18 September - Shoulda been a German

Or at least moved here when I had Skylar. The state gives all kids 160 euro a month until they are 25! So I guess to the parents and then when the kid turns 18, it goes to them. If you have a kid and you are in school, you get to go to school for free and they give you 400 euro! Now you can't exactly live on that, but it sure would have helped. And, in most states, the day cares are free! Seriously, what is so great about America when here, they give you money to help you live, pay for school and daycare, and have nationalized health care?? If I had moved here after I had Skylar, they still would have done this for me even as an immigrant! Then I might not be thousands of dollars of school loan debt.

I am pretty much planning out my weekends for the next few months when I get home. Concerts, shows, outings, and parties.. I can't wait. Now if only I could find a job to finance it all. Maybe I should stay in Germany and get 160 euro a month for Skylar.. nah :) Today I got 4 tickets to Rob Zombie who is playing at the Roy Wilkins Center. I have loved his music for almost as long as I've liked Edie Brickell, but she never leaves Tennessee :)

Was kind of an icky sticky day today. I went for my run through the woods and probably consumed at least a dozen gnats.

17 September - Rathus

We got a letter that said we needed to go the Rathus (town hall) to fill out and sign some final paperwork for our visit here. I also wanted to stop at the yarn store to get more yarn for a scarf I am making, but they discontinued the line. So now I have a pot holder with holes.

So, into town we went and apparently there is another festival of some sort. We went into the Rathus and found the room we were directed to and found a bunch of people waiting to go in. I don't think Germans believe in orderly lines. It seems no matter what it is, people just form a mass and hope to go in some semblance of an order. Whether it's the bakery or the town hall, people just stand where they are and wait until the counter person recognizes them as their turn. It is impossible for that person to know who was there before who so it ends up being whoever they make eye contact with. And I know Germans think American niceties are overrated, so they have a tendency to push and shove and glare instead. Anyway, after about an hour we finally got our turn. We went in and she presented us with some forms to sign saying that we were leaving on October 6th and no longer needed permission to stay. At least that is what she told me the papers said... I suppose it could have said that they are going to throw me in jail and keep us here forever, but I hope not. I just signed it and off we went.

16 September - Soy!

I had to go to the post office and mail a package, but for some reason, the place is always closed. Either I get their on their lunch break or they are closed from such and such a date for renovations. I've been there 3 times trying to mail this package and I just keep bringing it back home. So, we went to a different grocery store because it was by the post office. They had a whole section of soy stuff! Soy veggie burgers, soy schnitzel, soy gyros, soy sticks, ect. They even had smoked tofu! So finally with just a few weeks left, I can eat the food I am used to eating. Maybe I went a little overboard and got like one of each :)

The woman at the checkout spoke no English whatsoever and apparently my local bank card decided not to work. I think the strip wouldn't register or something, but luckily they took my Visa from home because I had no idea what she was trying to tell me.

Ah, for dinner a yummy soy steak and corn. Mmm, mmm, mmm.

15 September - Back to the Grind

Spent most of the day just catching up with everyone and Skylar spent the day catching up with his gaming buddies. A whole week without computer! But we made it :)

I formatted a few things on my project and rearranged a little. I just stare blankly at the conclusion since there is none.

I went for a short run and got some milk, but that was about it for my journeys of the day.

Mostly is was just good to back, so we just hung around and of course I did laundry.

14 September - Back to Germany

Now for the reverse of our fun travels in getting here. We had to be at the Venice main station by 9:30am to catch the bus to the airport. I go to the main desk to pay for our shuttle rides and she says, sorry, they are all full. What!! She said starting today, you need to make a reservation for the shuttle because they changed from the big bus to an eight seater van. I was livid! I checked out last night and told the girl that I needed to catch the 9:30am bus and she said the shuttle would get me there in plenty of time and not to worry.I told the girl at the desk this and she suggested the public bus, but that can take up to 45 minutes. We did not have 45 minutes! So she suggested a taxi at about 25 euro. I demanded to speak to the manager and she got all flustered and said he wasn't there. Then she called the driver of the van and asked if he could come early and take us in and then come back to get the rest of the passengers. He agreed. Unfortunately we got caught in traffic and just barely made the bus which meant that he was way late in getting back to the other passengers. I felt bad, but it really was not my fault. They should have told me last night that I needed to make a reservation on the shuttle.

So then on the bus to Treviso to catch our plane at 12pm. This time they did check our bags and flagged Skylar's so the girl had to go through it and was kind of irked that all that was in it was smelly clothes. They let us go and off we went to the plane. It was storming! We had to run to the plane on the runway since they don't have those tunnel things that attach directly to the building. We were soaked by the time we took our seats. Made for such a comfy ride. There are no assigned seats either, so everyone just pushes and shoves trying to get to whatever they seem to think the best seat is. At Frankfurt-Hahn we took a bus to Frankfurt train station, then a train to Heidelberg, then on to Heilbronn where we caught a bus to the flat. Finally getting home at about 8pm.

13 September - Gondola

With no real plan again for today, we took the shuttle into Venice. We took the water bus to San Marco square and wandered around for awhile. There were so many people! There was also a demonstration of some sort with lots of people wearing green and carrying signs written in Italian. Skylar was holding on to me for dear life so as not to get swept away in the crowd. We thought about touring the Basilica or the clock tower, but the lines were longer than the best rides at Great Adventure. So we got a bit of lunch and of course some gelato and then got back on the water bus towards the main station since this was the last day of of our pass.


