Ciao and buon giorno from Venice!  I am here, safe and sound, and have finally found a moderately reliable internet signal.

Travels here was, how shall we say, interesting.  We left DC on Monday evening, landed in CDG, Paris the next morning, and then sat through canceled flights and delays in Paris for 8 hours of layover (it was supposed to be 1 1/2).  The Italians airport workers were striking, thus the delayed flights.

OK, Venice is lovely.  Boats are the busses, the roads are water, amazing pizza is the new fried chicken.  Oh, and amazing coffee is the new crummy coffee.

So I’m sitting here, waiting for flickr to upload (I just had to pick the 88 second video to upload, didn’t I?) and catching up on some e-mails.

Fun facts so far:
Espresso Doppia = fabulousness – photos to follow I promise.
Italians are loud, pretty much always.
Gelato for 1.50E is a dangerous thing.
Boats are fun but I have a newfound fear of watching my phone or camera to kerplunk.

Yes, that’s what I’m afraid of.  Dropping a 39E Italian phone, not losing my passport, not running out of $$$, a stupid phone. Or my Leica digital.  Maybe that’s a more justifiable fear.

It struck me mid-way through my first day here that I was in Italy for a MONTH. All of you who asked me if I was excited to go last week? Remember when I said “I haven’t even thought about it yet?” – I hadn’t.  So, any and all of those loose ends I may have left behind: sorry.

Anyway, sorry to run, but I’m starving – it’s 9PM here.  Pizza awaits.  And una biere.