some observations

1. Venetians are spoilt.
All they have is tourism, and they treat Tourists with utter transparent disdain.
And numbers are down, Venice is quiet, and its colder than usual, no queues, in fact we even seem to be coming across the same people over and over, and we walked for 4 hours today.
If the tourism drops, they dont really have too much else.. the population is aging, 40 % of all the buildings are empty, 50% of all shops are boarded up at the moment, Gondolas are sitting covered, out of use, and the Economic crisis will be peaking in Summer, in 6 months, so it will be interesting to watch.
2. The Ultimate comment
When we were researching this B&B, I went to trip advisor.com to check out the comments.
One is worth reproducing, and I will find it. Basically, its a woman who stayed here, and got lost.. then she says, and I quote"they should let people know that Venice is not a place for tourists!"
3. The B&B is very nice.
the room is huge, even with 4 of us in here..
Its a 650 year old building, Elenora is the owner and her family have lived here for 200 years..
there is a painting on the ceiling that was painted 500 years ago.
Its got a funny smell when you walk in,(all Venice smells) but thats due to the ground floor being flooded with high tides, and the recent big ones that hit last month.
The family all live on the second floor. She has 3 children who fight. enough said. Thats the beauty of a B&B, isnt it?

4.Its cold, really cold. a mix of snow and rain today, so we have come back early. Hopefully it will have cleared tomorrow, so we can Take Hannah on her Gondola ride.
5.
Booked and paid for train tickets to Sorrento today, with a sleeping car, with bunk beds in it.
So, we will do the overnighter, as it is a 10 hour trip.
I am currently trying to book accommodation, an apartment, for a week, so we can go to Pompeii, Herculeum, Naples to the Museum of Pompeii, then to the Amalfi coast..So, after enough time there, maybe add a week, if it works well, we will come up to Rome, then after 4 days, head on to Tuscany.
Mark wants to get up to see freinds in Innsbruck..
We are now past the half way mark..
6.
the tourist shops.
Glass, glass, glass, shoes, paper shops, clothes, masks, and more masks.
and some Handbag shops,
We had to try and buy some birthday candles toda, which we finally got , but note to self.If anyone is having a birthday, bring the candles from home.
7. Hannahs birthday
It had a real swiss theme, as thats where I shopped.
She asked for a snow globe, and I found one of a cow in a field. Then I found this thing that moos like a cow if upside down.its a little tube thing
some Chocolate coins, some socks and underwear(her request) some track pants, and some fleece pants to tuck into boots and keep warm, plus got her a black collared sweater top.
Oh, and some chocolates that look like Swiss Army knives.
She is simply satisfied that one...
and thats it.
8.
I want to cook, I miss cooking.
Hannah and I have scoured every menu looking for Risotto Milanese, that Oscar made, and nothing, only found risotto on 3 menus from the hundred or so we have stopped at.
I want to make some, I want that freedom back
I think we were spoilt in Switzerland!
the home cooking, the big table to sit at and have coffee.
Anyway.
I am missing home now.
I guess its been over 4 weeks now,
But loving this holiday, and loving the fact that so far, nothing major has gone wrong, that the kids have been good company, and we are managing as a unit of 4, to get around, and all stay on the same page(sort of)