Day 9 - My feet are tired

We had a fun day in Venice shopping in the markets around Rialto and St. Mark's square. We took the vaporetti (water taxi) ride and cruised the grand canal. It was such a beautiful day! Blue sky and mid-70 degree weather. We have only had rain once on this whole trip and it was only for an hour in Rome. We couldn't have asked for better weather. Anyways, Frank and I wandered the streets of Venice and tried to get lost. You can only get so far because it is an island. We enjoyed our wandering and got some good pictures of Venetian architecture-it is gothic with an Islamic influence. We walked and walked and tried to get lost. Venice, as complex as it is, is not hard to find your way around because the main sights are well marked with signs. We have walked so much on this trip- miles and miles a day. We probably haven't lost any weight because of all the pasta, olive oil, and gelato. We are so addicted to olive oil that we poor it on everything we eat! We enjoyed an awesome dinner at a little restaurant in some back alley that took us a while to find-we had stumbled across it yesterday and wanted to come back. A guy with an accordion played out front. It was like a movie. I am completely addicted to Arrbarata (spelling?) sauce with penne- it is spicy and we can't stop eating it! I love you madelyn! Keep posting me notes-I love them!