FarewellVeniceHelloAgainTimorLeste

With this last photo I say goodby to my favorite city and get ready for the next adventure - back to the small half island country of Timor-Leste. The cab will be here to pick me up in 3 hours to begin the 35+ hour trip (Santa Fe to Albuquerque to Atlanta to Los Angeles to Sydney to Darwin to Timor-Leste). Again Doug and I will be returning to the school to finish projects that we started on our last trip. We have already received kind welcoming letters from Mr Krisna, the head of the school and Juliao, an important local contributor to the school's success. After a month in Timor-Leste we will spend a few days visiting Adelaide and Sydney Australia. In Sydney, I will fulfill a decades old dream of actually seeing an opera (Carmen) in the exquisite Sydney Opera House. So to everyone, thanks for reading the blog, and I hope you will come along with me on the next adventure. Happy Trails from Ramblinme (ILMOB)

RialtoAndFarewell

The Rialto Bridge is directly across the island from St. Marks Square and everything here is more reasonably priced (hence my purchase for 30 euros of a pair of black suede thigh high boots). Our hotel, the Amadeus, was close to the bridge and I couldn't have been more pleased with the location or hotel. The only negative was that my Australian friend was elsewhere and I was actively trying not to think of him. Of course the hotel was filled with high school students from Perth and there was no shutting out the sounds of Australian accents.

TheFamousBellTowerInStMarksSquare

SaintMark

This is a photo of the interior of the cathedral where the remains of Saint Mark are said to be buried.

LastGlimpseOfFreedom

The famous Bridge of Sighs connects the Palace with the jails of ancient Venice. It was said that as the prisoners crossed the bridge they were able to catch their last glimpse of freedom through these tiny portals and they would sigh as they took their last look. Casanova himself was one of the famous prisoners taking a last look through a portal on the Bridge of Sighs.

DogesPalace

For centuries Venice had been led by an elderly Doge. For the first time, I actually visited inside the famous Doge's Palace and it was spectacular.

SymbolOfVenice

GondolaliersSecrets

Some interesting facts on Gondola drivers from this trip - they are among the richest people in the city. I heard that if you look at the cars that they own, it is a nice selection of the most exotic and expensive. The Gondoliers have followed centuries of tradition by passing the job down from Father to Son. Recently Venice has seen its first woman Gondolier and there is an enormous uproar from everyone, even the woman's own Father.

StMarksSquareLandmark

WaterfrontCrowdNearStMarksSquare

St Mark's Square is the heart of Venice and it is where most of the tourist crowds seem to congregate, even on the coldest days. Hotel rates increase in direct proportion to how close you are to the square. It is a wonderful amalgam of tourists, vendors, gondolas, artists. performers, beautiful buildings, pigeons, and amazing views from the waterfront.

MyHeartBelongsToVenezia

The last stop on the tour was the exquisite city of Venice, Italy - locally known as Venezia. It has always been, and continues to be, my favorite city in the world. In my opinion, it has more beauty per square inch than any other city.

LoranBusDriverExtraordinaire

Our bus for the tour was the largest I have ever seen and Loran, our driver, could navigate through some of the smallest streets I have ever seen and through some of the roughest weather conditions. He was incredible. I lost count of how many times the entire bus broke out in applause in appreciation of his ability to "thread the needle." Both Loran and Krjstijan, I am sure you have noticed, are very handsome, and I promised that once their photos hit the net, tourism to Croatia and Slovenia would triple.

DynamicTrioFromOurTourGroup

My favorite representatives from Chicago, Atlanta, and Winnipeg!

CeilingDetailInBledCastle

OurTourGroupAtTheBledCastle

Our guide Krjstijen is in the forefront snapping away like the rest of us. He is from Slovenia and explained one difference between Slovenians and Croatians, "We are introverted. We don't sing. Okey, we sing when we get drunk. Croatians, they like to sing. We are highlanders and highlanders are forced to be introverted to be accurate during the winters. They don't like to spend. That's why Switzerland with all the banks became so successful."

LunchWithAMillionDollarView

MoiAtBledCastle

ViewOfBledFromTheCastle

BledCastle

MirroredAlpsInBled

BledBeauty

You can walk 7 km around the lake in Bled and see the most beautiful cathedral, the most beautiful fortress, and the snow capped Alps mirrored in the perfectly blue water.

BledMyTripFavorite

Before this trip I knew almost nothing about Eastern Europe and I certainly had never heard of Bled in Slovenia. If Walt Disney had been alive during the Midddle Ages, he would have designed Bled - quite possibly one of the most beautiful spots on earth.