Blog

No sooner had I posted the pictures of the mama dove than another bird swooped in and ate them! I guess mama was off getting something to eat, but when I peered out the window, I noticed that I couldn’t see the eggs. Glancing over the balcony, I spotted the eggs in the neighbor’s yard with the insides eaten. My folks believe that it was most likely the act of a blue jay or a crow, both of which eat the eggs out of nests.

How sad. In under 24 hours, Jeff and I had grown oddly fond of this dove and her soon-to-be family. 🙁

This bird-themed post goes out to my parents, who are celebrating their anniversary today.

We returned home yesterday evening and found Dobie and Buster alive and well, the house a tad bit stuffy, and the garden exploding with new growth and flowers. One unexpected treat was the mourning dove that I startled on our balcony. It would seem that mama dove has staked out a nest in our New Zealand flax (which is flowering for the first time, fyi). There are two white, quarter-sized eggs in the nest. We’re now a wildlife sanctuary.

Also, its SOOOOOO nice to let my photos tell the story versus all the writing we’ve done over the past two-and-a-half weeks. The journal style was fun though, and thanks for the encouraging feedback. I’ll get to the trip photos slowly. I’m estimating about 2100 images! (For reference: last year in Italy, we took about 1300 images.) Needless to say, a reasonable “slide show” size will be around 100-125 images, so there is much work to be done. Self-editing is the real trick of expert photography.

A restless night. “Pillowmania” couldn’t overcome “ineffective air conditioning-mania.” Nevertheless, a very nice breakfast (including eggs, bacon, pain du chocolate, and the requisite cappuccino) took the edge off an early start. Took the warm Malpensa airport shuttle bus directly across from the hotel at Milano Centrale–a 50-minute ride seemingly to Switzerland 🙂 Hugged Sherie goodbye–she is heading home to LA thru JFK on Alitalia and American. Check-in at Lufthansa and the security check point went smoothly. Gate A7. First leg is LH3883 to Frankfurt. Seats 8D/8E. Flew over the hazy Italian, Swiss, and German Alps. (We think we flew over Lake Geneva.) Circled Frankfurt and looked down upon tiny hamlets. Waved hi to Jeff’s sister Julie and nephew Keegan (aka, Gunter) who live in nearby Mainz…we think. (Unfortunately, this vacation itinerary was Southern Europe, so we did not make it to Germany for a proper visit, and Julie is on some sort of field training for several weeks.) Landed in FRA, which was alive with World Cup Fever. (Turns out that we watched Germany beat Costa Rica yesterday 4-2 in the Piazza del Duomo in Milano.) Got free face paint to wear our national colors. Wound through an endless string of passport check points. Flight UA901. Discovered that “waitlisted” is United’s way of saying “You’re really sweet, but I like you as a friend.” Sooooo found our seats in Economy Plus (Row 42, Seats H/J/K). Chris was able to switch with man seated between us so we could all sit together. Snickered when the flight attendant said ‘duty’. Spent our final euros on wine. A few movies played, but on a 747 only a privilaged few at the front of the cabin can see the faintly lit screens. iPod to the rescue…Don and Mike save the day again. The North Atlantic was hidden by the clouds. Chris pulled out the pharmacy and supplied us with vitamins to survive the contagions on the flight. As Greenland approached, the clouds cleared and chunky ice appeared on the ocean below, followed by the spectacular mountains and snowfields and frozen lakes of Greenland itself. Lunch was traditional economy fare: salad, chicken with a creamy sauce, veggies (UGH…broccoli), and rice. Desert was yummy strawberry ice cream like you get in grade school…including a little spoon. Clouds over most of Canada. Entered the US over Washington state, over the Puget Sound. The clouds seemed to break up at the border, revealing the green, snow-tipped Cascade Mountains. The German meal for the flight arrived in the form of a snack over Oregon: a turkey and cheese sandwich with Mittelscharfer Senf (mild mustard), red paprika-flavored Chio chips, and a KitKat Chunky. Landed uneventfully at SFO. Luggage pick-up. Customs check-point. Foggy and 60 degrees. Home 🙂

