Hi Everyone,
It’s early evening on Monday, and we’ve been in Venice for about 24 hours now. We just got off a tour of the grand canal via Vaporetto (public waterbus) that, near the end, included a dramatic show of thunder, lightning and a rainstorm that was, well, “magnifico”! But…as I write this, the skies are clearing. Good thing, because I suspect super-heavy rainfall spells trouble for Venice. Already some canal-side routes were flooding! The sky and the light right now are spectacular and pink and gold, like a Dutch Masters’ painting.
Venice is crammed with tourists (you know, OTHER tourists!), shockingly walkable, and just surreal. St. Mark’s square and all its sites were amazing, of course, but I think one of the things I’ve enjoyed most so  far is listening to and watching the everyday sights and sounds outside our hotel room windows: gondoliers and boats drivers calling to each other and skillfully navigating the twists and turns of the narrow canals; church bells ringing; voices in all languages.
Olivia, you have to check out the paintings of Heronymous (sp?) Bosch: he was like a mediaeval Salvador Dali!
One sleep gone and 20 left…Time for dinner!
Good Wishes to All,
Wendy (and Frank)