Research

Research material.  I am not an avid planner.  More of a dreamer really.  I love to learn information about places I want to visit.  So I started a library of books (and one DVD so far).  I have also been listening to a learn Italian DVD.  "Vorrei del vino per favore" will get me a glass of wine, I am learning the important phrases first of course, where is the bathroom, I would like a glass of wine, or beer, where is ... It has been fun, although a bit confusing with my Spanish as some Italian words, although similar to Spanish are pronounced differently.


 For example Thanks, - Italian "Grazie" (phonetically gra-tsi).  Spanish - gracias  (gra-see-ahs)  So I think I may be speaking Spanglitalian, for sure I will have a Spanish accent when I speak Italian!  The languages are similar, but not as much as one would think.

So far I have reserved a room in Venice for two nights here http://www.venicehoteladriatico.com/
this hotel is close to the train station (2 or 3 blocks). I will get there via water taxi which will drop me off in one of the Venice canals very close to the hotel.  Seems strange to go to a city where there are no cars.  Random facts about Venice:

• There are about 3,000 alley ways in Venice which if laid end-to-end would stretch for 120 miles.
• There are around 400 bridges - I will try to track how many I cross during my visit.
• Population of Venice is less than 60,000 and half of them are involved in tourism

And one last quick fact... Vivaldi, probably my favorite composer was born in Venice in 1678.
Ciao miei amici!