A final breakfast in Venice. Packed up our new treasures and dropped our bags with the bellman for a final stroll. Made our way to the Basilica del Frari, which we had visited last with Curt and Cheryl. Learned a quirky fact about the Frari: that the interior brick walls of this enormous church had been plastered over at the time of construction so that the walls could be decorated. So what did these folks paint on the walls? Bricks. Still pondering this architectural puzzler, stopped for one last gelato from ‘Il Doge’ in S. Margherita. Nutella and menta were today’s choices. Picked up our bags and departed the Ca’ Pisani for our winding path to the train station (Ferrovia). Walked today versus the vaparetto. Met up with Chris and Sherie at the station. Boarded our Eurostar train: Carozza 1, Posti 16/14. Watched Venezia fade into the distance as the train crossed the lagoon. We will surely return again. Lunch on the train (sandwiches and chips) near Padova. Three hours to Milano Centrale train station. Checked into the StarHotels Anderson, which is a really hip looking hotel directly across from the train station. More importantly, this hotel has ‘pillowmania’! Hopped on the Metro #3 linea to go inside the amazing Milan Duomo. (On our last visit to the Duomo with Curt and Cheryl, we chose to go on the roof…which is equally stunning.) Unfortunately, can’t say much else other than that the Duomo is huge, old (early 15th century?), and beautiful. The church ushered people out 15 minutes early, so our stay was very brief with no time for reading. Walked through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, built in the late 1800s as ‘Millan’s sitting room’ that today houses Prada and Gucci stores. Chris and Sherie joined us from their shopping spree at Armani where Chris picked some hip new shades. Walked through the Piazza del Duomo, filled with hundreds of cheering World Cup fans watching Germany and Costa Rica play on a giant screen. Had a final dinner nearby in the shadows of San Sebastiano–amazing wood fire oven pizzas. Back to the hotel and into bed early. Tomorrow is an early flight home and the Malpensa airport ain’t close!

All good rules are meant to be broken. The perfect example is the #1 rule of visiting Venice: There is more to Venice than Piazza San Marco. The fact is, however, that there are some amazing sights in and around San Marco, and you just have to take your patience pills and plunge into this beehive of activity. Started this morning in San Marco around 10:30am. The pigeons are up. The crowds are manageable. People are laughing. Did a three-in-one museum stop in the imposing stone buildings surrounding the square: the Museo Correr (focused on the grand Venetian history and art), the Museo Archeologico (lots of Greek statues), and the Biblioteca Mariana (Venetian records and books). Had pizza and gnocci nearby for lunch. Returned to San Marco to visit the impressive Doge’s Palace, the seat of Venetian power for centuries. The palace truly reflects the once-great wealth of Venice, with gilded ceilings and enormous paintings. Adjacent to the palace across the romantically named ‘Bridge of Sighs’ is the former prison…cold and gloomy. Let’s just say that the prison cell ceilings are NOT gilded with gold leaf. Took a break from San Marco and walked to the train station to reserve seats to Milano tomorrow on the Eurostar. Afterwards had gelato near the Friary and then beers out on Campo S. Margherita at Orange. Returned to Rosa Rossa for dinner (more Chianti, pizza, and tiramisu). Then wandered back over to San Marco for a totally different experience. San Marco is at its best at night. The crowds and tour groups are gone, and the remaining visitors are finally relaxing. Everything is alive with music and light and food and drinks and laughter and dancing. After an hour or so of strolling and picture taking, left San Marco to head back to the hotel. Decided to visit Santa Maria della Salute one last time. A total opposite from San Marco, Campo della Salute and the narrow streets to and from it were vacant and absolutely silent. Sigh. We will miss Venice.