I wanted to see what the Jewish Ghetto area was, so we got of at San Marcoula and went down more streets lined with tourists and crappy vendors selling chachka. There were public toilets, but they cost 1.50 euro which seems to be a thing in Europe. I guess it's better than not having any option at all like in NYC or even Minneapolis. I don't like that they charge in the train station and sometimes in restaurants, but I think it is a good idea in public areas. I'm sure they make enough to keep it maintained. Anyway, so there was nothing special about the so called Jewish Ghetto except things might have been a tad cheaper. We just walked and walked and walked until we finally just decided to take a break in a quiet spot along the canal.


As we were walking around again, a Gondola driver approached me and I must have been in a weakened state... I asked how much and he said 80 euro... I pouted a little, and he said OK, for such a pretty lady, I'll do it for 70. I said maybe and walked a few feet away and looked to see how much money I had on me. I am not usually one for bargaining.. actually I hate discussing money at all, but all I had was 60 euro, so that's what I told him. He conversed with his partner for a minute saying things like bella and sweet, then finally said OK. I know it is still a ridiculous amount to pay for a boat ride, but when would we ever be in Venice with a chance to ride a Gondola again??


The ride was absolutely lovely! It is such a different view from the canals and so relaxing! The driver gave us a tour and explained some of the history. He sang in Italian as he rowed along, which was so adorable. I asked him if there were any women Gondola drivers and he said there are just some starting school for it this year. Wow! And school? Really? He said they have to be able to speak French, Italian, German, and English fluently and know a great deal of the history of Venice in addition to learning how to drive the boat and control with just one oar against the wind and all down the narrow canals. Said it takes a couple years and there are many exams. He was so funny and even did a Fonzy impression when he passed by his friend whose name is Bollo, like the Italian Fonzy. It was hilarious mostly because it was so absurd. The ride took about an hour. When we got off the boat he asked where my husband was and I replied, Husband? Bah! Who needs a husband! He started cracking up and almost fell in the water.


We walked on a bit more and started scanning the menus for an actual Italian dinner we could eat. We came along a place that had Melanzane alla parmiggiana! Michele had suggested this dish. We asked if it was vegetarian and the waiter promised it was. I almost jumped for joy! So we sat down and ordered. They only had one serving left and Skylar kindly let me have it and ordered spinat riccot canneloni instead. Both were delicious! I even ordered a glass of wine, but since I have the tolerance of a hamster, I was all giggly and clumsy by about half way through. We stayed for a few extra minutes and did some people watching . Of course we got some more gelato and then walked on to the station. We got there a bit early, so we went to the park again.

Back at the hostel, we packed up all our things and souvenirs. I doubt I'll ever go back to Venice for vacation, but it was definitely a great experience! Skylar was enthralled and that is all that matters.

More pictures can be seen at http://picasaweb.google.com/osani77/VeniceDay5

12 September - Burano and the Doge Palace

We slept in a bit later this morning. The sun must have really did us in yesterday. We took our time and got breakfast at the hostel restaurant. It was nothing special, just a few scrambled eggs with some tomato and onion and a basket of quartered toast pieces. Simple, but good.



When we got into Venice, we took the water bus to Fondamente Nove and walked around a little. Then took another boat to Burano. It was quite a long ride, but Skylar wanted to see all the brightly colored houses. We got good seats again, so we just relaxed. There is something about taking a boat that makes the drive time not seem to matter at all. Burano is an island that is known for it's brightly colored houses that were painted by the wives of fisherman so they could identify which one was theirs from out at sea. As we got nearer we passed a few smaller islands that looked like they had been submerged in water from time to time. As we got nearer to Burano, we saw the brilliant blues, yellows, red, purples, and pinks of the buildings. Every house was a different color! Not just any color either, but beautiful bright, vibrant colors! Burano is also known for their lace, so there were many shops with fancy lace dresses and scarves. Many of the inhabitants were just going about their regular business hanging their laundry out on a line. It really made me feel like we had gone to some little villiage from long ago full of wives waiting for their husbands to return from the sea. There was also quite a few cats and dogs wandering around. There doesn't seem to be any leash laws here, so even in Venice the dogs just run around. At least they don't have to worry about them getting hit by cars :)



Again we tried to search for vegetarian food options, but gave up and had pizza again. I do love pizza though, so it was just fine by me. Maybe in less touristy parts of Italy the food selection is better. Besides, since Burano is a fishing village, just about everything had fish in it.


After lunch, we took a foot bridge to a neighboring island and walked around it. We came to a cemetery that was very well kept. All the graves had flowers on them and they were the kind above the ground with clean polished stone lids. There were many really fancy ones and also some that looked like drawers. Once we circled the whole island, we headed back over to Burano and caught the water bus back to Venice.

Skylar had picked the Doge Palace out of the sight seeing book as a place he really wanted to see, so we went there this afternoon. The place was extraordinary! The ceilings are all painted and decorated with exquisite detail. The Doge Palace is where the council representatives sat and the Doge is like the president. The palace is filled with courtrooms, meeting rooms, hearing areas, and the prisons. In the center is a beautiful courtyard. There are rooms of weapons and torture devices as well. Pictures were not supposed to be taken, but we got a few. The paintings have gone through many renovations and even redone after a fire in about 1500.


As it was getting late and Skylar was in a hurry to get back to the hostel, we caught another water bus back to the main station. We got to watch the sun set over the canal from the boat; it was breathtaking! The buildings look even more beautiful along the canal in the evening. There were tons of tourists getting Gondola rides. I thought we would do it, but at 80 euro, I am a little hesitant. Skylar hasn't pushed for it at all once I told him how much they cost and he seems happy with the water bus boat, so that's good. We got to the shuttle just in time. Another long day that was over before we knew it.

More photos can be seen at http://picasaweb.google.com/osani77/VeniceDay4