Ahhh Venice. I had looked forward to seeing Venice for a long time, but somehow over the course of the trip my excitement waned. I wondered "How could it compare to all the other incredible sights I've seen." But as Jacob's parents, Jacob, and I stepped out of the train station, into a bustling water-metropolis, the sun shining brightly, I was stunned.
It was incredibly beautiful and so much better then the casino in Vegas. We followed the directions I had received from the caretaker of our next VRBO rental, and met him at the base of a big white bridge by a shoe store. From there he would take us to our home for the next few days and point out a few recommended spots a long the way. He led us through teeny tiny alley ways and up and over several bridges and down a street that seemed like a dead end and we arrived at our Venice apartment right on a canal.
The view from our windows looking right
The view looking left
Once again-- you'd think we were rich. It's certainly fun to pretend! It was a beautiful spot, and fun to hear the boat traffic passing by.
My mom and Dennis were on their way from Villach, Austria and would be arriving shortly. Jerry, Jacob's dad, and I ventured out to the local market to pick up some libations and snacks in preparation for their arrival. Minutes after returning to the apartment, arms filled with sparkling wines, I received a text from my mom. They were here! And they were early! Jacob and I grabbed the map and hurried back to the train station.
It was Rome all over again. My mom's text had mentioned that they were at the McDonalds in front of the train station. Funny-- I hadn't remembered seeing a McDonald's there. I ran up the stairs to look inside the station to see if I had missed it. No McDonalds in sight. She MUST have meant the bus station--- they were arriving by bus after all.
No McDonalds at the bus station either. At $1.50 a minute, a phone call might be worth it to put an end to the confusion.
"Where are you, what are you facing, what are you seeing right now?" I asked.
"We see some buildings, a street um we see"
"Okay but do you see any water?" I barked.
"No. No, water."
It was what we suspected. "You're at the wrong train station," I told her. "There are two train stations in Venice-- You're at the one in the big city, you need to get here. We'll meet you at the bus station."
They hopped in a cab, and we headed to where the taxis were arriving. A text from my mom told us that they'd be there in 20 minutes, and dropped at the nearby plaza. We headed to the plaza. 20 minutes later my mom texted--- they were there, but not at the plaza. (OMG!) I called her and instructed them to meet us on a nearby big glass bridge. We headed over there--- we couldn't see them. I called again. They were still walking toward it. Jacob and I climbed to the top of the bridge and waited. Then we spotted them!
Hugs ensued.
We guided them back to the apartment, chatting all the way. Jacob's parents, Jerry and Mary, had set out a lovely spread of food and we caught up over several glasses of wine.
Later, we walked around the neighborhood and found a cozy little place for dinner. Afterward, more catching up over drinks. Jacob and I taught our parents our favorite game that we made up on the trip called "monster karaoke", which made for some hilarious moments.
It was great to be with family once again.
No comments:
Post a Comment