We're in Venice!

Well, it's certainly been a long day! And now, as I write this first of my Venice Blog entries, the clocks in New York stand at exactly 24 hours since we arrived at JFK on Thursday.

We arrived at JFK at 3:00 Thursday afternoon and just now we've returned to our hotel after dinner at 9:00 PM Friday (3:00 PM in New York).

Germany Snow

The first of our Lufthansa flights was terrific. Check-in was easy, we were on time, the plane was clean, sleek and comfortable, and the service was excellent. In fact there were a good number of extra seats in our area so some of us had two seats to ourselves. That helped significantly when it came to catching a few winks in the later hours after dinner when they lowered the cabin lights. I can't vouch for everyone, but I'm pretty sure most of us got at least a few hours of shut-eye. 

There was about an hour and a half left in the flight before landing in Munich when the lights came up again and a light breakfast was served (a fresh fruit cup, a granola bar, a muffin and a choice of something to drink). Looking out the window I could see Germany below, covered in snow, and not long after, we landed in Munich which was cold and still snowing.

Singing at the gate

Then came the layover. And it was a long one indeed: a little more than three hours worth! But the kids handled it perfectly well. We all proceeded to our gate (on what seemed to be the other side of the terminal -- isn't it always that way?), dropped off our carry-ons and coats, and many embarked on a stroll around the terminal while some others waited for their own turn to do the same. They all got drinks, a few snacks, and before you knew it, most of them were back together sitting, chatting, and some singing -- thanks to John Evans' backpacker guitar! The time moved along as we sat in the corner of the gate area, looking through the clear glass at the falling snow, and wondering how much longer it would be till we boarded the shuttle bus out to the tarmac and onto our (much) smaller plane that would take us to Venice. 

de-icing!

The time finally came and we rolled about a mile or so out to the plane where we climbed the stairs and then up and into our seats. Going from 3 seats on the left, 4 in the center, and 3 on the right on our first flight, to only 2 left and 2 right was indeed somewhat of a different experience! But the flight to Venice would only be 50 minutes long, so no problem. Little did we know however that we'd be delayed on the tarmac for about 40 minutes, and then another 15 to be de-iced! But that's the way it happened, and it seemed to me that the kids again did exceptionally well. (Allie and Kim got into a fit of laughter that kept them (and those of us around them) very occupied for most of the time!

Finally we were up, and overlooking the alps, and soon after, the ancient city of Venice! For those of you who've never flown here, the airport is not especially close to the Grand Canal, but we indeed needed a water taxi to get to the hotel. In fact, we needed three taxis. I went along with Trey, Andrew, Jeff, Brittney, Emily, Marina, and Rebecca. The kids squealed out loud shouting things like "I can't believe we're really in Venice!" and thoroughly enjoyed themselves as we bounced over the water and through the Murano Canal on to the island of Lido where our hotel is situated. After about 15 minutes or so, we disembarked not more than fifty yards from the door of the hotel. 

We'd met our Encore tour guide, Colin Murphy, at the airport, and he'd arranged for the taxis and our easy access to our hotel rooms, and in no time we'd freshened up and headed back out to the Piazza San Marco via vaporetto, and through the nearby twisting and winding walkways along the canals. 

It was interesting to watch the kids as they began finishing up their dinners. One by one, heads began to bob, and eyes began to wink more often than normal. Even Mr. Smith, Mrs. Silberfein and myself were getting a bit bleary-eyed after our long day of travel. Now, back at the hotel, it seems I'm the last one awake. It's now nearly midnight here and I'm about to upload these words and pictures. After Colin spoke a bit about the Bridge of Sighs, and Basilica di San Marco (and its origins more than a thousand years ago), and the Piazza's own history, we walked to the Rialto Bridge so the kids could get a first glimpse of the shops and storefronts for what will likely be their re-visits tomorrow and Sunday. In groups of three or more, we all made our way back to the piazza where we re-grouped and headed of to our dinner.

Carlo and Luigi

But I don't mind. I had a special treat myself today: my two very dear friends: brothers Carlo and Luigi, from Rome, came up to meet me, and will be there to hear our concert tomorrow night, as well as our performance at mass in St. Mark's on Sunday morning. Afterward they head back to Rome, and on Monday morning, we head to Cremona by way of Verona.

More tomorrow night after our concert at the Scuola di San Rocco.

Buona sera!