Summer Fun (Wednesday, June 12, 2013)

For today having been a lazy day, I sure am tired.  I slept till nearly nine, grabbed breakfast, and headed to the beach.  I took pictures and waded a little and was out just long enough to get sun burnt.  Amy, one of the ladies with another group was telling about her parents swimming in the Mediterranean.  She said her father turned around and her mother was crying.  She said, "I'm in the Mediterranean Sea.  Jesus was in this water."  That almost made me cry.

 The thirteen who did not go to Capri had lunch at the hotel.  I had fried calamari and shrimp.  The shrimp had eyeballs!  I had never had shrimp with the head still attached.  There were also tentacles in the calamari (squid) which was also a new experience.  We had also lemon to squeeze over everything, and I think that was the best calamari I've ever eaten.

After that, it was time to go pick up the forty other people.  We stopped at a place that demonstrated inlay wood decorating.  It was beautiful, and I was actually tempted in this shop.  Hanging at random on the wall was an inlay of the Tennessee Titans symbol.  The guy was wearing a Cincinnati Reds shirt. We took a few pictures of the Bay of Naples, then headed into Naples to the port to pick up the others.

While Florence and Venice are large, they still have an old world feel to them.  Not Naples.  It was totally different from any place we've visited so far.  I needed a bank, and I couldn't wait together back to the bus.  I don't know how Elissa Giordano stood to live there.  However, we did enjoy watching a group of teenage boys play street soccer.  Sunshine wanted to join them, but couldn't quite get up the nerve.  I did learn that Napoli means New City, and it was a port city, therefore, it was the New Port.

After a day of playing in sun and water, we all slept, though I was awake for a gorgeous sunset.  We arrived in the Roman suburbs for a late dinner and a busy day tomorrow that includes the Vatican City and Colosseum.  Not a long entry tonight, but I am sure I will make up for it tomorrow.

Breathtaking ruins and scenery (Tuesday, June 11, 2013)

You should know by now that I am writing these with an Italian accent in my head.  I may be actually writing them in the voice of my favorite toy tractor, Mario, but it definitely is with an Italian accent.  If I make any strange grammatical errors, it's my inner Mario coming out.

We left the hotel in Assisi this morning with the plan of having a long driving day.  No side stops except for restroom break.  The bus was moving, so I was in survival mode.  I did lots of sleeping today.  In fact, it is 11:30 PM as I am typing this tonight, and I am not really all that sleepy.  To top it off, tomorrow is a laid back day for me, too.

We arrived in Pompeii around 1:30 with reservations to eat lunch at a pizzeria.  Pizza was invented in Naples in just the 1940s, according to Mario's story, and the classic cheese and tomato sauce pizza that is called Margherita Pizza is named after the wife of the last king of Italy.  The pizza was good, the french fries were better.  The gelato, chocolate chip.  Then, it was time to meet Roberto, our guide for the day.

If you aren't familiar with Pompeii, it was a city that had become a Roman ally, and then a colony of Rome.  Sometime in the first century, Mount Vesuvius blew her top, literally.  Today, it has two peaks.  Then, it only had one.  Mario says because of the large surrounding population, it is one of the most monitored volcanoes in the world.  The ash from Vesuvius buried the city completely.  It is now one of the largest and most visited archeological sites in the world.  About 80% of the site has been excavated and they continue to work on the other 20%.  As I said, in light of the class I am taking, I really looked forward to this visit.  I was not disappointed.

Our tour was not long enough.  We only scratched the surface of the city.  He showed us the main streets, completewith carriage ruts, a Roman bath, the theater, the...uh...house of ill repute, and the forum.  Along the main streets would have been shops, including a fast food stand with marble countertops that would have kept the food warm.  In the baths are two plaster casts made from the remains of people killed in the eruption from noxious gases.

