Day Ten-May 20th

It's pretty light in our room, but very quiet & we wake up about 7:30, but breakie is not until 8:30, (and it turns out 8:45.) It's a little slower around here. We're the first ones to the breakfast room & it's a good start to the day, with the typical ham, cheese, croissants, cereal, coffee. David is a gracious host, while watching his kids too. The grandparents come in to get the kids & go for a walk & we're outa here! Off to some museums. To the Vapo & a short ride to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection-a modern art collection, with many paintings by Picasso, Braque, Dali, Beancusi, Pollock & the good ol' Pittsburgh sculptor, Alex Calder. It was a welcome change from all of the really old stuff we have been seeing, and all three of us enjoy modern art! We see our Vancouver friends again but fail to meet up with them for lunch. The garden here is very nice too, with some sculptures, including the most famous, "The Angel in the City" by Marino Marini(1948). We then stroll around the area & hear some violin music-"Godfather"-look for some eating places. However we decide to go on ahead to the Grande Rocco & some "Chistine Chapel" type murals by Tintoretto in the 1560's & the upper hall 1575-1581. Quite a magnificent church! (Oh, we did have lunch just outside the church, some really good calzones from a little snack bar.) No charge for the entry into the church & it was lovely. Out into the plaza and a walk back to the room, with a stop at a grocery store for some supplies-wine, beer, bread, cheese. A quick call to Wayne & Jean to check on things & it's raining in Harrah, and the Thunder won by 6 & now back to OKC for two games with the Mavs! Ok, back out to the Vapo & a longer ride to Lido, a resort type of place & actually on land, with cars, scooters & bikers. There are casinos here & beaches it's right on the Adriatic Sea. Very nice views along the way, with many many boats, some yachts, a cruise ship & lovely parks. What to do? How about a gelato!!! A short stroll by the sea & back to the Vapo for a ride to San Marco Square & some night-time activities. There are three bands playing at restaurants, a few dancers & thousands of pigeons plus the usual vendors. We were kind of out of the mood to eat here, so we head back to our area & pick the "Trattoria Da Gianni" for dinner. It's 9:15 & we are enjoying the evening & order the local seafood favorites: I get the spaghetti with cuddle fish in their own ink sauce; Cami gets the spaghetti with prawns, and KK gets the seafood spaghetti with all kinds of unsightly fish, and our house wine & salads. We finally finish about 10:45 & are quite full & happy, as are 3 gays from St Louis by us & we chat a bit. Back to the room & shower by 11:30. It was a good day! I'd be willing to bet there's a level place in this city, but not our room. Everything is leaning or crooked or slanted in some degree, but everything works. Our rooms slant from the outside walls toward the inside & there's lots of restoration going on all over Venice-probly all the time. see you at breakie.