Mare Nostrum

We worshipped at St. Mark’s Basilica. We had to walk on little platforms to avoid the ankle-deep water flooding St. Mark’s Square. Even though the service was in Italian, I felt more at home there than in any United Methodist Church I’ve attended in the last decade. We made a lunch of a small pizza and coffee at a sidewalk cafe in St. Mark’s Square. The privilege of eating that small meal in that location cost $40! We finished touring the Correr Museum. A leisurely walk back to our shuttle boat yielded some excellent photographs. The beauty of Venice’s art and architecture is overwhelming. Since we are ending one cruise now, and beginning another, we got a new set of messmates. John Ward and his caregiver Jenna from Norwich, England joined the table. John, who trains racehorses, was paralyzed three years ago when kicked in the face by a mare. His spinal cord was broken in the accident. Jenna is his nurse who travels with John. Also new at the table were Jim and his wife Pat, from rural Australia outside of Perth. He is a retired sheep farmer, and she is a retired nurse.Read more