Venice

Venice was never on the top ten list of places in the world I wanted to visit. It seemed too touristy and crowded, too cliche. But we were looking for something to do on the long Pentecost holiday weekend in Germany, and we just happened to come across cheap tickets to Venice. The plane ride is only an hour long, so... oh heck, why not?
I was prepared to find a bunch of pushy, theatrical, Italian salespeople on top of thousands of wealthy northern Europeans and Asian tourists with big cameras, fanny packs, and sun hats - a kind of Disney World atmosphere. As usual, all of my expectations turned out to be misled. Most of the tourists were Italians. The restaurateurs and shop keepers were reserved and pleasant to interact with. Though there were a lot of people there, we managed to spend much of our time walking down empty alleys between buildings that led to little plazas where five or six streets converged. There was a peacefulness I didn't expect to find, and sometimes even an eerie emptiness. Luckily Alfredo knew where we were at all times. His sense of direction was uncanny as we navigated through winding streets that changed names every block, and many of which dead ended abruptly in to water or brick walls. According to the guide book, even locals get turned around regularly.
Highlights of the trip included a three-hour lunch at a great restaurant just north of Saint Mark's Square. Four delicious courses and one bottle of wine later, we went happily on our way, stumbling around the sunny, narrow streets. Of course, Alfredo still had no problem navigating.
Highlight #2: attending mass at Saint Mark's Basilica. It was beautiful (the mass and the basilica). Unfortunately photography is prohibited inside, but my camera "accidentally" turned itself on while resting casually in my lap, so I have a movie of the basilica ceiling with a beautiful chorus in the background... (see it here in our trip photos)
Highlight #3: getting up at the crack of dawn to enjoy a sunrise breakfast on the other side of the island. It was a glorious morning, and we took a boat down the grand canal. The photos show just how excited Alfredo was to be awake at that time of day, though he later admitted that it was nice.
The entire trip was fabulous. And now we've been home for barely long enough to digest that experience before we head off to explore the Norwegian fjords...tonight!

Springtime

Alfredo's mom had a conference in Paris in mid-April, and she was able to come for a quick weekend visit afterward. That turned in to a 9-day visit thanks to the volcano in Iceland. She couldn't escape this continent for over a week, but in the meantime it gave us a good excuse to get out participate in some local tourism (photos). We went to the cities of Mainz and Heidelberg, saw castles, cathedrals, and picturesque cobblestone streets; we sampled the local cuisine, lounged at open-air cafes, and of course did some shopping. And walking through a castle wasn't the only thing that made the week seem like a fairy tale: Alfredo came home early every day (ie 6pm), we ate dinner at a reasonable hour (9pm), someone else volunteered to do the dishes, and it was warm and sunny every day...
Now that May is here, it's a different story. Cold and rainy. Not just most of the time, but all of the time. Quite similar to January, February, and and March, except there's no more snow involved. On the brighter side though, the indoor weather has helped my study habits. I started a German class on two nights a week, and I discovered within the first 10 minutes on the first day that it was a few notches above my current skill level. There are only 4 other people in the class, so the 'sit in the back and avoid eye contact with the teacher' strategy doesn't cut it here, either... I love the challenge and I'm really enjoying myself so far.
In other news, Alfredo and I decided we should take advantage of the two national holidays coming up, because after that there are no more "free" days until Christmas. Our decision: a long weekend in Venice this month, and then a June expedition to the Fjords on Norway's west coast, where we hope to catch a glimpse of the midnight sun. This should result in some good stories...and pictures.