Final Letter from Italy Part 8 (written in 2008)

Arrivaderci Venice, til we meet again!

Friday May 9, 2008

Ciao!

I've just crossed my "bridge of sighs," USAirways Flight 715 over the Atlantic.  I am waiting for my connecting flight in Philly.  Oh, how I hated to leave Venice!  If I could do it over, I would have gone to Venice on Monday instead of Tuesday.  Many places were closed in Florence on Monday and I would have been just as happy meandering through the alleys of Venice or riding the vaporetto.

Yesterday, my last day in Venice was perfecto!  It began with breakfast in my hotel, which is bright and cheery and newly redecorated.  The hostess is another lovely Filipina woman with perfect English.  The main item was a fruit-filled croissant (usually peach) with yogurt, coffee, and a delicious red orange juice.  Cookies, too, if you are still hungry.

 

After breakfast I walked to the Rialto Mercato--a huge outdoor fish and produce market.  Took pictures of BIG fish, octopus, fruit and veggies plus a dog or two.  The dogs weren't for sale, they were just hanging out (perhaps their owners were vendors.)  I purchased some fresh strawberries and consumed them on the spot--buonissimo!  Yum!

Then I made my way on foot to the north part of the island to catch the vaporetto that goes to the island of Murano.  As I walked, I snapped pictures of canals and boats and tight alleyways and fresh laundry hanging out the windows to dry.

The vaporetto ride to Murano was about 20 minutes.  It was a sunny, breezy day and I enjoyed sitting outside in the back of the boat.  Murano is an island packed with glass shops and factories.  Everything from jewelry to large chandeliers are sold there.  I toured the museum and wandered through some of the shops.  I saw a man crafting a glass pig and there were many steps involved--looked like it took more than one person.  The ears were made of a contrasting color from the molten glass of another artist. 

I found a fabulous outdoor cafe for lunch--the menu was all in Italian and my waitress did not speak English so I wasn't sure what I was ordering.  I was pleasantly surprised to get the cheese and tomatoes that I was craving for an appetizer and then a plate of pasta surrounded by mussels and different pieces of tiny fish in a red sauce.   And of course, I had Pesca tea.  :)

After I left Murano I took the vaporetto to the island of Burano which

is famous for its lace.  I was hoping to tour the lace museum but it was closed for renovations.  I wandered through the streets beside the canals with brightly painted houses and shops, ate some gelato, and then headed back to Venice.  By the way, my favorite flavors of gelato are Amoretto, Rum, Tiramisu, and Mint.  Few vendors have Amoretto and Rum but you can almost always find Tiramisu and Mint.  My friend Delyth warned me that I am going to turn in to a gelato soon...

When I returned to Venice there was more walking, another vaporetto ride, and a nice nap!  Since this was my last night in Italy, I ventured out to experience Venice in the moonlight.  I got dressed up and took the Vaporetto for a moonlit ride to St. Mark's Square.  There was outdoor seating on opposite sides of the square and an orchestra in front of each.  I walked back and forth and listened until I decided which orchestra I liked better--I chose the one with the more enthusiastic, clapping crowd.  The musicians and waiters seemed to have more personality as well.

I selected a table near the orchestra and ordered a glass of sparkling white wine, 2 scoops of gelato, and later (as it cooled down), hot chocolate.  The hot chocolate came on a silver tray with a small pitcher of warm milk and a small pitcher of melted chocolate to mix in a china tea cup.  It was scrumptious!  For the privilege of the music, the prices are high--I paid 33 euros or about $50 for this little treat but it was worth it (and in lieu of dinner.)

I stayed for about an hour and a half and enjoyed the music.  All kinds were played--a lot of Italian (one woman got up and sang in Italian from the audience) and later, Frank Sinatra ("New York" and "My Way").  It was a beautiful scene--the moonlit sky, all of the windows around the square lit up in tiny lights, the orchestra, a few lovers dancing, and some happy birthdays sung.  Life was happening with celebration and I felt a part of it.

I called my friend, Swooz, from the square to wish her a happy birthday.  She said, "Janice, are you going to kiss someone tonight under the bridge of sighs?"  I laughed and said, "No, I haven't met anyone here.  I'm completely alone but it is still wonderful."  As I hung up, I realized, yes, it is wonderful...and it is enough.  It is enough to be here.

For much of my life I have worried about having enough...enough money,

enough sleep, enough time, enough love...  Some years ago, I was at the North Carolina shore and I was standing at the edge of the ocean holding a coffee cup.  As I looked out, the ocean appeared endless.  I sensed God speaking to me, "Oh, Janice, you come to me with your little cup and you are so afraid that I am not going to fill it, but I AM an OCEAN!"

Throughout my life, He has continued to fill my cup.  Sometimes it seems as though it is almost empty.  Okay, bone dry, to be honest.  I become tired and weary from the mundane, from the "have-to's", from obligations and disappointments--the stuff of life that weighs us down.  When I've all but given up, He surprises me with rest, with green pastures (like the green hills of Tuscany!) and again, He fills my cup.

I feel empowered by this trip.  Some have told me that I was brave to cross the ocean alone.  One of my friends commented that she “would never take such a trip alone.  I wouldn't want to spend that much time with myself."

My new friend, Joyce, from Chicago has a wicked and quick sense of humor.  She also has a self-professed fabulous sex life, to which she attributes her successful marriage of 37 years.  (I told her that I would be reporting this in my writings)  Joyce saw my joy of shopping and told me that I would go bankrupt in style!  :)  She also commented that she "has taken more pictures of Janice on this trip than she did of her own children growing up."  An exaggeration--I asked her to take pictures of me with my camera while playing tennis and a few other times.  My reply was, "But Joyce, I am a family of one and this is my family vacation!" :)

And you know what?  For now, it is enough.  Me and God and all the wonderful people that I've encountered on this journey have made this an adventure to remember.  When I get weary again and my cup starts to feel dry--I must look back and remind myself--"The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want." (He is enough)  "He makes me lie down in green pastures."  (Tuscany)  "He leads me beside quiet waters." (Venice)  "He restores my soul."  (Rome)  "...my cup overflows."  (excerpts from Psalm 23)

To the One Who Was and Is and Always Will Be...Enough...Thank You for a fabulous vacation!

Ciao,

Janice