Returning to Venice!

On our way into Venice from the airport! I’m kinda happy.

Well hello again,

I did so well on my trip to Venice last year that we are going again. In fact, I was rejuvenated. After several MRIs this past summer to check on a bothersome growth, the last one showed no change, and I don’t have to have another MRI this month! We were approved, and actually encouraged, to travel again. No question where I wanted to go. So we are in the final stages of departure.

Again we are taking Abby, our medical service dog. Gabriana is busy doing all the paperwork to take her, including driving to San Francisco to bring some papers. I’m glad we live relatively close. I think this office serves  lot of cities.

I packed what I thought I would take. Now I’m being ruthless and trying to eliminate as much as I can. I keep thinking of what it feels like to have too much stuff there. I’m branching out into brighter colors and that feels good. I’ve hidden away my purples and turquoise for too long.

I would like to do some sketching, but travelers are discouraged from sitting anywhere. There are crudely handwritten warning signs posted over tempting seats. I found at a 3-legged stool to stick in my bag or sling over my shoulder. I saw some artists last year who could sit ANYWHERE they liked and that idea stayed with me.

I’m also taking it easy packing. Last year I did too much at one time and did too much lifting to try out the weight. It’s no wonder that I had terrible pains in my side during the trip.

Now I’m working on my “amazements.” This is the word my daughter, Gabriana, used when she was a little girl and was packing her amusements for a trip. It was so cute, I didn’t have the heart to correct her. Now we laugh, but we still use that expression.

What will I want to do for a month when I have down time? And what is easy to carry? I have some books I want to read, but they are hard cover. I can just hear you saying, “What about a Kindle?” But that just seems like one more gadget to bring and I can get Kindle on my laptop and my iPhone. The flight attendant last year was appalled when she saw me reading on my iPhone and INSISTED that it was not good for my eyes and shamed me into stopping. ] I love to do extreme Sudoku, so I plan to print up a bunch for the month. I just have to force myself not to start them now. I’ve already packed my watercolor art supplies, so that is covered.

Since I haven’t finished my Pimsleur Italian lessons, I will probably do that and then try out the conversations the next day. I have a bone to pick with the authors. When “Mr. and Mrs.” Smith and all other couples have a conversation about what they are going to buy, the wife ALWAYS asks the husband for money and he always comment on whether what she wants to buy seems too expensive. Then he throws in the kicker and tells her to buy only un capello (hat), no due (two!) I continue my lesson after I have done some screaming.

Update: we arrived yesterday and are in our glory! Gabriana has written a post about our arrival on her blog, Nosy Parker, along with a short video of the water taxi ride into the city. More to come, after we have had some gelato! This time we are in Castello, a different neighborhood than all of my trips before, so we have new places to explore. It’s fun to hear Italian conversations outside our window. We are right on the street.