I felt like I had stepped onto a movie set when we landed in Venice today. It looked so much like all the pictures you ever see of the city.

We had unexpected adventures today, though, because itwas the highest tide of the year, and we had unseasonable rains.

The picture is in front of Saint Mark's Basilica where the gospel writer is buried. The benches you see are crowded and dangerous, but the only way to walk around the city without getting drenched. As it was I arrived back at the hotel frozen, and soaked. Even the items in my purse were soggy-money in my money holder, kleenex, and my Splenda. It was very fun, however. We watched them blowing Venetian glass, and making lace (an old tradition that had died out, but is being revived--quite beautiful and painstaking.) Reid was the only one from our group who went on the gondola ride, and he really had fun. I opted for the coffee shop instead of 35 minutes sitting in the open boats in the cold rain. The temperature was in the low 40s. Besides, I'd rather do a gondola for the first time with Jim. I'm really missing my travel partner here. I hope we can return here together.

I've had the most delicious food. The difference in lasagna here is like the difference between black and white TV and color. It's similar, but so much richer and complex.

Last night when we finished our acitivities at 10:30 p.m. I had to tell the group: "Tomorrow we leave for Venice at 7:30 am. This means that you must be at breakfast at 6:45. This means you will be getting a wake-up call at 6 am. And, by the way, the Italians go on Daylight Savings time today, so you will lose an hour." Guess how well that went over?