Venice

We took a 2 hour train ride from Bologna (pronounced bah-lone-yah) and arrived in the beautiful city of Venice in the mid afternoon. Billy and I both agree (for once) that Venice is the most beautiful city we have visited in Europe. It may be because Venice is a city like no other, by that I mean it is a series of islands connected by hundreds of bridges and the only way to get around the city is either by boat or by walking. There are no cars in Venice. It is a quaint city but has the feeling of a cosmopolitan city, it has music, art, history and an identity all its own.
Before we talk about the things we have done and seen in Venice, we have a bit of unfortunate news. Billy has suffered from an ear infection since we arrived in Siena (5 days ago). It went from bad to worse and Billy ended up visiting the emergency room in Venice. According to Billy, it is more frustrating to be in an emergency room where you don’t speak the language (Italian) than the ones back home. Remarkably, he was in and out in only 2 hours with a prescription for antibiotics. I have been suffering from a cold and chronic bronchitis since arriving in Rome (8 days ago). I initially was very ill but as the days went on I felt much better. The cold has subsided but the bronchitis has not and now I can’t seem to go more than a few hours without coughing so badly I can hardly breathe and feel like I am going to pass out. I refuse to go the emergency room as I do not trust the healthcare in Italy or in Europe in general. Billy and I cannot believe that we have been healthy for over a year and a half and it took coming to Europe to get ill…it is so frustrating. I think we have spent more money on trips to the local pharmacies than on wine (now that is a shame)!
On to the good stuff…we arrived at our hotel (Foscari Palace) via water taxi. Upon our arrival we were informed that Billy had booked the nicest room in the hotel…the Foscari Suite. Let me give kudos to Billy because this room is the most fantastic room I have ever stayed in. It is about 1000 square feet, has a sitting area, a dining table, two balconies that overlook the Grand Canal. The hotel also has a rooftop terrace overlooking the Grand Canal where Billy and I finish off our evenings with some wine.
Yesterday, we ate dinner at the same restaurant we did 4 years ago on our first trip to Venice and it was just as nice as we remembered. Today, we did a bit of sight seeing for a few hours because Billy was at the hospital for most of the morning. We went to Saint Mark’s square and strolled amongst the pigeons and tourists (we don’t know which is worse). There are several artists near the Grand Canal and Billy and I admired their work. We will probably buy something if we don’t find something on our trip to the island of Murano tomorrow (famous for their glass). Hope everyone is well or at least they are healthier than Billy and I. Love to all our friends and family!