leaving paradise

I'm convinced that a seal knows how to live. Before, if I had seen one lying on a rock sunning itself beside the ocean I would have thought, "man thats one lazy animal". But after spending all day doing it, you develop a different attitude. Monterroso and the Cinque Terre area was paradise. As you can infer, myself and my parents spent all day Monday on the beach, sleeping and swimming. We had great food and great service wherever we went, which included two large bowls of steamed mussles within a 24 hr period. The water was clear, the sun strong and the waves calm. Its very easy to get used to that kind of life.
Sadly, Tuesday morning we caught the train to Milano, and from there to the city of Venice. The ride was long and hot, but once we set foot on the banks of our first canal, it was worth it. I don't know if there is a more beautiful city in the world. Most of the buildings that line the Grand Canal go right up to the water, and bridges are plentiful. It really has a sense of elegance. That being said, the service so far has been questionable. We might have been a little irritable after a long train ride, but it seems like the city is sick of the throngs of tourists that descend upon its streets every year. Noone has been very friendly. But besides the shotty service, Venice is almost out of a fairytale. I have two things on my agenda. First to contemplate the Vetruvian Man by Da'Vinci and the second is to discover the less explored areas of the city, and get lost in the labrinth of its steets. We only have full day here, and I think whatever we do it will be used well.