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We went to the island of Murano where the famous Venetian glass has been blown by hand for centuries. Ron and I watched a demonstration and then we got swept into the shops where the incredible glassware seduces the most reluctant shopper. I bought 6 unbelievably gorgeous glasses and two liqueur glasses which have not arrived in the USA to date. I am hoping they come! They were fantastically expensive. And beautiful. Here's a shot Ron took, but this was not the glass I ought.



When Ron left Venice to go on to Austria, I took a vaparetto to Lido, the island
famous for being the hideaway for movie personages and its beautiful beaches. It was culture shock because unlike Venice there were cars and buses! Real streets and street lights! I had forgotten what 'real' cities looked like, so entraced was I with Venice's fantasy world.

Lido



















Leaving Venice

When I think how tired I was in Florence and how I didn't want to come to Venice, I am so grateful that I got to spend time here. Leaving Venice was like leaving Cinque Terre. A little bit of me was left behind with the prayer that I will return. The airport is not nearby, so I opted for a very expensive water taxi (a speedboat) instead of the water bus which would have taken a couple of hours to get to the airport. The water taxis are privately owned, very slick, and captained by young, hip Italian men. It was thrilling to sit in the back and say goodbye to Venice as we zipped across the canals and out to the crowded, normal airport. Too soon, too soon, normalcy returned.









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Ron is sending more photos, so there will likely be one more installment in
this series. I thank those of you who have dropped by to look at these home movies.
ha. True friends.