It's been over 2 weeks since i've posted anything- sorry! some notes...
All the students getting their laureata...they each have a time in the campo celebrating w/family and friends and it's pretty wacky...one girl was expounding in shorts and fishnet stockings...a naked guy powdered almost white was wearing only a belt with water bottles full of red wine ( a decent cover!?)
Found great cannoli on my way to Madonna dell'Orto. Left a prayer in the book there for those i love and those too who we've recently lost.
Going to John and Souheir's for dinner awhile back, my phone was dead and Andrew had given me his phone just-in-case (sweet guy)...of course i got lost and i'm wandering around with messages coming in from Souheir- vicino?...are you OK?...then one to Andrew-do you know where mikie is??- and i couldn't figure out how to get past the block on his phone, mamma mia. It all worked out when the speaker phone kicked in, and i was only 45 minutes late...
There's a bar right around the corner from our apt. where, in the evening, the men sing loudly along with what i think is karaoke! they really put their heart into it...Andrew says he wouldn't go in there, "They're SO venetian!"


I'm writing this on the train home from Ravenna. Vicky and I came to see the mosaics, which are stunning, intense and colorful, about 5th- 6th C. And we also shopped,,,she's a shopper like Wanda and Marian, just likes looking at stuff. Right off the train practically we dipped into a dept. store where she pointed out a light cotton jacket- fitted me great and now i'm all set for warmer days in Turkey! We also found some neat gifts at the sidewalk market tables. And even a 3-pack of old movies in italiano, from the train station magazine stand.

Easter's a big deal. Apart from the hordes that have descended this break week, there's lots going on in the churches. On Palm Sunday, i went to my local San Francesco della Vigna (vine)- we walked there in procession singing from the "everyday" chuch of Cristo Re. Three live singers accompanied themselves on guitar and the congregation sang too, beautiful songs. I could even follow along with the reading of the Passion according to Mark.

Last Saturday Andrew Amelda and I went to Trieste for the afternoon...we climbed steep hills to get to the 12th C. basilica- also beautiful mosaics with a shimmering purple background. We walked the castello walls as thunder rolled over the hills. Then in the rain we found a place to sit and watch the people stroll and sipped vino along with salume, formaggio e pane...tasted the best fresh ricotta ever ( produzione limito!)

Got my short italian haircut.

Thursday we leave for the umbria- tuscany tour. I'm going for 4 days- to Urbino, 2 nights in Assisi and one in Siena. Then back to Venice to meet Wanda- then, off to Istanbul and Laura!

love, mikie