Venice and Thanksgiving!

Hello, all! Sorry it's been a little while since my last post. I was waiting for significant things to write about. Last weekend Adair, Jenna and I ventured to the romantic city of Venice. Spencer had his own little adventure in Barcelona--so being free of the little testosterone in our daily lives--we decided to enjoy Venice in a "Mom's weekend" fashion. And, believe me, we did.
Mom's weekend for us meant: taking 2-3 hours to eat meals (obviously crushing bottles of wine in the process), going to bed early, sightseeing, and jewelry shopping. "The City of Water" provided a perfect venue for said activities.
Unfortunately the hostel we booked wasn't located "on the island of Venice"--as the snippy lady at the information counter so kindly informed us. Our hostel was in normal Venice. Must less picturesque. Lesson learned: Googlemap hostels before you book them. After we checked in we learned that we were staying in a 4 person room instead of a 3 person room. Oh, hey, strange Mexican girl. How are you doing? Sorry that Adair's sitting on your bed... Yep, conversation went something like that. So we went out to dinner to escape from our roommate. Three hour dinner--only people in the restaurant--ordered dessert. (fat 12-year-old Lauren did cartwheels) Got it.
The next day we went to ACTUAL Venice and wandered around with our friend Stacey who studies with us in Florence. It really is a cool city. I couldn't get over all of the crazy little canals and bridges, or the fact that because there are no cars on the island public transportation is a ferry. We had a good time window shopping at all of the fun glass shops--and running away from all of the terrifying stores with Carnavale masks on display. Not into that at all. The weather on Saturday was nice. Yep, I made a point of saying that because the weather on Sunday was NOT nice. Water below us--water above us...this calls for Skippers.
That happened. These are the crazy-immigrants-who sell things on the street's dream come true! Ten euro for a pair of these outrageous knee length waterproof "boots". But look how fashionable we looked wading through St. Mark's square, with water mid-calf. I really couldn't believe it. Quite an experience. I'd say the Skippers were one of the highlights of Venice. We looked like such assholes. (Excuse my language, but it's the most appropriate word, I promise.)
This week was pretty uneventful. Pretty cold and rainy--a little depressing leading up to Thanksgiving. Until we started planning our holiday potluck at our British friends' "flat".
It was "lovely"--or some other equally British sounding adjective. Our adorable friend Anna (not British) took it upon herself to make a turkey, stuffing, vegetables, mashed potatoes, and even found the ONLY place in Florence that makes pumpkin pie, and then asked if we could have our feast at her friends' apartment. I was put in charge of bringing rolls. Level of surprise: low. But, dammit. I brought some great rolls.
Anna even made these placecards. There's a bronze statue of a hog in Firenze that people believe has the power to guarantee a return trip to the city if you rub his nose. How cute are these?!
After our adorable feast, the English girls' first- I might add, we decided to play a board game. In keeping with Thanksgiving tradition. A little less outrageous than in the Evans home, but not by much. I think an equal amount of wine may have been consumed. The game we chose was called "Articulate!". It was Catchphrase. British style. How perfect is that, that they call Catchphrase "Articulate!"?! Let's just say that there are some pop culture icons who haven't made it across the pond...and made for some pretty funny descriptions to the ignorant Americans. With that said, Spencer didn't know who ABBA was. Anna got really competitive, in a Sara Evans style, and I called her "the Holiday Bitch". Everyone thought it was pretty hilarious that I call my mom that, but it made me feel even more at home.
So, it was strange not to be at home or in Cambria sharing Thanksgiving with my wonderful family and friends for whom I am so thankful, but I wasn't lonely. Va bene.
Miss and love you all. Baci!Now let the Christmas carols and excessive viewing of A Muppet Christmas Carol begin...