Venezia....

Locals and others: try to imagine the causeway to the ferry at Tswwassen (ok:YOU spell it correctly without looking it up) only with train tracks apparently going to the sea with nothing beyond but some buildings floating in the watery air. Look out the window of your train as you start onto this causeway and realize that you are in the train slowly riding past the running of the 20th Venezia Marathon. Think: "if I trained, I could come back here and run the marathon..."

45 minutes later, debarking from the vaporetto near your hotel, you realize that the marathon is running on the fondamente which you are going to walk along. Stop and cheer (Brava/Bravo) and take a good look at these runners. Think: "maybe I'd rather train in wine and food enjoyment" Welcome to Venezia where there are people running marathons past people eating amazing (that word again) Sunday lunches who raise their glasses to toast one another and the runners wobbling by on their last miles.

Welcome to Venezia where getting lost is not just for the tourists, where the gondola ride after dinner last night was one of the most magical trips I have ever taken (warning to The Sr Boy: this is definitely a save-up-and-return-to place!!), where the gondola maker said, after I said that my father really liked wooden boats (thanks, Alessandro for the translation), that all true men liked wooden boats b/c a wooden boat was like a real woman and those 'plastic' boats were like plastic women and the only good thing about a plastic woman was that she never got a headache!!

Welcome to Venezia - my new most favourite place in the world. It's time to meet new acquaintances for dinner. (see above para for info on training plans!!)

Arrivederci e a domani.