Very Very Njce ! (and am not yet really awake ! So know a return for a ‘real read needed ! Yes .. over a second cup of coffee & sun getting up too ! But the thought of ‘those canaries delights ! 🦎🏴☠️
Thank you so much for saying that, Jim. Most of my affairs with foreign waiters have been purely fictional. I have a very active fantasy life. Always have. Ha ha
Lord no. I wouldn't have lasted a day. Don't have the temperament for it. Have you ever seen the movie Hell or High Water with Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine and Ben Foster? I would have been the male version of the older lady taking the order in the dusty cafe.
Venice has a way of lodging itself in the hearts of its visitors that no other city can match. Your precious recollections stirred some of my own. I wonder if, given how much more commercial and digital everything is now, there still are families living there, whose little boys have time to hang out in piazzettas and play pranks on passersby?
No. I am afraid not. Phones and video games rule the day. Everywhere. And I am guessing that a good share of younger tourists spend most of their travel time time taking selfies. I remain optimistic.
Sharron, you are the merchant of Venice. I am sold on the house cat and sleeping in a lumpy bed listening to gondolier’s o solo meows turning on blind canal curves. Breakfast pizza awaits. Espresso in my cup. Red geraniums bloom.
I loved this bittersweet, comical, and sublime day in the life of Venice. I can really relate to that mattress hack, although it doesn't work well when one flips a queen bed. The indents are surprising.
The boys prank on the tourist reminds me of my grandson and, at three, his wicked sense of humor. Boys can be so much fun even when they're aggravating.
As I walked down Venice's streets with you, I remembered similar walks I took in Israel: the sensual shape and waxy textural of the sandstone walls, the burlap bags of grains and spices in the old shops, the sounds of street life filtering upward to the rooftop terrace of an old Jerusalem house. Cats wandering the alleys.
Thank you, Sharron. Eight visits to this city. It is a marvel you didn't stay forever.
I only want to live where my son lives. If he decided to pack up and move to Canada, I would go. And the way things are going, it could come to that. I hope. you will write about your times in Israel for us.
Totally understand wanting to be near your son. I don't think I'd want to be too far away from my "kids" either. As for Israel, I've got to wrap my mind around how to do that. As soon as I returned, I started writing a novel about it all. The only copy is buried in the bottom of my bureau drawer. Maybe I should dust it off if only to describe the evolution of the kibbutz.
Absolutely love this writing. The bed, the surly Bavarian, the handsome waiter, the cheeky young lads and the pranked tourist. Beautifully unfurled. A love letter to observation and the finest kind of travel writing.
I haven’t travelled far, in my time, but I feel like I’ve been all over the world when I read your travel stories, Sharron. You have a great eye for detail, and you are an excellent story-teller and writer. I have had had the benefit of being on the receiving end of both. Thanks for another delightful journey, Sharron!
Thank you, Sharon, for sticking with me all these years. So many tales to tell and so little time. It fills my heart to know that you still enjoy them. A true friend.
I have always loved your stories....fiction or travel, memoir or cat stories. These are all a part of you. You make me smile, and you make me think. I appreciate you, my friend.
Such beautifully interwoven stories of a wonderful trip, Sharron! The de Niro waiter, the gooseberry jam, the jigsaw photograph, the gang of small boys. Thank you so much for the peep over your shoulder into such a magical place.
Very Very Njce ! (and am not yet really awake ! So know a return for a ‘real read needed ! Yes .. over a second cup of coffee & sun getting up too ! But the thought of ‘those canaries delights ! 🦎🏴☠️
Good morning, sleepy head. Thanks for reading over here at Leaves.
You brought me there. ❤️
Oh good! Thank you Vikki for saying that. A pleasure to hear from you this morning!
Absolutely brilliant writing Sharron. You're favorite waiter might have been thinking the same thing, you never know. Great job here. - Jim
Thank you so much for saying that, Jim. Most of my affairs with foreign waiters have been purely fictional. I have a very active fantasy life. Always have. Ha ha
Most? It takes a scoundrel to notice that...and I noticed, haha.
