Holly and I arrived to Christy and the girls’ smiling faces at the Venice airport.  Our adventure started by rolling suitcases through town, onto buses, onto the busboat taking us to the Giudecca canal and finally onto the Zia dinghy to the island of Giudecca where Zia was moored for our visit.  We were thankful that Christy had figured all of this out so we did not have to try to think, talk and decide with our cloudy brains and complete lack of understanding of the Italian language or knowledge of our destination…and no cell phone.  We were immediately impressed by Christy’s Italian (which is REALLY good – don’t let her tell you otherwise), and the girls command of the language as well – at least around ordering gelato.

The marina was an extension of a large, modern, clean boatyard which was a great playground for the girls in their Heelys.  We had a clear view of the sunset and enjoyed the company of other cruisers in the marina.  In the mornings, Christy and I jogged along the Giudecca canal separating our island from the main islands of Venice.  It was great being on this low-key island away from most of the tourists who come to Venice.

The first morning we were out for our run when we came across the cruisers from the other boats in Zia’s marina.  They let us know that the yacht club next to the boatyard and adjacent to the marina was sponsoring a regatta followed by a buffet party.  We had such a great time watching the people race their brightly colored gondola type boats around Giudecca.  We slithered into the after party, enjoying some wine and local soup and sandwiches.  We felt very welcomed, and loved the people watching at this local celebration.

The week went by too fast of course, with each day filled with sightseeing, pigeon feeding, feeding ourselves, Heelying and socializing with the Zia crew and their cruising friends.  Some sightseeing highlights included the very crowded San Marco square (pigeons being the biggest hit for the kids), the Accademia museum which even the kids seemed to enjoy, the Peggy Guggenheim museum of modern art that Joe and I visited and really enjoyed, and the island of Murano where the world famous Murano glass originated.

The girls’ Heelys were a huge spectacle, and many people stopped them to ask what they were and how they worked.  They also helped us track lots of distance by foot without any complaining from the girls.  When we worked up a thirst, we would stop for gelato and beers, and the girls would Heely and feed pigeons while Joe, Christy and I took in the scene (and the beer).

One of my favorite days was Thursday when we took a dinghy ride through the canals of Venice.  There were no other dinghys in the canals on Thursday and based on the reaction from the locals and tourists, there are not usually any dinghys in the canals of Venice.  We putted alongside gondolas, “taxis”, “buses” and other Venetian vessels drinking wine and loving the experience.  We did not get hassled by anyone except for a teenager who gave us the international symbol of love when we were going the wrong way down a one-way canal.  Luckily we knew that symbol ourselves and returned it with a smile.

Having been cruisers ourselves, Holly and I thoroughly enjoyed being invited aboard Twice Eleven for cocktails and “picky bits”.  We enjoyed seeing their beautiful boat and getting to know David and Tamsin.  Picky Bits is a new one for me, and means appetizers.  “We” contributed Christy’s world famous Bruschetta.

We also were invited aboard Dark Horse by the cruising family of Mike, Lola and their kids Orlando and Allegra.  Lola was raised in Venice, and she and her English husband Mike are wintering in Venice while their bilingual kids go to Venetian school. I think if Joe and Christy had met Mike and Lola earlier, their winter plans might have kept them in Venice and their kids would have been at that cute little school on Giudecca.  Lola made a Venetian pasta with pumpkin which was delicious, and Mike taught us the “jug wine” concept which he bought from the local wine store.  They are aboard a large, sturdy sailboat with heat and ample space for the family to winter in the Venice climate.

The girls worked diligently all week choreographing and practicing a dance to “one-two-step” which they performed for us, the Dark Horse crew and the Twice Elevens.  The kids from Dark Horse were part of the show and we were very proud when we saw it all come together in front of the audience in the evening after our dinner aboard Dark Horse.

Holly and I can’t thank the Zia crew enough for a truly memorable week in Venice. There is no better way to see this unique, historic and gorgeous city than through the hospitality, humor and perspective provided by Zia, Christy, Joe, Cassie and Juliana.