I wake to the sound of raindrops on the walkways. By the time I get up the rain has stopped and the skies are clearing. Last day in Venice. Bittersweet, as this means I have just six days left in Italy. I’ve done so much and the time as flown by as it always does when you don’t want an experience to end.
It’s also my birthday which I’m not sure how I feel about. Getting old is inevitable but I fight against it. I have too many places I want to visit before I end up in the old folks home. The goal is to die with memories, not dreams. And although I’m only fifty-one (fifties are the new thirties so I’m told), I feel like I’m running out of time. It preys on my mind a lot these days. At the end will I be able to look back knowing I did everything I wanted to do, or least died trying. Well this is morbid. Stop moping about it Jennifer and get on with it.
I explore more around where I’m staying. I eat deep-fried fish on a stick from Frito Inn, smell heavenly aromas at The Merchant of Venice perfumery, have a reflective moment in Santa Maria Assunta Cathedral, visit a grocery store filled with ancient frescos (used to be a famous theatre), inhale a tiramisu flavoured cannoli, nearly get stuck in the narrowest street of Venice, and kick back on my deck for an afternoon Prosecco. All in all, a good day.
In the evening I go to a classical concert of Vivaldi “The Four Seasons” at the Scuola Grande Di San Teodoro. The musicians are dressed in baroque period costumes which add to the 18th century ambiance. I grab a front row seat and the performance begins. The acoustics in the hall are so good that I hear the quietest note. The lead violinist is extremely talented and the speed at which he plies his bow across the strings is mesmerizing. How long does one practice to become this proficient? I’m swept away by the music and before I know it an hour has passed and the concert is over. A perfect end to my time in Venice.
