Venice....

OK... I couldn't leave Italy without visiting Venice. The 3 of us ( Kelly, her friend Elaine and I) hopped on a train and about 5 hours later we were there.

Pic 1 shows Kelly and I enjoying the (obligatory for tourists) gondola ride. The gondolier talked to his gondolier friends in front of us for about 15 minutes before I let him in on a little secret...

I told him I could understand everything he was saying. Oops!...He was just a little embarrassed. He tried to ask me questions to see if I really understood...yep...sure did!

We took a scenic tour down the length of the Grand Canal with a vaporetto (#1)... a large boat used for public transportation.

That was the best ride back to the train station I've ever had! (Pic 2)

Pic 3 shows some tourists feeding the pigeons in St. Mark's Square. Notice I said I took a pic of other tourists playing with pigeons...not ME! Ewww!

Pic 4 shows a beautiful and colorful palazzo on the Grand Canal. I would love to live here. (Except when the water is a little stinky in the summer!)

It is no surprise that they have "special" prices for tourists. But an Italian told me that they also have different prices for Venetians than other Italians. Interesting. The restaurants pretty much cater to the tourists but the locals still like bar hoping to eat cicchetti (like Spanish tapas).

St. Mark's Basilica in St. Mark's Square was just beautiful. It was surprisingly small but peacefully dark inside. (Pic 5)

Pic 6 shows Kelly and Elaine as we first entered St. Mark's Square. You can see the Orologio della Torre. We of course watched the two bronze Moors (known as this because of their dark patina) strike the bell on the hour.

A gruesome legend has it that once the clock was completed the inventors of the complex mechanism had their eyes gouged out to prevent them for ever creating a replica. Yikes!

Pic 7 shows a beautiful church alongside palazzi on the water.

Pic 8 is a part of Palazzo Ducale. It was the official residence of each Venetian ruler (doge).

Pic 9 shows Elaine squinting against the sun while we are about to go under one of the many foot bridges that connect Venice. We were navigating through some of the small canals. The gondolier was pretty good. We would come within an inch of a wall, bridge etc. but never hit. Bravo!

Pic 10 shows a beautiful palazzo. I guess you can tell by now that I loved all the beautiful palazzi.

My Italian teacher laughed when I said Venice was like Disneyland...I just meant that it was magical...and didn't feel like reality. Pic 11 shows our first view of Venice as we stepped out of the train station. Wow! Pic 12 shows tourists soaking up the sun. What a view!

At home in Rome....

My Italian teacher explained to me how to use the Italian coffee pots (Moka) to make coffee (expresso). (Pic 13) I had two in my apartment but didn't know how they worked. She is a bit of a self confessed coffee addict.

I've tried some of the best coffee in Rome and must admit it was kind of tasty but I found I preferred my coffee with a bit of my addiction of choice...Chocolate!!! I found these great chocolate covered coffee beans at one of the cafe's here and picked up some Pocket Coffee. (Pic 14)Chocolate with a center of liquid expresso. Monica thought I tried to put some of the chocolate covered beans in the Moka...but I didn't! Ha Ha!

Speaking of Monica... I finished my Italian lessons for now. Yea! No more grammar...no more homework. (Pic 15)

I still have tons of studying to do but at least can get where I'm going, ask for what I want, order at any restaurant and hold a conversation with a cute Italiano over a cup of coffee...or shall I say...chocolate.

Say hi to Pasquino...the talking statue. (Pic 15) It is a statue off Governo Vecchio in Piazza di Pasquino, right by one of my favorite enotecas, Cul de Sac ...great cheese, meats and pate's.... It was used in history to denounce injustice, criticize the church etc. and today Romans use it to post messages.