Tina Time

Venice,

We walked along the canal but were starving, so we decided to stop for a bite to eat. There were so many restaurants along the canal, every one with a small display on the sidewalk, right outside the door. Some were menus or wine racks. a table with dishes or an attractive display, in front of one, there was a small shark, arranged as if he were ready to talk to you, on ice. I had to take a picture, it was so interesting. The city smells a little fish, but we were happy to be sitting at a small cafe right next to the canal, in between the gondola booths.

Because it had rained on and off practically all day, most of the gondolas were tied up at thier stands and the canal was fairly empty of traffic. The gondola drivers were standing around smoking, having conversations in Italian, wearing the traditional striped long sleeved, wide necked tight shirt. Many wore the caps too. It was so much fun just to sit, drinking Italian beer and an odd assortment of meat and grilled vegatables. The rain had finally stopped, but the sky was still cloudy and the air was slightly cold, but we were warmed by our beer and our lunch and we were off to St. Mark's square.

Venice is a fairly small city, and we walked and walked, following our small tourists map and trying to make sense of the Italian names and maze of canals and streets and piazza's. We knew we were close to our destination, but I wasn't sure how we managed not to find the biggest area in city. Finally, we turned the corner and there it was, a huge sprawling square, bordered on one side by the large cathedral and small shops, hotels and restaurants. And the pigeons, like you have never seen, on the ground in large shimmering waves of black and gray, tourists happily feeding them crumbs and bread and the birds scampering after every morsel. Some people thought it was fun to let the pigeons roost on thier shoulders and arms, but for me, not so much.

There were young men playing guitar or accordian with a case for change in front of them, setting up and gathering up as the rain came and went. A full orchestra accompanied by a grand piano played under the eaves of an elegant hotel, with the rain dripping off the awnings and the lady musicians trying ot keep thier shawls and jackets on while playing thier instruments.