Prague to Venice, Day 18

Venice's Grand Canal.

1. Everything went smoothly/on time today, but it took a lot to get here! Wake-up call at 3 AM, taxi at 4, plane to Frankfurt at 6, plane to Venice area, after which it wasn't at all clear how we were going to get to our hotel. But everyone was nice/helpful, and we took the bus to Venice proper, figured out the water taxi (essentially like a bus on the water), took the water taxi to the right general area, asked a nice older Italian gentleman to point the way to the hotel, which he did with a very friendly "Welcome to Venice!" thrown in at the end. Nine hours later, here we are
2. Our hotel is an old monastery at the very southern tip of Venice, a very green, park-like and residential part of the city. We were in the very center of everything in Prague...kind of nice to get away from that a little. And church bells rang right next to our room at noon, welcoming us to the city. Love the church bells...
3. The sun is shining! And it's still a little chilly, but so much warmer than it's been (it said 4 C on the water taxi, not sure what that translates to.) There were actually people sitting at outdoor cafes today, coats on, but still...
4. For lunch we were sent to a little shop 10 minutes away, where the woman running it had a few bowls of things in the deli case in back, spooned portions onto a paper plate and heated them up for you. I had pasta with broccoli, and chicory (bitter but good) on the side. Yum
5. Back outside our hotel this afternoon after exploring a bit, there was a grey tabby cat, healthy and well fed, that came right up to me, insisted I pet it, even jumped up in my lap when I kneeled down to scratch it behind the ears. Friendliest cat ever

I think we're going to really like Venice!