OK, after finally settling down following our return and catching up on pressing matters I am now going to try to bring the blog up to date.

Wednesday the 28th dawned cold and rainy so we didn't get to do some of our last minute touring around Rome before heading to the airport and then off to Berlin where we had secured a hotel room to while away a 13 hour layover.

We had hoped to do a little sightseeing by local bus but on arrival we found that Berlin was also under a rainy sky and the temperature was much lower. Once we arrived at the hotel we checked in, dashed around the corner for a bite to eat and then turned in for the night with an order to the desk for a 4:45 wakeup call.

The following morning saw little change so we slogged to the bus stop in the rain and made our way to the airport. The flight got off on time and we arrived in Miami 11 hours later. We picked up the car and drove to Fort Lauderdale and spent a delightful evening with Carmine, Patty, Janice and Enrique. Carmine and Patty hosted us for the night and around 5:00 Friday morning we were wide awake so we got up and made an early start on the drive back to St Augustine arriving around noon.

Since being back we have gotten caught up on things like getting out to Avelinda and starting her engine to recharge the dead batteries, mowing the yard, having the new roof put on, repairing the dinghy trailer wheels which needed new bearings, visiting local friends and oh yea we even got out one evening for a couple hours sail on Sally Ride. Right now, Saturday morning, I’m waiting on a gentleman to come look at the truck we are getting rid of and Nancy is at work so I have been afforded the perfect time to catch up the blog.

The pictures below were taken in Venice. We arrived on the 9th of Nov. and were there for five days so took quite a few and these are a sampling. As time permits I will get on to posting ones taken throughout our visit to the rest of Umbria until I catch up to the first part of the blog.

 Our room was on the top floor directly across from the greenery hanging over the wall

 The view out our window

 Quite waterway

 These guys exercised every day like this

 This is a plaque outside the Jewish Ghetto depicting the treatment of Jews during WWII 

 Main Square of  the Jewish Ghetto

 A wall of bronze plaques dedicated to the Jews who suffered under the hands of the Germans during WWII, I have enlarged each one below

 Is she loving it or what

Taxi ride across the Grand Canal  

There were many beautiful private launches like this one

 Here we are with the Grand Canal behind

 A typical Venice street

 Another one

 Notice the high water mark. During Aqua Alta it gets much higher

 Do I look like I'm having fun or what?

 Gondola jam

 Gondola parking lot

 Here Nancy & I exchange club burgies with the vice commodore of the Venice Yacht Club

 A view of the interior of the yacht club

Yacht club docks