September 23, 2006. Venice

We made it here. How? Only God knows! Mark has returned to his roots! We have determined that he is not a bad driver… just a driver born in the wrong country. His driving, here in Italy is perfectly acceptable… including his refusal to let a guy in a Kia Sorrento in front of us in a long line of traffic – right down to him yelling “Asshole” to the poor Italian! Dad would be proud. And of course, Shelden threatening, "Mark, I have a Coke bottle back here and if you let that guy in front of us, I'll throw it at you!", I think that maybe had something to do with it as well!
The Auto-Grille continue to be a source of amazement for me. The quality of the food is superior and the café bar is crowded with men sipping their afternoon espresso.
Our arrival in Venice was also an experience. After parking in Tronchetto, we had a little difficulty finding the vaporetta stop. But we persisted and finally arrived at our hotel at 9:00 pm, local time.
We grabbed quick showers and met downstairs for a late dinner. We went to a little osteria in the neighborhood of our hotel. We had a delightful dinner and vino rosso and were serenaded by some musicians! We walked around the neighborhood and sat on the steps of the Church of San Simeon and people watched!
Day 1 Pictures - Rome to Venice
This morning, we had some breakfast and are off to explore the city!