Yes, I am in Venice, and finally in the hotel room. I have a ton of pictures that I took, which I will eventually get posted (this evening) but for now, I really just need to nap for a while.

Our flight left Munich on time–in a twin turboprop aircraft that reminded me of the Saab’s that I used to fly up to Santa Cruz. Up over the Alps we went and down into Venice. When we exited the plane, I was dumped into the baggage claim area which confused me because there was no customs. I picked up my luggage and never had to declare anything and this I found unnerving–until it was explained to me that because I came into Italy via the EU (Germany) and had my passport stamped there, another stamp wasn’t needed upon entering Italy. Okay.

Mom and Dad were already there. We had a van meet us and take us to a privately chartered water taxi. What a cool ride into Venice from the airport, especially once you get onto the Grand Canal. After a 35-40 minute ride, we finally arrived at the hotel. We checked in but our rooms weren’t going to be ready until 2:30 so we headed to a canal-side bar/restaurant in the hotel and had something to eat. Caesar salads and drinks. We killed some time there and I just got into my room, which has a very cool view of old Venice.

I promise to post a ton of pictures tonight but I need to get some rest. We are planning on meeting in 3 hours to walk over to San Marcos square and do a little exploring.