Venice - To friends old and new...

The only part of my road trip which has consistently caused me distress has been thinking about spending time in Venice without Sarah. This is my 23rd visit to Venice and the first without Sarah by my side.

Sarah and I had (and have) an enduring love affair with Venice; it's the only city we ever wanted to be married in and the one city in all our travels which we went back to time and again, each time found something new to discover. It's also the only European city we ever contemplated living in permanently.

I miss Sarah more that I could ever have imagined possible. Visiting Venice has been a bittersweet experience as so many 0f my memories are intrinsically linked with the wonderful times that Sarah and I shared in Venice and the Veneto.

For me one of the most important tasks I could perform for Sarah was to honour her memory and scatter a little of her ashes somewhere which held a special affinity for both of us and that's how the plan for the road trip originated.

The journey from Weggis to Venice took far longer than planned so my first view of Venice on this trip was from the Trochetto ferry stop at dusk followed by a night journey up the Guidecca Canal on the ferry between the main island and Lido Di Venezia. This was a journey that Sarah and I never did together, so it seems like a fitting start to my first visit to Venice after Sarah death.

I have been blessed to meet some wonderful people on my travels and my first night in Venice was no exception. It was 10:30pm when I finally made it to the Apartment in Via Cristoforo Colombo and my hosts Elisabetta and Carlo were waiting patiently for me to arrive having travelled over from the main island to meet me.

I sat with Elisabetta & Carlo for about 20 minutes just talking about my journey and why I was in Venice and they invited me to their home the following evening for a glass of Prosecco. I am amazed by the warmth and generosity show to me by Elisabetta and Carlo in in inviting me into their home and then to join their family for an evening meal.

This chance meeting has lead to an unexpected new friendship with a wonderful Italian couple when I was least expecting it.

Un messaggio per Betty e Carlo, non potrò mai ringraziarvi abbastanza per aver trasformato quella che temevo sarebbe stata un'esperienza molto traumatica. Mi hai accolto nella tua casa e nel tuo cuore in un momento particolarmente difficile per me e io resto in debito con te. Trovare nuovi amici non è sempre facile e trovare buoni amici è ancora più difficile. Non vedo l'ora di rivedervi presto. Dio vi benedica entrambi. Alan

I'll follow up on the rest of my time in Venice in the next post

Alan