In the red light district, called the Lupa-something, Lupa meaning wolf, men would have pointed to mosaics indicating their choice for the night.  The mosaics are still there.  For visitors, they would have located this business by an "arrow" carved in the sidewalk.  And I thought men drawing their genitalia was just something my students did on their desks and in their books.  Apparently, it is not a new phenomenon.

As we had toured, two people who were not part of our group had joined us and were listening to Bob's commentary.  The adults kept trying to block them.  Apparently, someone finally said something to them because they took off after the Lupa room.

We headed up the street and looked inside a typical middle class home on the way to the forum, the town square and the seat of government.  He pointed out what the buildings would have been and we all posed for groups pictures.  We walked through the remains of Apollo's temple and then crossed into what would have been the basilica, or justice building.  I asked when basilica came to be known as a church instead of a justice building.  Bob said after Constantine converted to Christianity, basilica came to be associated with a particular architectural style.  In most European towns I have visited, the justice buildings are still called palaces.

We witnessed a cameo demonstration, but I was just interested in the toilette.  I then got ripped off at one of the souvenir stands buying a pin.  I've got to locate an ATM tomorrow. I'm down to my last ten Euros.

We finished our drive with breathtaking scenery that I did stay awake for.  We circled the Bay of Naples on our way to Sorrento.  We carried our overnight bags down a long hill that I dread walking up in the morning.  Once again, why have the Europeans built their cities on the side of cliffs?

Which reminds me, someone asked Bob how long it took to walk to the top of Vesuvius.  He said, for a German, easy walk...thirty minutes.  For me, about an hour and a half.  Mario hasn't set off at quite the same pace as past tour directors have.

Our hotel tonight is right on the water.  We ate dinner watching the sun go down.  I had gnocchi, which I liked, and something that I was not quite sure what it was.  We concluded the evening with kids playing and the adults sitting around on the beach.  Tomorrow, half the group will go to Capri island.  The rest of us will stay here to enjoy the hotel and beach before driving to Rome.  Hopefully that means I will be well-rested for Rome.

Cities on Hills (Monday, June 10, 2013)

By now, we have lost track of days, but I am fairly certain that it is Monday.  Our final destination is Assisi, of St. Francis fame, but Mario, my favorite toy tractor, has arranged two side stops along the way.

We have a beautiful, winding drive through Tuscany, climbing winding roads as we look out over vineyards and olive groves.  You have Venice and Rome, but I think this is what most people picture as the Italian countryside and certainly what places like Olive Garden attempt for recreate.  

Our first side stop is San Gimignano, the town of 100 Towers.  Well, according to my guide book, currently just 13 and maybe once as many as 70.  The towers were built both as defense and to show off wealth.  It sits on the side of a mountain and so it is a hefty hike to the main square where there is a cistern.  

We spend about an hour inSan Gimignano, just wandering around the Medieval Streets.  They are narrow and either go up or down.  None are flat.  Even though it is drizzling rain, Mario has timed our arrival very well.  By the time we gather to leave, the tourists have started to arrive in full force.  I grab a gelato from the place that has multiple times won the world's best gelato title.  It's like the Baskin Robbins of gelato.  I try white chocolate.  That may be my new favorite, but it is the only place I have seen that flavor.  As we walk down, the sun breaks through the clouds for awhile and we have a brilliant view over one of the valleys.

We drive some more, and I am sure that I doze some more.  I hate missing the countryside, but I can't help falling asleep on the bus trips.  It's almost like I go into survival mode: sleep when you aren't walking.  We are headed to a little house/restaurant run by Bruno, a man that Mario knows.  There, we have homemade tagillete pasta with meat sauce, soda or wine, salad, and a desert, which is some kind of pudding with cake in it.  Very delicious, and we can eat all we want.

Afterwards, this little woman named Eve comes into the dining room to give us a demonstration of how to make the pasta.  She mixes flour and four eggs by hand until she has dough.  She measures nothing.  They then use a roller to stretch the dough.  Finally, she uses a special board to cut the pasta into strips.  The width of the pasta is what makes it different.  Tagilleti pasta is kind of wavy, and that comes from the way it is folded when it is sliced.  She lets different people try cutting it.  It's a very nice experience.  I wanted to squeeze the little woman and take her home with me.

