Strange but typical- a quick post

For some reason there is a german family camped in the hall outside of my hotel room with all of their belongings and two young children spread all over the hallway crumpling piles of plastic bags for the past hour.  I had the opportunity to change rooms today as the original room I booked wasn't ready yesterday.  I decided to stay in this room because it was quite... go figure.  I have had a strange Karma with rooms for the past few years.  (up until now...)  if there was a banging door Ill be next to or above it, a fighting couple , jumping children on my ceiling, a party or elevator dinging... Don't know why, wish it would stop.  Maybe when I get to the point I can laugh every time it happens it will stop.  Today I am laughing and wondering... but as I had hoped for a nap, not going to happen... they are literally leaning on the wall of my room.. Im in a nice hotel too.  I'm making an assumption they are either awaiting entry to their room, lost their keys, are too hot to go out or are catching a late flight.  they did not want my help so...

But for today all I know is that I have A/C a terrifically comfortable bed and equally comfortable pillows for the first time in 3 months, I am no longer freezing my tucas off without hot water in a dumpy hotel in Calabria. It is a good day. :) My wish is for everyone to have a good day too.
 this is what my nice room looks like.. its a good day

Valentine's Day in Venice

This is a candy store window is so beautiful it deserves a large photo.

This one too wow

 Next, after a grand time wandering the streets of Venice on Valentine's day eve we enjoyed two apperativo places. Aperativo- A type of happy hour pay a price for a drink and eat from a buffet of various items such as pasta, crostini ( toasted bread with toppings), cheeses vegetables.  Our first stop was a place we visited the night before.  Standing room only and by the piece priced crostini. Topped with Baccala Montecato ( salt cured / dried cod reconstituted in milk and whipped up with cream / olive oil and parsley- like a chunky very rich mousse: cheese and onion or peperoncino marmalata, various prosciutto, sardines and anchovies.  We sang along with gondoliers to Italian classics and laughed.  So fun we went two nights in a row.

The headed to another restaurant on a hidden canal and dock near the grad canal.  The fist live music played here was a piper and drum trio.  We had bumped onto this trio 3 other times that day.  It was fun and lively and a reason to enjoy a second Aperativo.

Snow- White Carnival- Bologna

So, any of you from Chicago, or other parts with snowy winters may see this as a normal picture of a snowy airport.  This however is the Bologna, Italy airport on Feb 11, 2012.  I was on my way from Soverato , Calabria to Venice for some Carnival fun when the Rome airport closed and I opted to take a flight to Bologna and take the train the rest of the way to Venice.  This is what I arrived into in Bologna. Snow! Like over a foot.  De-icing of planes was taking place.  At this and many if not most of the airports Ive been flying to deplane down the stairs and then you are taken by bus to the terminal.. This sight was surreal, standing on the tarmac next to these large planes in the snow with bull dozers all around trying to keep up with the snow and ice.  I felt like I was in Chicago only without the benefit of inside gates.

 Bologna countryside on the way home a few days later.  Still white.