June 5, 1969 Venice, Italy

It is funny how some things stay with you.  I still remember my disappointment in being in Venice because it rained while we were there.  It had rained all through the night and was cloudy the next day.

We arose in the morning and headed to the Murano Glass Factory.  I mentioned in the diary that we had a guide so I guess we went on a tour.  At the factory I ordered  my hand-blown glasses, engraved and with 18K gold banding.  I ordered 12 champagne flutes and 12 wine glasses and had them shipped home.  I still have all of them.

I discovered that it is really hard to take pictures of etched glass.  Several years ago I was wandering the streets in New York and saw the water glasses that match this set and talked myself out of buying them.  Such willpower.

From the glass factory we went to St. Mark's Square.  I still remember all the tourists feeding the pigeons.  I remember touring the church.

It is funny that now when I see travel videos on TV about St. Mark's there are these unbelievably long lines, yet I do not remember ever standing in long lines to see anything in Venice.

There was a store selling Murano glass and Shar bought some more items to ship home.  I remember a couple from New York who were standing outside the store and looking at the hand-blown glass.  The husband told the wife that he wasn't paying those ridiculous prices for glass when he could buy the same stuff much cheaper at K-Mart.  Americans!

I made mention that we met some sailors who invited us aboard their ship the Nave Umberto Grosso, but I have no memory of that at all.  We did ride in a vaporetto and went back to the hotel.  We then spent the rest of the afternoon walking all over the city.

The total spent today was $89.51.  I still remember that the glasses were $3 each for a total of  $72.  That left $17.51 to cover the tour, the shipping costs, the vaporetto and food.

Shar and I are both starting to feel ill.  Exhaustion, allergies, cold?  I forgot to mention that when we were in Barcelona, it was the first time I had ever been able to 'see' the air.  The pollution was terrible.  Now, four days later, we are both reeling from something.