A few missed happenings :-(

Our last few days have given us pause to reflect on several recent postings and draw breath as our odyssey draws to a close. Our last post about Venice and Vicenza was done in a little haste and not quite enough care so I could get it finished. Alas, a couple of interesting things that happened in Venice and one very incredible thing happened in Vicenza.

Steve, Deb, Jo & Dave

Vicenza first ...

We had a space in our B&B with two ensuite bedrooms and a shared living/kitchen area. An American couple vacated the other room after 2 nights and then we had one alone. Given it was wet, we took the chance to do some washing and had everything spread out around the rooms using the central heating for drying. We thought we had another night alone on the second rainy afternoon when Bob brought in new guests - eek! So we quickly retrieved the mess we had spread around while he showed our new room mates their room and explained how things worked.

The Australian accents were an immediate connection! Deb put the kettle on and started talking with Jo and I was chatting with Dave (the difference between "talking" and "chatting" is very deliberate I might add ;-) ... they went non-stop for about 15 minutes and we had to remind them that there was tea to drink). So as we sat down around the table at last (yes, I know ... the punch line is nigh!) and started drinking, Deb & Dave started to pay attention to one another and almost simultaneously realised they knew eachother ... turns out they are cousins who had not seen each other for around 30 years. Jo & Dave live in Mackay. So how incredible is it that you run into a long lost cousin in an Italian B&B sharing the same room?? Deb's mum couldn't believe it either when we called her for her birthday - helped make the call a little special so that was a treat too.

And as only Australians could, we dined together that night in a Chinese restaurant - SERIOUSLY good food too! I'm sure we will stay in touch. As an aside, Jacinta and mum informed us also that we were likely to have been in Pompeii the same day as a cousin of mine Virginia and her beau (also Steve), though we lay no lcaim to having run into them - that just would have been too incredible ;-).

Ok, a couple of quick omissions from Venice.

We had two unexpected treats (aren't they always the best ones)? One was a series of concerts celebrating the work of Vivaldi as autumn fell - not that we were lucky enough to actually attend, but it was wonderful to see a church set up ready for the concert series (see below). Associated with the Vivaldi concerts was an exhibition of very old musical instruments. The dates on the photo below suggest that these particular ones were made before dates had four figures :-) - the one shown circa 800 apparently ... and there were many other similar examples. A treat was to see a workshop display showing the tools and various stages of making string instruments.

The third photo below is the main alter in the Basilica Santa Maria della Salute showing people who were in singing prayer session - the sound was "divine" and had the effect of requesting you to pause for some time to sit or stand and listen to the exquisite sound under the main dome. Truely a treat.

Chiesa S.Vidal for Vivaldi concerts

Very old wind & string instruments

Santa Maria della Salute (singing)

That will do for now ... still to come before we head home some images and impressions from beautiful Bergamo and a gloomy Milan - the latter teaming with people the same way Rome was with traffic, a very wierd sensation!