The Grand Canal

NOT the Grand Canal!

Tuesday, June 12


Yesterday was primarily a traveling day.  We did meet with a friend of ours, Lisa, that lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children.  We saw her apartment, then walked with her and the children to Prospect Park for a picnic.  Lisa shared the realities of living and shopping in New York--especially with two young children (4 and almost 1)  in New York.  Walking a few miles each way to the bagel store, then back to the apartment, then a mile and a half each way to the preschool co-op, then a mile each way to the park with us.  A lot of walking each day and only purchasing what you can carry (or can put in the stroller).  Also, the difficulties of space.  They have a two-bedroom apartment, but she needs to use the smaller bedroom as her studio for her freelance projects.  The whole family sleeps in the larger bedroom.  A larger apartment would be so much more expensive and could cost the preschool co-op they helped form, the neighbors on their street, etc.  Also, the cost is prohibitive.

Evelyn and Joshua

Liam and Evelyn

 On the way back to the apartment, we called a car service for a ride to the airport--it costs almost as much for a family of five as taking the subway and the airport train.   We traveled by overnight flight to Dublin, then to Venice where, in a sleep-deprived haze, we found the bus and Randy was able to direct us the mile or so to our apartment.  We have two rooms.  One room has a bed and fold-out couch.  The other room has a fold-out couch, a table you can assemble and folding chairs, with a kitchenette on one wall.  We arrived a few hours early, so we took our bags to the grand canal near a market and found fruit for lunch with granola bars, then napped in the sun.  Soon we could get into our apartment where we took a three-hour nap.  Then to the Rialto bridge, St. Mark's square, and finding a grocerystore (more than the small market down the street).  Walking around the narrow alleys with buildings made of stone and plaster makes me feel like I'm in a medieval village.  I wore comfortable clothes to travel in on the airplane.  I'm looking forward to a skirt and sandals tomorrow--cool and comfortable and more attractive than my black t-shirt and knit capris!

Just arrived in Venice

San Marco Cathedral

From New York, the overseas flight was so much shorter than from Minneapolis or Chicago.  Then the short flight from Dublin to Venice (because we flew Aer Lingus they have layovers in Dublin).  Now Randy is making dinner and we are planning an evening walk for whoever is interested--it will most likely be just Randy and I.  This summer, Annie does not have AP summer homework, so she can just enjoy the vacation without the evil specter looming of a huge assignment waiting for her when we go home.  Joshua is making full use of his iPod camera--taking over a hundred pictures a day!  He is learning the fine art of editing, when he goes through them at night and  deletes the bad photos or duplicates.  Shelby was forced to eat a cherry by a fruit seller.