looking back

So I'm trying to gather loose ends in all kinds of ways these days... we'll leave in 9 days for our cross-country trek, and although I'm pretty comfortable with the idea that we need to fit everything that's left in the house into our cars, I haven't exactly started packing anything yet. In any case, it seemed like a good time to revisit our last week out of the country (It's so good to be home!) and mention that I hope to continue posting here and there for my own memento. Seems appropriate since it's almost like we're moving to a foreign country: The North!

Looks like I quit in Venice... the pictures we took almost make it seem prettier than it was, now that we're removed from the hassle and the crowds and overpricing. Truly, the city was beautiful in its own way, but anything we lacked in being impressed, we made up for in realizing what beautiful places we've been living in at home.

The couple memories that stick out at this point are

• Simeon's surprising total breakdown over something so minute that I can't even remember it, our first evening there after waking up from a pretty good nap. Francois and I were flabbergasted; we just sat there holding his sobbing self (for a long time - half an hour?) and looking at each other with confused "who is this child? what do we do now?" looks on our faces. Eventually some warm milk (which he never drinks and hasn't wanted since) helped him calm down.


• The kosher restaurant we ate at one night in the ghetto. We had pretty terrible service, mostly from the man who seemed to be the owner/manager... Francois blamed it on our germanic looks. At the end of the meal, he mentioned that he only accepted cash, but then proceeded to give us over 10 Euros in 1 Euro coins and other change, saying he didn't have any small bills! Seems like that wouldn't be a problem for a place that deals only in cash!


• The absolute THRONGS of people on all the main streets, and the relative emptiness of the narrow twisting side streets.


• Sitting down at an outdoor table for a snack before going back to the apartment to cook dinner our last evening there, we watched a group of folks in three gondolas depart and arrive again. Not only are three gondolas (that managed to stay together quite well) outrageously expensive, but they had a guy standing up in one of the boats who was actually singing opera for them! Then there's the contrast of our crowded form of water transportation:
• And finally, Francois' fascination both here and in Rome with the folks who try to make a living by dressing up and standing completely still, mime-like, with a can in front of them. The hope is that you'll want to take a picture with them and will be kind enough to pay before you pose!