When we leave lunch, we are off the Assisi.  Why do Europeans build their towns on the sides of mountains?  The climb to the Basilica di San Francesco is brutally steep.  They had a concert there the night before, so that distracts from some of the beauty of the Basilica's courtyard.  Our local guide, another Daniela, takes us inside the church.  Very different from the Duomo.  While there are a lot of tourists, the atmosphere seems much more reverential.  We see the older church, built in Romanesque style, tomb of St. Francis, and the upper, new church, one of the first Gothic structures built in Italy.  She tells us quite a bit about the church and the history of St. Francis.  I really didn't know much about him other than the new Pope taking his name and being the first to do so.

Apparently, St. Francis was fairly controversial within the church, but he gained such a large following that the Pope finally decided to incorporate him into the church and give him sainthood.  The upper church is the official church story of St. Francis.  Of course, when I say THE church, I mean the Catholic Church.  At that time, you were either Catholic, a heretic, or a heathen.

Outside, we walk up another steep hill to the main town square where we are turned loose for some exploration.  Again, every street is straight up and down.  I take a look around the Temple of Minerva because it is first century, which is about the time period for the class I am currently taking.  I really didn't know what else to do for an hour and a half, and the steep streets were very daunting for me, so I stayed close to the square.  I did go into a little church where there were only about four people.  I don't know if they were playing a recording or if a choir was practicing, but it was so peaceful, so I just sat down and had some contemplative time.  I then lit a candle in memory of my Aunt Barbara.

Harlea commented on everybody having to pay for everything inside the church.  She felt it went against its purpose as a house of worship.  These old churches need to be maintained and preserved, I reminded her.  Giving an offering with lighting the candle is another way to honor God.  Also, I pointed out that a group of teenagers would light candles without really thinking about why they were doing it.  I did ask Mario how locals who wanted to go pray at places like that handled it.  He pointed out that the Duomo, for example, was too busy for prayer.  They would go to one of the smaller churches.  They would go to the Duomo for Sunday mass.  But, also, the guards would recognize the locals and let them in if need be.

I picked up some itch ointment from a pharmacy because the Mosquitos had devoured me in Jesolo.  I shopped through the tacky souvenir shops looking for pins for my collection and was amused at the number of things with the image of the new pope on it.  I wonder if visitors to Assisi has increased since he took Francis's name.

We drove to the hotel, and dinner was festive with a group of Polish students also in the dining room with us.  We had egg plant, which I tried for the first time.  It was grilled, and I thought it was a little bland.  I put some Parmesan cheese on it and it was better.  I wouldn't mind it as part of a larger dish, but probably not as a solo main course.

I walk down the dark creepy road to take some cool pictures of Assisi all lit up at night, but went back to the hotel to prepare for tomorrow.  Tomorrow, our bus cannot get to our hotel, so Mario wanted us to just pack an overnight bag. Tomorrow, more driving and Pompeii, which in light of my class, I am really looking forward to seeing.  We are going back in time, I guess.  Florence was Renaissance, San Gimignano and Assisi more Medieval, and Pompeii Ancient Rome.  I just hope all these hills have prepared me for the seven hills of Rome.

Lessons about trains, buses, and waiters (Sunday, June 9, 2013)

We had a lazy morning this morning; we didn't have to be on the bus until nine.  We drove into Florence for a totally free day.  I don't shop and am not an admirer of fine art.  I appreciate it, but I'm not a fan of art museums.  Plus, we are only an hour's train ride from Pisa.  We had booked an optional trip to Pisa through the tour company but not enough signed up for it, so we were on our own.

