Here i am in my natural element.
And here is Al in hers (Warm and toasty...not necessarily with a bottle of wine.)
A quick walk around Milan in the morning (Our second unscheduled stop in the city...it must be some sort of magnet...) some photos.
And then back to the station for the train to...
Venice.
Which was...well...Venice. I likened it to seeing the Mona Lisa. It's famous, it's great to see in the real but it's such a famous, iconic image it doesn't really feel like you're seeing anything new. So two days was probably just enough…
So here are some random thoughts.
Venice and it’s gondolas. Not romantic. Not at all. In fact, if you ride in one in the winter you can be assured of not only paying 95 euros for the experience, you can also expect to be covered in a swaddling of rugs and blankets and look, to the bemusement of everyone taking your photo from the waters edge, like you’re a pile of not particularly “in love” dirty laundry. ROMANCE.
You make your own romance. Sure I can try to accept that to some people, their idea of a “romantic honeymoon holiday of a lifetime” includes being gawked at by hundreds of tourists, while the bored guy who fleeced you for a boat ride down a canal stands over you and pretends to punt…(most likely dreaming of the really great bottle of champagne he can now afford to buy his wife or girlfriend when he gets home and cooks her a candlelit dinner for two).
But I can’t.
You’re in Venice!! It’s not romantic ENOUGH for you already?!
And whats with people and feeding pigeons?! Why are you travelling the world to amazing, beautiful, historical cities such as Venice and documenting your small child being traumatised by hundreds of lice covered, stump footed vermin? Pigeons are possibly the most common bird in, you know...THE WORLD! You don't need to go to Venice to have them frantically peck out your eyes when they mistake them for food in their feeding pile. You could most likely walk outside in any city and throw some crumbs on the ground. If a thousand rats started swarming all over you because you had something for them to eat would you be giggling and having the time of your life? Doubtful.
