A fantasy birthday.

Wow - we are in VENICE - my favorite place in the world! And it's my birthday!!! YAY!!! God must be Italian, because I am in paradise.

It was a beautiful 3-hour train ride in this morning thorough the beautiful Tuscan countryside. But then you enter into another world.... from the train station, you take a boat to St. Mark's Square (David said 'What, no cabs?' No CARS at all, honey....), then another ''local'' boat to the stop nearest your hotel. For us that was the Rialto Bridge.

Now, our hotel is only maybe 8 blocks from the bridge, but in Venice, there is no such thing as a direct route. There are tiny little alleys and streets that are a few meters long, and very few are marked, and the Venetians don't know any of them but those in their own 'hood. So we kept going, dragging the luggage over the ancient cobblestones and arched bridges, and kept asking every local we met. Most said they just didn't know, a few pointed vaguely in one direction or another, and finally a couple of guys really knew. It was a relief to see the hotel sign.

Our hotel is in the actual house that the artist Canaletto lived in. Canaletto is the artist who is most noted for his detailed landscapes of Venice of the 18th century, like this, one of his most famous:


The first thing we did was go into St. Mark's Basilica, which is unbelievable; my favorite church of any kind in any country, and I've seen more than my share in the past few months! It's all gold mosaic and incredible inlaid marble floors - absolutely breathtaking.

For its opulent design, gilded Byzantine mosaics, and its status as a symbol of Venetian wealth and power from the 11th century on, the building was known by the nickname Chiesa d'Oro ("church of gold"). Over the high altar is a baldacchino on columns decorated with 11th-century reliefs; the altarpiece is the famous Golden Pall, Byzantine metal-work of the year 1105.


The ceiling is a mosaic of bronze, gold, and jewels.



After leaving the church, we walked around the entire perimeter of St. Mark's square, looking in all the expensive jewelry and glass shops.

I was particularly attracted to this store window, because of the color of the glass. David observed that it is exactly the color I have painted my living room, and now he understands my inspiration. Boy howdy, would I love to have that chandelier in my house!!!

We had a date to meet these two ladies we had met on the train to Florence - Helen and Carolyn - at 6 in the square to go on a gondola ride. I told them on the train that gondolas hold up to 6 people for the same price, so it would be only half as ridiculously expensive if we went together -- only $68 a couple for a half-hour instead of $135. They said they weren't planning to do it themselves, but they jumped at the chance to do it with us. We really like them - they are from Seattle - a little older than we are, and just very sweet. So we set off in search of a gondola in one of the small more romantic canals. David located this boat, and then its gondolier, and we were off.

It was a first gondola ride for David and the 2 ladies, and they were suitably wowed. We glided silently down those narrow, jade colored canals, passing these incredible ancient palaces on both sides, going under bridges so low the gondolier had to duck. And we timed it so the sun was just going down and the sky was all pink and violet. Unforgettable.



After that, we went to the famous Harry's Bar, where Ernest Hemingway hung out. They invented the famous cocktail, the Bellini (proseco wine and peach nectar) and I've always wanted to have one there, even though they are $20. So David took me for a birthday drink. It was all waiters in white tuxes and very rich patrons - we kind of stuck out with our sneakers and sweatshirts. And the maitre d' told us we'd have to sit at the bar if we weren't going to eat. While we were sipping our three-ounce cocktails, we're pretty sure we saw I.M. Pei, the famous architect, come into the joint and be ushered to a private table. For a couple of architecture buffs, THAT was pretty cool.

Two fantastic Bellinis later, and 30 euros poorer, we strolled out, happy to have done it just to say we had.
We drifted back to our hotel, and stopped at a little restaurant up the street, and sat outside. We were the only diners, and it was fun to watch people walk by, even though there weren't many people at this point.

All in all, I'd say that was one mighty fine birthday.
They don't get much better.