I've ridden trains in Europe before, but Dr. Browder took care of all the details.  He just told us what train to get on, so today was a total learning experience for me.  Turns out, the train schedules read a little like the subway schedules for DC and London, but I didn't know that at first.  Then, we have to figure out where to buy our ticket.  Not at the ticket windows, but in the newspaper shop. Then, we have to find our track, which is hidden.  We get on the train and there is no seating left.  We end up standing the whole hour, which was not as bad as it sounds.

I should mention that my girls decided not to go to Pisa but to spend the day in Florence.  I was with some members of another group who seemed to think I knew what I was doing.

On the train, the kids with us strike up a conversation with two young women, one from the states and one from Canada, who are friends and are touring Europe for two and a-half months.  They got to hear all about the girl's fabulous adventures.  I don't think the kids were impressed, which I actually think is a good thing.

The train stopped right on time at Pisa.  Mario, my favorite toy tractor, had given us three options for getting to the Tower.  We could take a taxi.  We could take a 20 minute walk.  Of course, what I have discovered with Europeans is a five minute walk in Europe is a fifteen minute walk for us Americans.  Or, we could take the city bus.  This was another new experience. I do get us on a bus, and thanks to a local lady, we get off at the right spot.

By this time, it has started to rain.  We are assaulted by umbrella salesmen every five steps for the rest of the day.  They said it was the same in Florence. We reach the Tower and take several pictures, including the cheesy standard one of holding up theTower.  I want to walk around the Duomo, the Baptistery, and the Field of Miracles.  We make plans to meet for lunch in thirty minutes.

The Duomo is very beautiful.  Because Pisans were merchants, they were heavily influenced by Islamic and Moorish architecture.  Had I been alone, I probably would have went inside one or the other.  Because of time, we don't climb the Tower.  Mario said it was ad luck to Italian students to climb the Tower before the graduate from University.  I shopped and we met for lunch.  I had pizza with ham and mushrooms.  The crust is very thin and crispy, my favorite.

Then the check comes, not separated.  Some have the right amount of cash.  Some need change.  Some want to use debit.  The waiter tells us to go to the cashier to pay.  The cashier is very put out about the separate checks.  I try to help, but I get confused, and then he got confused, and then he gets frustrated and yells at me.  A lady from Sicily was there with us, and told me not to apologize.  Mario told us it was very difficult for them to separate the check afterward because of their computer accounting systems.  I knew this, but I was with them.

Now, it's time to get back on the city bus.  We go back to where we got off and start looking for a stop going the opposite way.  We should have just got on that one and went all the way around because we walk a good distance looking for a stop.  Finally find one, the bus comes, but we just miss a train back to Florence.  The next one is scheduled an hour later.

I recall from Dr. Browder that Mussolini made the trains run on time.  They should have kept that element of Fascism, because we don't get to Florence until time to meet the others for dinner.  I hate that the other group didn't get to spend any time in Florence, but I enjoyed the day.

We had supper in the city center and I caught up on the girls' day with their new friends.  Back at the hotel, I strolled out for gelato.  Tonight, it was hazelnut.  Too sweet.

Tomorrow is not a lazy day, starting early, but full of little adventures.  That's the thing about these tours.  They are little adventures that give you a taste for the experience of traveling, and little lessons along the way.

Speechless in Florence (Saturday, June 8, 2013)

It felt so good to take a shower and put on completely clean clothes this morning.  We packed up and left Jesolo for Tuscany and Florence.  Mario talked some, and then we all napped for awhile.  When we woke up, we were heading into the Apennines Mountains.  After our restroom break, we crossed the mountains, which reminded me some of East Tennessee Mountains, though maybe a little steeper.  Before I knew it, we were driving into Florence, or Firenze.  We did the march to the meeting place, and then separated for lunch and a little exploration.  Today's choice was Calzoni.  I liked it.  We meandered around a little, and then met our city guide, who's name started with an M.

