GLORIA:Automobile, train, vaporetto and water taxi took us to the island of Venice, which dates from 600 B.C. but founded in the year 421, appropriately on 25 April which is "St. Mark's Day".Large crowds, intermittent rain, and familiar sights greeted us.After a pleasant lunch Kirsten, Glenna, and I walked to La Fenice, the famed opera house which opened in 1792.I had wanted to see it since reading the book, "The City of Falling Angels" by John Berendt. We were able to watch a rehearsal of a forthcoming opera.The last restoration of the building from a devastating fire in 1996 has brought it back to former glory.

Kirsten, Oz, Keith and Barry remained in Venice for more sightseeing.Then occurred the "third event".When they arrived at Padua to pick up their car the parking garage was closed for the night. They walked through an area of homeless persons, found an open store where the owner understood English and who arranged for the garage to be opened, on the highway got rather lost, waved down a car which stopped to help, found the driver spoke English and had a GPS to get directions though Kirsten was not sure of the name of the town where our Villa was located, phoned Glenna at 2:30 a.m. to get information, and, finally, made it home without further mishap.The saint of lost souls must have been looking over them and they welcomed their comfortable beds.

Gail and Richard left our tour at Venice as they spent the week-end there before heading back to home and work on Sunday.