Hmmm. Were you ever a waiter, Jim...? Just asking for a friend.
Lord no. I wouldn't have lasted a day. Don't have the temperament for it. Have you ever seen the movie Hell or High Water with Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine and Ben Foster? I would have been the male version of the older lady taking the order in the dusty cafe.
Venice has a way of lodging itself in the hearts of its visitors that no other city can match. Your precious recollections stirred some of my own. I wonder if, given how much more commercial and digital everything is now, there still are families living there, whose little boys have time to hang out in piazzettas and play pranks on passersby?
No. I am afraid not. Phones and video games rule the day. Everywhere. And I am guessing that a good share of younger tourists spend most of their travel time time taking selfies. I remain optimistic.
My world is smaller than yours, fewer miles from side to side, shrinking as time goes. This is my happy place. )))
Indiana! Crossroads of America. Everyone on the way to somewhere else. But you have made your own paradise and are sticking with it!
Sharron, you are the merchant of Venice. I am sold on the house cat and sleeping in a lumpy bed listening to gondolier’s o solo meows turning on blind canal curves. Breakfast pizza awaits. Espresso in my cup. Red geraniums bloom.
You have it exactly right, Richard. Nailed it.
I can relate to the lumpy beds. I've enjoyed your trips to Venice and the stirring of my own memories there as well.
Oh good, James Ron. Sometimes it is good to hear others' perspectives, isn't it? Next time we see each other we can talk travel. Oh boy!
Venice...an icon brought back to life by your little stories. The magic delights me!
Gratsi! ( I probably didn''t spell the Italian correctly--bt I know you know
!!
Yes. And Grazie to you for coming by to read these little accounts. I appreciate it so much, Jill.
Loved this taste of Venice. I hope it's still the same when I get there--except maybe the bed part.
More than just a travelogue, as usual Sharron. Wonderful imagery.
Thank you, Jim. I know this is the second time through for you. I appreciate your generosity in giving it a go again. A true friend.
I loved this bittersweet, comical, and sublime day in the life of Venice. I can really relate to that mattress hack, although it doesn't work well when one flips a queen bed. The indents are surprising.
The boys prank on the tourist reminds me of my grandson and, at three, his wicked sense of humor. Boys can be so much fun even when they're aggravating.
As I walked down Venice's streets with you, I remembered similar walks I took in Israel: the sensual shape and waxy textural of the sandstone walls, the burlap bags of grains and spices in the old shops, the sounds of street life filtering upward to the rooftop terrace of an old Jerusalem house. Cats wandering the alleys.
Thank you, Sharron. Eight visits to this city. It is a marvel you didn't stay forever.
I only want to live where my son lives. If he decided to pack up and move to Canada, I would go. And the way things are going, it could come to that. I hope. you will write about your times in Israel for us.
Totally understand wanting to be near your son. I don't think I'd want to be too far away from my "kids" either. As for Israel, I've got to wrap my mind around how to do that. As soon as I returned, I started writing a novel about it all. The only copy is buried in the bottom of my bureau drawer. Maybe I should dust it off if only to describe the evolution of the kibbutz.
Love your writing on Venice! And the mattress… What is stroke of genius?.
Absolutely love this writing. The bed, the surly Bavarian, the handsome waiter, the cheeky young lads and the pranked tourist. Beautifully unfurled. A love letter to observation and the finest kind of travel writing.
I haven’t travelled far, in my time, but I feel like I’ve been all over the world when I read your travel stories, Sharron. You have a great eye for detail, and you are an excellent story-teller and writer. I have had had the benefit of being on the receiving end of both. Thanks for another delightful journey, Sharron!
Thank you, Sharon, for sticking with me all these years. So many tales to tell and so little time. It fills my heart to know that you still enjoy them. A true friend.
I have always loved your stories....fiction or travel, memoir or cat stories. These are all a part of you. You make me smile, and you make me think. I appreciate you, my friend.
Such beautifully interwoven stories of a wonderful trip, Sharron! The de Niro waiter, the gooseberry jam, the jigsaw photograph, the gang of small boys. Thank you so much for the peep over your shoulder into such a magical place.