Venice! Part 1

Venice is the one city in Italy that I save for Gabe!! We wanted to experience it together!! My favorite movie of all times is The Italian Job, which starts out in Venice! While we were there we visited the areas where the movie took place, and also stumbled across the courtyard where the last scenes of Casino Royale were put together.

As our first trip just the two of us since the end of the deployment we decided to take it slow. In Gabe's words "I vacation, you travel". In other words, he loves to go at a more relaxed pace, and when traveling alone (or with similar travelers) I can go for 18 hours a day exploring new places! This trip became a compromise of styles.

We drove the 8 hours from Mannheim to Venice (the cheap way to go!), and found it to be a gorgeous ride!! The scenery was breathe taking! When our little adventure started it was sunny in Mannheim, and as we drove south that sun turned slowly to gray overcast, then light rain, then torential downpour! Despite the rain, there was still snow in the Alps which provided a sweet relief from the dismal day outside. Upon arriving in Venice the rain let up to a slight sprinkle, which allowed us to get safely to our hotel without incident. That evening we walked around the area surrounding our hotel, got a feel for the neighborhood, and ate dinner in the corner of St. Mark's Square. A perfect beginning to our trip!

Our first full day in Venice we had no agenda really. We knew the sights we wanted to see, but we also knew we had 4 days to see them!! So, we spent the morning in St. Mark's, and then took the rest of the day to walk the city. We spent the day window shopping and enjoying the atmosphere.

Time Flies When You Are Having Fun

We haven't update everyone in a while... so I guess it's about time, huh?!

We are doing well and getting back into a routine finally. Gabe has been home for 6 months, and work on his end is finally normalizing. He found out a couple of weeks ago that their first diagnosis downrange was right on, and had they no ignored it when he was medevac-ed to Salerno, things might have been fixed by now. Currently though, Gabe has stress fractures in both of his legs, and has compartmental syndrome in his right leg. The Army is working slowly to take care of these issues.

I am about half way through recovering from elbow surgery. Occupational therapy just ended, and I have my full range of motion back. At this point, it's time to work on getting my strength back slowly! Tomorrow marks my first day back at work since the surgery. Gabe and I have agreed that the 2 jobs I hold right now will be the jobs I stick with until we move stateside. They provide the flexibility and availability needed to get things done on the German economy, and allows me time off whenever Gabe is able to take leave.

We are planning to travel a lot this year, and hope that if anyone wants to come visit that you contact us soon... we'll only be here another year!!