Out on the town

Over the past couple of weeks we've had some wonderful adventures. It is so nice to have Bill here to go out and explore with me. We've also made some friends and they have passed on some tips to make life a bit easier here as well as sharing some great places to hang out.

It was fantastic getting to visit with Joe and Michele Batista while their family vacationed in Italy. We were able to meet them in Venice and had a fabulous day. Bill and I drove in and decided to park in Airport parking and take the water taxi to San Marco where we were to meet them. Because there are no vehicles allowed in Venice, you have to park and take a boat or train in and cross over the bridge. Last trip we did the train so we thought it would be nice to do the water taxi this trip. Initially we were shocked at both the price and the amount of time it was going to take, but the water taxi turned out to be the perfect choice. On our way to San Marco we made five stops, one was the island of Murano - a place I've not yet visited but definitely on my list! We had a beautiful view of the city from the water and the trip was very relaxing. Well worth the 25 Euro per person (round trip) price tag.

After catching up with the group we just wandered around and visited the shops in the San Marco area. It turned out to be a very nice day with temps in the 80's. For dinner we picked a little out of the way restaurant that was reviewed well on ChowHound.com and it didn't disappoint. We dined on the sidewalk overlooking the canal and enjoyed the gondolas cruising by - some graced us with song and accordion music. It was the perfect evening in Venice. The icing on the cake was the boat ride back under a full moon. Of course, I probably don't need to say how fabulous it was to see friends from home.
http://www.google.com/images?rlz=1T4WZPC_enUS371US371&q=san+marco+square+venice+italy&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=ydVdTJ3MHIuKOOu-iL0J&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=5&ved=0CDsQsAQwBA&biw=1345&bih=561


Last weekend we drove up to Bassano del Grappa, about an hour north of here at the base of the mountains. It is the home of the popular Italian liquor and is a beautiful walled city bordered by a river. It also happens to have the best Gelato I've had thus far :-). The city is also well known for the bridge over the river that was designed by Palladio. There are also a lot of ceramic shops - and I have a weakness for dishes so I did a lot of drooling and even managed to pick out one lovely bowl that had to come home with me. We really enjoyed walking around the city, over the bridge and hanging out in the square (and grapparias). Again, a beautiful Saturday for exploring and sightseeing. (http://www.google.com/images?rlz=1T4WZPC_enUS371US371&q=bassano+del+grappa&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=INVdTNajC8OHOL2pkZUP&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CD8QsAQwAw&biw=1345&bih=561)


Last night we had another fabulous experience... friends from work invited us to join them in Verona for a performance of Madame Butterfly. I would have been excited to go regardless of where it was located as it has been on my list of 'must see' for a long time. BUT, we were able to see it in the Verona Olympic Arena - think Roman Colesium but bigger. WOW, what a fantastic experience to see this Opera in an Arena that is over 800 years old. Our seats were good and the acoustics were unbelievable. We had dinner beforehand at a local trattoria and spent a few minutes walking around the historic city. Not near enough time to really explore but enough to whet the appetite for more. I'm really looking forward to going back for the day - and lucky me, it is less than an hour away! (http://www.arena.it/)

Yes, sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure I'm really here. During the week I deal with normal work stuff just like everyone else (I do work on an American military installation) and have the added hassle of sorting through all the Italian bureaucracy. It is easy to forget how lucky we are to be here... but then the weekend comes and we head off on some new adventure. By the time we get home we are in love with Italy all over again. There are a lot of people and places I miss but I certainly have a lot of things to distract me if I start feeling homesick. I love our house and our village - I have the cutest car ever, my job is good and I work with nice people, the food and wine are to die for, Bill and the critters are here, I have some of the most beautiful places on earth within a few hours drive - if I could just get a good bagel, life would be perfect!