Venice, Italy
Reading: All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris
Songs on repeat: Rodrigo y Gabriela
That's it. I'm getting rid of all the clothes I brought with me. I'm not attached to any of them and after walking Venice tonite, I have no room for them. From the window shopping, I'm pretty sure I'm getting a whole new wardrobe. I haven't seen much yet but what I have seen is shop after shop of the prettiest damn things you ever saw.
I crept out of Barcelona early this morning. I got a great deal on my flight and today I found out why. The Spanish version of match.com had reserved almost the whole plane for a 2010 version of the Love Boat. I was surrounded by heart-shaped name tags and very excited singles, all headed to the City of Love. Miguel from Amarante had warned me Venice was for lovers. ("Psssh...Sarita, you cannot travel to Venice alone! It is for lovers. All you will see will be couples hand in hand and you will have tear.") Not to contradict Miguel, or disappoint the Love Boaters, but it feels good to be on my own for a minute to breathe. Even in Barcelona I was on the go with people. While this would be a good, different experience with someone, it feels good not to have to talk for a while.
Although I could have used a compadre to get to my B&B. This city requires the buddy system. It's impossible to not get lost. It's just one skinny, unmarked alleyway after another that they have the nerve to call streets. Some aren't even on maps. There's no rhyme or reason or pattern. Identical alleyways just twist off in every direction. It's overwhelming. My GPS can't keep up.
Opposite of Portugal and Barcelona, here I'm all alone in this 3 story B&B. There's no staff and it's eerily quiet. I have the whole top floor to myself. Total shift from how I have been going. Taking advantage of the space and quiet while I can. It started to rain as soon as I got in, which was lovely to watch from my balcony as it rained on the gray twisting streets. I took it as a sign from the gods to continue with my slow mind frame and took a nice long nap.
The nap led into a day of indulgence. That sweet nap put me in a great mood. I took a long hot shower and took my time getting into the evening. I've been pretty frugal so far. This is a budget trip and I want what I have to last. But Venice is a city of enjoyment and I want to enjoy while I can. I wandered into a shop and bought a few necklaces. Found an adorable confectioners bar. That's what I call it. A candy and pastry shop with alcohol. Picked out a chocolate truffle cake roll thing and a whipped cream puff with fresh rasberries for tomorrow. Then I splurged on a huge pasta dinner to celebrate my day. I sat in the courtyard of the osteria with a glass of red wine, finishing my book, and enjoyed a salmon salad with rocket and this indescribable ravioli dish with ricotta and butter sauce. Italy goal #1 down: enjoy some authentic pasta.
I somehow stumbled on to St. Mark's Square. During the day it's supposed to be choas but at night it's calm and romantic. The square is lit up and people can sit at the cafes and drink tea. The dueling orchestras play and there are couples dancing in the open square. These two little boys with umbrellas were running across the courtyard and weaving in and out of the dancers. It had stopped raining and the evening was cool.
I sat on the steps, leaned back and listened to the orchestras play. Sitting there, savoring the peace, I was suddenly staggered with a feeling of missing my dad. He would have loved that moment. That was his kind of moment, sitting and indulging in some peace in a place frozen in time. He appreciated moments like that more than any other. I was so struck by feeling him right then, I had tears. It wasn't a sad moment though. It was knowing that he was there with me, in that spot, looking over the square and listening to the music and feeling whole. I felt him so much right then.
Because I knew it's what he would do, I got out my pastries and indulged. I ate both of them and enjoyed.
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