Amazing Trip that Comes to an End

We were sad to see Katelyn and Shaun go home, and they were up and gone by 630a to go back to Chicago. Ashley, Ken, Don and I were at a more leisurely pace and finally wandered over to the Rialto Mercato, an outdoor fruit, vegi and fish market where the locals shop daily for their meals. We found a little café where we could enjoy coffee and croissants and figure out our plan for the day, which included checking out St Marks Square, the main attraction in

Venice.

Before heading to the Square, we wound our way through small alleys to find Don’s hotel for Sunday night. Since Ken, Ashley and I were leaving Sunday morning, he was on his own for that day. With Google maps we found the hotel and connected with the owner, who assure Don he could check in early tomorrow.

Then it was on to St Marks, which was as breathtaking as it was crowded! Since it is now mid-day we fully expected the crowds, but it didn’t dampen the amazing views on all sides in the huge square. After our oooohs-awwwwws, Ashley and Don took the water bus back, while Ken and I (after taking a few wrong turns) found our way back to our square, which now looked very small after St Marks!

For the evening, we took a bar tour with Allesandro, recommended by

Rick Steves. We met by the Mercato and along with 10 other Americans got a wine, cicchetto and history tour through three restaurants. We had a great time both with the wine, the snacks and Allessandro’s stories. We ended our evening at a pizza place next to our apartment for our good-bye dinner.

The next morning Ashley, Ken and I were up at 330a to get to the airport for our 630am flight. We walked 25 minutes to the bus station, through deserted streets (except for a few still out enjoying the Saturday evening) before catching a taxi to the airport.

Our trip home was uneventful, and for Ken and I was bittersweet. This was a trip that we were so excited for and that was for several reasons. First, was the opportunity to spend time with some of the most important people in our lives that we love so much, in a place

that we also love and doing something that we love. How can that be topped?

We started with Paige and Chris in Budapest, along with Don, who got to see his grand-daughter in her apartment, with Mo-Mo and meeting Chris. Then on to Bologna, where we met up with Ashley, Katelyn and Shaun. Claudio was such an amazing host and we can't thank him enough for taking time to show us the real Italy. From there it was turning our trip to Backroads, where we battled the never-ending rain, while enjoying fabulous cheese and ham from parma. Lastly, the amazing city of Venice where we said good-bye to Italy, a great two weeks and endured the long trip home. Ciao!!