M took us to see the replica of Michelangelo's David.  The original has been moved inside for protection (and so they can charge 15 euro to see it).  However, what is still in front of the Palace Vecchio is an exact replica.  Michelangelo dissected human bodies and studied Roman statues to be able to do the design.  I was amazed at the veins on David's hands.  Apparently there are enough people tacky enough for the souvenir shops to sell magnets of David's privates.  This shouldn't surprise me given the number of people who ask for magnets of Dolly Parton's boobs.  There are 20 something other statues in the square, only three of which are replicas.  I plan to go look at the others closer tomorrow afternoon.

Next we walked through the Uffizi, office buildings that have been transformed into an art museum.  Okay, we walked through the courtyard.  In crevasses along the walk are statues of famous residents of Florence including Machiavelli, Amerigo Vespucci, Galileo, and several Medici's.

Our next stop was Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge in Florence and the only one not blown up by the Nazis on their retreat from Italy.  The German consulate convinced the army not to destroy the Ponte Vecchio.  Today, it is lined with jewelry shops, but it used to be butcher shops.

We walked up the street, learning different things about the city's past as we went.  We stopped at the Duomo and Baptistery.  All I can say is WOW!  I have visited a lot of churches in my travels, but I don't think I've ever see anything like the Duomo.  The Baptistery is the older building, but it's draw is the Gates of Paradise, which tell the Old and New Testament in 10 panels on 3 sets of doors, or gates.  M pointed out that when the Baptistery was built, the majority of the population could not read, so images was how they learned the Bible.

I can't describe the Duomo, so you'll either have to look it up or wait for pictures.  It is an extraordinary marble Gothic cathedral.  Three colors of marble are used - white from Florence, green from Prato, and pink from Sienna.  I suppose the marble is what makes then Duomo so different from anything I've seen before.  Notre Dame, Westminster, York, Strasbourg, it's all made from stone.  Perhaps the church in Sofia was marble, but not as intricate or breathtaking as this.  We went inside, and again lost our breath looking at the magnificent cupola, painted with a scene of judgement, complete with people being cast into hell.  Of course, this is the city of Dante and his Inferno, even if he did write it after he had been exiled from the city.

Speaking of Dante, that was our next stop.  We stopped outside his house and learned a little about him.  He is always depicted as being very stern looking.  I reminded the girls that they should say Mrs. Murrell's name at that spot.  They looked really confused, and I face-palmed before it occurred to them that he was the greatest Italian Renaissance poet.  I guess that means I technically said her name there, too.

We finished with another sales pitch, I mean, leather demonstration,  I had enough free time for chocolate chip gelato.  Liked banana better, but chocolate is still my favorite.  Luckily chocolate gelato was part of our supper tonight.  That almost makes up for me missing a night of gelato.

We are staying in a little place about thirty minutes from Florence, so we went out and did some walking around after dinner.  Especially since it was Saturday night, there was a lot going on.  That was one thing I loved about Bulgaria, and I think the same is true for Italy: everybody goes for a walk after dinner.  Nothing is fast paced.  Friends stroll arm-in-arm.  You enjoy a gelato or another snack.  (I had some kind of hazelnut bar.)  It makes such a lovely conclusion to the night.

Buono Sera

Mario Party (Friday, June 7, 2013)

Today's itinerary included Venice, the city of canals, and the only place I have previously been of those we will be visiting.  I've done the gondola ride and the Doge's Palace, so I had some new things on my itinerary.  I wanted to see the inside of San Marco Basilica, go up in the Campenelli (the bell tower for the Basilica), and see the Rialto Bridge.  

Our tour director is Mario, though thanks to an auto correct sent from my tour consultant when we were trying to sort things out in Atlanta, Mario is my toy tractor.  I shared that text with Mario tonight, and he laughed really hard about it.  He thinks he is Super Mario, and has a Super Mario hanging from the bus so we can find our bus.   His ring tone is the Mario Brothers theme song.

