It only took 2 ½ hours to get all 5 of us packed up, and every tiny toy and accessory accounted for.  We crammed down the best of the remaining food – an odd breakfast of all the leftovers.  Our commitment to the Italian’s meticulous trash sorting rules pretty much went out the window.  (We’ve been grudgingly sorting paper, plastic, glass, and organic trash into their respective containers all week.)   We took final pictures of the flowers and villa – if only we could capture the smell! – and stuffed the van once again.   Headed back to Florence, dropped LA and the kids and bags at the train station (to avoid the march of the Beverly Hillbillies through the romantic streets of Florence)  and returned the van al dente.  The ill-fated guardrails had been replaced with barber shop striped poles.   Luckily, they were never mentioned as I turned in the van and made my getaway.

Our two-hour train ride to Venice was uneventful except for the handle ripping off of Georgia’s suitcase as I tried to lift the 300 lb. sausage over my head to be stored.  Thanks a LOT, Tuesday Morning!  She was NOT happy I broke her bag.

Ahhhh Venice!  It is beautiful!  And contrary to what we’d been told, it doesn’t stink at all.   Our hotel, Hotel Principe, is just a 200-meter walk from the train station, and it is beautiful, right on the Grand Canal!   Murano glass chandeliers hanging everywhere.   This time our rooms were side by side and looked out onto the busy pedestrian street below.  So nice to be back in the air-conditioning – we cranked them down immediately.

We rested a bit and unpacked, then hit the streets.  It was raining softly so we actually TOOK our raincoats along (except for mine, which was missing – to be found later buried in someone else’s suitcase.)  (( which reminds me:  the more we move, the less dedicated to a particular person each suitcase becomes.  “Ellis, I think these are YOUR Spiderman boxer-briefs.”))

For all the water, Venice is a remarkable WALKING city.  No cars, bikes, or mopeds, very few pesky street vendors, wonderful hidden alleyways, and beautiful bridges over the canals.  We LOVED just walking around the city.  Especially Georgia – it’s her favorite so far.  We wandered.  Nowhere to be, particularly.  Jack wore the Italia soccer – excuse me, FOOTBALL – jersey he’d bought in Florence; it was the night of their first World Cup match against England.  We found a wonderful sidewalk café (theme of the trip, so far) where we could still sit out of the rain and had a great meal.  We played “Categories” and laughed and laughed.  The rain was cool and refreshing.  After dinner we meandered back to the Hotel Principe, stopping for gelato along the way.  It’s amazing that people actually LIVE in Venice.  What do they DO for a living?  Where do they buy toilet paper?

We had good intentions of staying up to watch the midnight-starting Italy-England match, but sleepiness and poor cable reception (dang those Italians and they’re 90’s technology once AGAIN) converged against us, and we were all asleep by 12:30.  We drifted off imagining all the bars around town, stuffed to the gills with Italians and occasionally erupting with ecstasy or agony.

A few last pics of some of the beautiful flowers around the villa.

Our little living room.  And dining room.  and kitchen.

Saying goodbye to our German neighbors; I gave them a bottle of Fattoria Maioinchi wine to say “danke” for putting up with our loud swimming.

Loading the Van al Dente!

Yep – what’s left of the “guardrail”.

Camped out in Firenze station awaiting our train to Venice.

Italian Pringles for the World Cup!

View from our hotel window in Venice.

Ok Jack hasn’t grown THAT much.  He’s cheating.

Ready to watch the Italy match!

 

Great place for dinner, safe from the rain.