutral.  No movement.  I went forward and put the car in neutral.  Nothing happened.   I figured I may be merely impatient so decided to just sit there a while.  Surely soon I would begin to move.

Nope.

I continued to sit, taking deep breaths.  Would the ruddy car move?  NO!

I folded my hands in my lap giving it a bit more time. 

FINALLY the man in the car behind me got out of his car.  

Now I have to say he was probably the nicest man I've never met.  No indication of impatience from HIM.  No 'road rage'.  In fact, he went out of his way (while explaining to me what I had to do) to make me feel better. 

"It could happen to anybody."  
"I never like these contraptions myself."
"They are quite confusing I find."

Long story short:  Car washed but car wash trauma remains.

:) 
or 
:(

The jury is still out. 
 

Going solo with Rick Steves - 2 weeks mark!!!

Two weeks today I will have started my somewhat arduous - and completely nerve racking - journey to Italy. 

Somehow I can't quite see past the journey yet in order to start to become excited and enthusiastic about the actual trip.  

However, I do and completely expect to love my 4 or so days meandering on my own in Venice, peppered with treats to myself.  
 

 However, I do and completely expect to love my Rick Steves' tour, which will a new experience and adventure of its own.

(Soon... VERY SOON)... Going solo with Rick Steves! 

Going solo with Rick Steves - Week 3 mark

Three weeks today and I will be en route to Italy, via Toronto, via Frankfurt.  

 
Haven't tried to pack a trial run of my suitcase yet.  Rick Steves' tours insist you travel light.  Good advice which is easy to follow.  

What's hard is making the final decisions on what to take!
Oh well - it's still 3 weeks away.  No problem-o. 

Going solo with Rick Steves!

 

Going Solo with Rick Steves - Dreaming of Rome

It is Lent so it seemed appropriate to share my dream of revisiting the "Bridge of Angels" in Rome. 

The Bridge of Angels (in Italian, Ponte Sant'Angelo) spans the Tiber River in Rome. Only a few steps away from St. Peter's Basilica, the bridge reflects the psychological shift from secular to sacred that occurs when pilgrims crossed from the busy streets of Rome over to the churches of the Vatican. Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the famed Italian sculptor, originally designed the bridge's angel sculptures in the seventeenth century. Five angel sculptures flank each side of the bridge, with statues of Saint Peter and Saint Paul on the eastern bank.

Angel with the Wine-Soaked Sponge
Inscription: "Potaverunt me aceto"
Translation: They gave me vinegar to drink (Psalm 69:21)
Significance: The gospels of Matthew and Mark report that just before Jesus died, one of the soldiers who crucified him placed a sponge dipped in "sour wine" on a stick and held the stick to Jesus' lips.

Angel with the Spear 
Inscription: "Vulnerasti cor meum" 
Translation: You have ravished my heart (Song of Solomon 4:9) 
Significance: According to John's gospel, after Jesus died, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear to confirm that he was dead. Christian tradition has tied this action to the "ravishing" or "wounding" of the heart of the beloved in the Song of Solomon. This tradition emphasizes that Jesus underwent death by crucifixion as an act of love for humankind.

Angel with the Cross
Inscription: "Cuius principatus super humerum eius"
Translation: Dominion rests on his shoulders (Isaiah 9:6)
Significance: This scripture verse links the "Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero" of Isaiah's prophecies to Jesus. Earlier in the same Isaiah passage, the prophet announces that "a child is born to us, a son is given us." The cross resting on Jesus' shoulders is symbolically linked to his dominion.

 Angel with the Superscription "INRI"
Inscription: "Regnavit a ligno deus"
Translation: God has reigned from the tree (sixth-century hymn) 
Significance: The lyrics to this ancient hymn about the cross describe the "blest Tree, whose happy branches bore/ the wealth that did the world restore." The inscription INRI is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase "Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews." According to the gospels, the INRI sign was affixed to Jesus' cross.

Angel with the Garment and Dice
Inscription: "Super vestimentum meum miserunt sortem"
Translation: For my clothing they cast lots (Psalm 22:18)
Significance: According to Mark 15:24, Roman soldiers took Jesus' well-made garments and played dice for them. 

 Angel with the Nails 
Inscription: "Aspicient ad me quem confixerunt" 
Translation: They will look upon me whom they have pierced (Zechariah 12:10) 
Significance: According to Thomas' words in John 20:25, Jesus was nailed to the cross. The crucifixion narrative in John's gospel (John 19:37) quotes this Zechariah verse. Zechariah chapter 12 prophesies Jerusalem's victory and vindication, accompanied by mourning for those who suffered for her sake.

Angel with Veronica's Veil

Inscription: "Respice faciem Christi tui"

Translation: Look upon the face of your Christ (Psalm 84:9)

Significance: According to Roman Catholic tradition, a woman named Veronica wiped Jesus' face with a cloth while he was carrying the cross; Jesus' image remained on the cloth.

Angel with the Whips
Didn't research this one yet - its inscription, etc. - and too lazy today to do it. However, not rocket science - we know Jesus was tied to a column and whipped along his journey to Calvary.

Angel with the Crown of Thorns 
Inscription: "In aerumna mea dum configitur spina" 
Translation: The thorn is fastened upon me (Psalm 31:4, Latin Vulgate) 
Significance: According to Mark 15:17, Roman soldiers crowned Jesus with thorns before they crucified him.

There are supposed to be ten angels.  Actually there are ten angels.  They haven't gone anywhere.  Well, actually they have - the original Bernini ones have been taken away for safety and prosperity and these are copies.  HOWEVER....

It's just that somehow I neglected to get a photograph of the 10th angel - the Angel with the column (Jesus was tied to the column when whipped).   You know, it's been two years and I still can't believe I did that. 

Good excuse as any to return to Rome.  Gotta get a picture of that overlooked angel!

Going solo with Rick Steves!
 

Going solo with Rick Steves - 4 week mark

Just over 3 weeks now until I leave.
 

Doesn't actually seem real.

But on Friday I received my email confirmation from Rick Steves' tours, including all the hotels where I'll be staying and the tour member roster.

So I guess it actually is true that soon I will be...

...going solo with Rick Steves!