Venice

We got to Venice and immediately got lost trying to find our hotel. It was so interesting getting lost in the tiny walkways of Venice- none of the walkways are straight so we thought we were just getting more lost as we went. Between a teacher and a Navy Air traffic controller, we realized that we couldn't read maps too well (this skill did get better as the trip went on). We feasted the first day there- I had gnocchi with a four cheese sauce. Couldn't finish it b/c the sauce was so rich, but oh, it was so good. Matt got the frutte del mar, so he got to sample Venice's seafood. We walked all around the town, but it was hard to be romantic during the strolls. The walkways were so narrow, that with all the foot traffic, we had to walk single file (and we even visited off peak). What was romantic was sitting in the cafes, sipping wine, people watching and just catching up. We went to the Doge's Palace in St. Mark's and it was crazy that one of the most powerful men in Venice lived in a home that also housed prisons...wonder how tight security was back then? We also walked into Harry's Bar, which was recommended by the Fodor's book. We walked in, the waiters were in tuxs and when we sat down and got the menu, we almost choked on the bread. The prices were so exhorbant, but we were so embarrassed to get up and leave that we ordered one entree, split it and left hungry and a little shell shocked that half our traveler's checks were gone. My bellini was about $25 for a 5 oz. glass. Oh, traveling and getting used to the exchange rate :-)