BETTY'S BETTER

Betty was feeling a little better this morning and insisted on going to Venice. Her cough sounds like it's breaking up, although I'm starting with a sore throat...again.

Headed out for Venice. We've become old pros with the trains and chasing away the beggars. The first half hour of the trip was going through tunnels, but upon exiting we saw the most verdant green hillsides dotted with quaint little villages.

After about an hour we hit the flats, still green as ever. A 2 hour trip, we need to get to the tour site 30 minutes before....we might be cutting it close.

Arrived in Venice at 1035 and had to be at the Doge's Palace by 11 for the tour. Well we were told that it was a 10 minute water bus ride or a 20 mi ite. Since the li e was so long for the bus,we opted to walk......45 minutes later we walked panting into the ticket office. It was the most horrendous walk, up and down bridges, ducking in and out of alleys and dead ends....I felt sorry for Betty but she was a trooper!

We took the tour which included the 'hidden rooms' of the Palace and got the history and workings of the justice system in Venice in the 13-17th century, including a tour of the prison cells, torture area, and Casanova's cell and the story of how he escaped along with a monk in a neighboring cell. We crossed the Bridge of Sighs...for my grandsons...the bridge was the walkway inside the place that led prisoners from their trial room to their cell and as they walked through the enclosed bridge would look out the barred windows and sigh as they looked at their beloved Venice.

After the tour we headed to one of the side streets for lunch and then onto St. Mark's Square to climb the bell tower and get a fantastic view of Venice and then through the cathedral. ..can't understand why they wouldn't allow pictures....but it did t matter....I got 'em.

After some shopping we headed back to the station via the water bus and then stopped in a cafe for dessert and coffee. The waiters were typical Italians flirting left and right. Mario asked where we were from and then told us he had a cousin in Florida. Betty asked him where his cousin lived In Florida but he said he didn't know. Betty said 'well we know where our cousins live, Sometimes we even marry them'. That stopped him dead in his tracks. He thought he was really macho...his shirt was 2 sizes too small...the buttons were ready to pop, but we had some good laughs and killed an hour waiting for the train back to Florence.

It's been 30 years since I've been to Venice but its still a wonderful place to visit..I just wouldn't want to live there.

Tomorrow ... Bologna...goodnight.