We took the bus to the Marina in Jesolo, and boarded a water taxi to Venice proper.  Our first stop was on the Murano island for a glass blowing demonstration.  He made a vase while we watched.  Harlea said she felt like she was at Dollywood.  Then they made a jumping horse.  That was pretty cool.  Interesting fact: glass blowing is a skill taught by fathers to sons, and only 2% become first level masters.  We got the sales pitch to buy some glass, and while it was beautiful, it's not my thing,  I looked around for while, and then sat in the shade to wait for the others.  Interesting fact#2: amethyst is the "Venetian" color.  The lamps in San Marco Square are colored amethyst.  For some reason, red glass is about 20 Euro more expensive than amethyst and blue.  He didn't tell us why, but I assume that it is whatever is used to make the dye for the glass.  Murano glass is bonded with gold, which makes it virtually unbreakable.

We then ferried across the Grand Canal to meet up with our city guide, Daniella.  We have these little headsets that allows us to hear her more easily, but Venice streets are so windy, every time she went around the corner I lost what she was saying, but she was funny and told some cool stuff.  Interesting fact #3, 4, & 5: Venice was built by sinking wooden timbers in mud.  Overtime, they have petrified into stone.  Venice is no longer sinking, but still suffering from floods.  They have been in the process of building gates to control this, but it has been a long process, and at one time the Italian Government stopped sending money for the project.  They are supposed to be complete in 2014, but Daniella doubts that will happen.

We had a lunch stop (spaghetti with bolognese sauce...that's tomato and meat sauce), and then the girls were going to ride a gondola.  It's the ultimate tourist thing to do in Venice, and I highly recommend it, but I've done that.  I really wanted to take a picture of the girls going down one of the canals, but I just missed them on one canal and then couldn't find them again.  So, I went to the Campenelli.  The view over Venice was beautiful. I kept trying to decide if I wanted to put the zoom lens on my camera, but finally decided that that wouldn't do justice to the scope of the view.  I know you want to see pictures, but I have no way to upload them.

The best thing to do in Venice is to get lost.  I wondered around the alleyways until I finally found the Rialto Bridge.  It's nice.  I would love to see it at night, but on EF trips, we depart Venice to return to the hotel around 6:00.  Making my way back to San Marco Square was easier.  I stopped at the Hard Rock Cafe for a guitar pin.  Backpacks are not allowed in the Basilica, but there is a place to hold them.  I couldn't figure out that place, and then the line to the Basilica disappeared, so I guess they closed.  I guess that's a next time thing, huh?

Interesting fact #7 & 8: it is illegal to sit anywhere in San Marco Square except in benches.  Not on steps, not on the ground.  People in orange shirts will come yell at you.  It is also illegal to feed the Pigeons, so there are a lot fewer pigeons in the square now, but they will still come land on you.

I had about thirty minutes to kill, but there are no benches in San Marco Square on which to legally sit on (if no one else is one them).  Doge's Palace is on our itinerary, so I used my ticket to go sit on a bench and people watch for fifteen minutes.  Plus, I used a bathroom I didn't have to pay to use.  The flushers were in the floor.  You step on it to flush.  We need these in the states.

By then, it was time to join our group for the trip back to Jesolo.  It was a nice, relaxing ride and we all groaned when stood up after all the walking we did today.  Mario had pulled me aside earlier and said the company was working with the airline to try to get our luggage to us tonight, and he announces on the bus that all four bags were in.  When we arrive, they bring out three bags and Sunshine is about to cry.  The guy double checks and we are happy campers.

We have supper in clean clothes and go down to the beach where the girls kick around a soccer ball, after Mario and Vincenzo (our bus driver) shows off their stuff.  I finally eat some gelato.  How have I been in Italy for two days and not had gelato yet!  I tried banana.  Chocolate is better.

Tomorrow we drive to Florence.  New stuff for me!  

Best part of the day: sorry, Venice, I don't think you've ever seen four happier humans in clean clothes.

Worst part of the day: that leg cramp I just got.  It was a beast, but at least it waited till night.  Hopefully I'll sleep it off.  Ciao!

