Got up a little early to run, had breakfast, got my suitcase closed and checked out of the hotel. We hopped on the Metro one last time and took it all the way to the airport.
I think I was looking over Fiona to get the window photos this time. That's the coast of Spain as we left.
And that's the edge of Venice as we arrived in the afternoon.
We were all excited to be in Venice. I worked on some Italian "you are beautiful" cards on the flight and was able to give away 4 to flight attendants at the bus stop. That's us on the bus from the airport to the bus stop in Venice. The young lady in the foreground is Jill. I did not know Jill when the trip began but on this day Jill told me I did not look like a 50 year old man. Jill is now my favorite human.
My first views of Venice were exactly what I expected. Gorgeous and otherworldly.
The afternoon sun was magical on the water and on the buildings.
We took a short vaporetto (water taxi) to our stop on the Grand Canal. Our hotel was a short walk from there. Built originally in the 1400s, it had been an orphanage and worship site. There was still some sort of Catholic situation happening in an attached building, but our hotel halls were pretty Catholic as well. All the rooms had a crucifix on the walls except mine. I tried not to take that personally.
Once we got into our rooms and unpacked a little, it was time for business. Several of us needed to find a laundromat and wash some clothes. It took a while for everyone to get their dirty clothes out and gather outside the hotel. It was past dinner time and everyone was hungry. I was hangry. This accounts for the lack of photos leading up to and including dinner. None of us were familiar with the city and we relied on phone maps to get us close to a laundromat that would still be open past 8:00 pm. We decided on a to-go pasta place and went on a 20 minute walk to find it. Pretty sure I ordered first and devoured my spaghetti with bolognese sauce in seconds right outside the door. I skipped lunch and only had a snack at the airport in case i felt nauseous on the plane ride. I didn't realize it would be 8:00 pm before I could get dinner. I was dizzy walking into the restaurant and was in a better mood almost instantly after eating.
While everyone else ate their food at a more normal pace in the plaza, I found a little place and ordered my first Italian limoncello, something I had been looking forward to for a very long time. I remember reading a story about Danny DeVito and George Clooney getting into some trouble in Italy about 20 years ago because they were doing limoncello shots and they described the flavor to be like candy. American limoncello is more like gasoline and lemons mixed together. The nice Italian guy seemed surprised that I only ordered a limoncello but he was happy to pour it in a plastic cup and told me I could take it to go. It immediately made sense to me that not only are Americans too up tight about their bodies and sexuality, but also about access to alcoholic beverages. That would be a good coffee conversation one day. Anyway, cheers to being in a much better mood and to a beautiful limoncello.
I was happy to have food and it's a good thing I had it because it was another 10-15 minute walk to the laundromat. Fully nourished, I was better able to appreciate the walk.
David and me in the laundromat. That's pretty much how David looks at me 100% of the time.
It was interesting to have David sort of stuck in a group with me on this trip. We can be like oil and water and I often feel as if he's trying to walk on thin ice around me. On this trip I think he relaxed a little more and maybe he doesn't hate me quite as much as he used to.
Art students stuck in a laundromat? Yes, we will be ridiculous and take photos. I loved the colors in the laundromat. Color was really becoming a thing on this trip and the yellow and blue was certainly the Italian influence.
It was very warm inside so I stepped out to cool off and caught this thrilling blue sky.
Along with an Edward Hopper-like view of the hooligans inside.
And I was back on my side job of trying to make strangers smile. Fun fact: walking around with a plastic cup of limoncello in your hand does not make it easy to give these things away in Italy. It took me a long time to get someone to even look at me, much less actually take one. They all thought I was selling something.
The laundromat here was very expensive and I was lucky to get away with one load of wash and just a few minutes of drying. Everything was still damp, but I was able to hang things up and let them air dry overnight. I started thinking about Anne and Katertot doing their laundry on the last day in Barcelona for half the price.
But after everyone was finished and we started walking toward the hotel, we accidentally ended up walking through St. Mark's square. It was breathtaking.
This was a scene right out of a movie and our little group was able to experience it together...with bags of clean clothes!
The long walk back was very pretty. It was also a bit of a challenge. Ashley had guided us so adeptly in Barcelona with her phone but as soon as the sun went down, her directions started to glitch. She asked me to take over with my little iphone map app which on a good day never puts the blue dot where I'm actually standing. I wont say we were lost, because we knew we were in Venice and eventually we'd find our way back to the canal and to the hotel, but we were still a long way away, it was dark and we were all tired. I watched the map lag and take us on parallel streets before telling us to cross the canal where there was no bridge. I eventually solved the riddle and got us back to the big bridge and from there we knew the way.
If I had washed clothes with Anne and Katertot a day earlier, I could have dined on the waterfront with them and Sean and had a nice little gelato before turning in. But I would have missed part of the final day in Barcelona that was already jam packed with fun. I would have also missed the fun yellow and blue laundromat and the mandatory tour of Venice. I have no regrets.
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