The Delta Runaround (June 5-6, 2013)

In the category of insanity, travel for this trip has gone up a notch.  I blame Atlanta.  The plane coming from Atlanta to Knoxville was delayed, so we were delayed getting on by about an hour.  No big deal.  It's a short flight, still plenty of time to make our connection to Milan.  We get loaded quickly, get on the Tarmac, the pilot guns the engine, we start going fast...and then we stop.  I've never experienced an aborted take-off before.  The pilot said the wind had changed direction.  It would be about 16 minutes before we could take off...and then another 16...it's 4:40 before we get I. The air.  We land and get to the gate at 5:30.  By the time we fight our way off the jetway, our flight to Milan is gone.

The next part of the adventure I am going to call the Delta runaround.  I talk to my tour company, and he has information that there is room on a flight to Amsterdam.  We can connect to Venice and still be here Thursday.  Clerk one says go to customer service.  Customer service says go to gate.  Gate looks at me like I am speaking a foreign language, takes my boarding passes, and tells me to sit down.  Call to touring company...he says I have to be insistent.  I am.  When the next person tells me to sit down, I refuse.  It doesn't help at first, but eventually I find someone willing to help.  They book me on a flight to Venice leaving Thursday evening that will put me in Venice Friday morning.  So, we miss the five hour drive from Milan to Venice, the visit to Verona, but arrive to meet up with the tour group in time to tour Venice.  Not perfect, but it's something.

While waiting in line for Delta to book us hotel rooms, the helpful lady comes running up and says due to weather delays, there is room on the Amsterdam flight.  There is a lot of typing, a lot of talking, a lot of printing, but we get on the flight.  We are confirmed to arrive in Venice at 4:30.  What about our luggage?  It's missed it's Milan connection as well.  "It will follow you to Venice."

Storms in Atlanta.  The 7:45 Amsterdam flight finally takes off around 10:00, but we are finally on our way.  We eat.  I start watching a movie, and fall asleep.  At some point I wake up and a man is calling for the stewardess for help, another man is having a heart attack.  We have just flown past the tip of Newfoundland and are over the Atlantic Ocean.  With the way this trip is going, I am expecting an emergency landing at this point.  They call for physicians and there are a couple on board.  I find out later that if there hadn't been, we would have had to land, but they get him stabilized.  I have to say that I was very impressed with the flight crew through all this.  They lay the patient out in the floor and I eventually fall asleep again.  When I wake up, the patient is sitting up with an IV bag hanging from the overhead compartment.  

We arrive in Amsterdam, which I must say it is pretty cool to now have a stamp from Holland in my passport, go to the gate, get sent to the transfer desk, and find no record of us on the Venice flight, even though our ticket says confirmed.  We do get on the flight.  She scans our luggage tags...Which still say Milan.  We actually have some time to kill.  I buy wooden shoe magnets and brush my teeth.

Our flight leaves for Venice on time and arrives about 4:40.  The flight over the Alps is breathtaking and I have another good snooze.  The baggage claim wheel is "sponsored" by the Venice Casino, so it is painted like a roulette wheel.  We lost the gamble.  None of our bags come off the machine.  We go through lost and found to discover that our bags didn't leave Atlanta till this morning.  They are on their way to Milan.  Because of various factors, they can't guarantee they will arrive in Venice before we leave for Florence, so our bags are going to Florence where we will be on Saturday.  That's right.  The same shirt, the same pair of jeans for four days.

We take a taxi, which is always an interesting experience.  I think all Italian drivers think they are Mario Andretti.  Sunshine said, "I thought we were all going to die!"  He was not as scary as the Bulgarian driver, though, so all way good.  We actually beat the tour group to Jesolo, where our Venice hotel is located.  We go ahead and checkin, and they give me the wrong room.  

But we are in Italy, headed to Venice tomorrow morning.  The girls have had their first gelato.  I have stood on the beach and breathed in the Adriatic Sea.  I even found a shirt that fits well enough to give me an alternative.  Does anyone know what the Miami Beach Board High Club means?