Venice, Italy: Festa della Madonna della Salute . . . .

Now that the Olympics are over I'm going to finish up on my Venice photos/report and start nailing down more details for my trip to Spain. I was delighted to read a recent post by Maria on the Slow Travel Message Board about several wonderful souvenir ideas to bring home from Spain. So exciting! I love the Spanish Handmade Fans idea and music. I also want to do some research to see if there will be any special traditions or celebrations taking place during my trip there in November.

Last year, I was so lucky that I was visiting Venice during the very special Festa della Madonna della Salute.

Here's what I wrote in my blog while I was in Venice:

Today, is a relaxing day. I got up in time to walk over to the La Salute Festival event. I went earlier so I could attend a mass before the real crowds came. Local Venetians were walking towards this grand church from all directions. Over the temporary bridge, from the side calles, from the vaporetto . . .

I see a Kiosk nearby run by some nuns. I "thought" they were selling these items. They had holy water and other things. I asked how much (in Italian)? And they responded with a smile and a flurry of words . . . all in Italian. Finally, one of the nuns hands me a Virgin Mary statue with holy water. I finally figured out that that they were not selling these but giving them to people. I say with a humble smile to them and the Italian man that was trying to help me and the nuns with our communication .... a very sincere grazie'. I felt like such a heel. This little statue with the holy water will be one of my most prized souvenir! It will remind me of the humbleness and graciousness of the Italian people here in Venice.

Here's a cool Youtube I created:



Now if you are curious about my little Virgin Mary that I got from the very friendly nuns, here's a photo I took of this very special souvenir.


This is one of my most treasured souvenir from my trip.

2008 Summer Olympics: The heart of a champion . . .

I have to say that China did a great job at hosting the 2008 Olympic Summer Games in Beijing. During the past two weeks, we witnessed a long standing record of 7 Gold Medals won in one Olympics by US Swimmer, Mark Spitz, be broken by another American swimmer, Michael Phelps. The new mark to beat, an incredible 8 gold medals. I'm pretty sure that record will hold for many years to come!

During the games, we also witnessed the changing of the guards in the new USA Women's soccer team who won Gold, we were treated to the superb artistry of the Chinese divers who nearly won it all if it had not been for one outstanding Australian diver, we watched history unfold with a US 1-2 punch in the Women's' All-Around Gymnastics, we saw the hands of time be defied by American Silver medal winner, Dara Torres, we saw 4 Southern Californians take gold in Women's and Men's Beach Volleyball and we saw a 21 year-old athlete win the first Gold medal in the men's marathon race for his country of Kenya.

I really enjoyed watching the games and cheering on the US athletes and when there were no Americans to cheer on, I actually found myself cheering for the athletes from some of the countries that I visited like the Czech Republic rowing teams and the Italian cyclists.

And as these Olympics games have reminded us, the heart of a Champion comes in many different shapes, sizes and color, they speak in different languages, they have different beliefs and traditions, they eat different foods and live in very different places around the world. But in the end they all share the same pride in representing their country, they have the same love for their sport and they have the same dedication to excellence and for the spirit of competition. And whether or not they won Gold, Silver, Bronze or came in last during these games, they are all Olympians . . . the best in the world! This is why I love the Olympics. Don't forget closing ceremonies tonight . . . it's Party Time!

74 days! I think I'm feeling it! :)

Bringing home the gold(s) . . . and my Kitten(s) plans!

I have really been enjoying watching the Olympics this past week! Here's a big shout out to the Women's Individual Gymnastics Gold and Silver winners for their outstanding performances. And what can you say about Michael Phelps record 8 gold medals in one Olympics! Great historical moment! How about USA's 4 Beach Volleyball Southern California Athletes who are making their way to the medal rounds! And did anyone see the men's 100 meter race. In a blink, the gold medalist from Jamaica was at the finish line. Awesome speed!

I remember when my friend and I decided to train and run in our first marathon. It took us 9 months of sacrificed evenings and weekends filled with hours and hours of running and cross training just to finish under 6 hours! By the way, here's a photo of me crossing the finish-line in my first marathon! I was smiling and had my hands up in the air as if I was an Olympic Champion! Sometimes a little bit of fantasy doesn't hurt! He he!

I can't even wrap my thoughts around the kind of dedication, passion, sacrifice and lifetime commitment that it takes for these gifted athletes (and their family) to train in order to become an Olympian and then to be able to compete with the best in the world in a setting like the Olympics. Just awesome!

Speaking of gold . . . (like the not so smooth segway)! I've been busy this weekend but have really done a lot on my Venice photos. While working on them this morning, I thought that I would take a few photos of some of the treasures I brought home:

What would a trip to Italy be without bringing home some Italian Wine (by the way if you're looking for a good way to bring home wine on a trip, you need to check out these wine skins, an idea I learned about on Slow Travel) . . . .

Santa Maria Novella products . . .

Burano Lace . . . .

I was fortunate to gaze upon some beautiful art on this trip and so it is only befitting that I bring a little bit of that home. I got this print from one of the local artists displaying their art near San Marco . . .
And don't forget "My Little Venice" . . .

I wonder what treasures I'll decide to bring home from Spain . . . maybe some Cava or Jerez! Thanks Maria for that great link! Or maybe I can get a miniature Alhambra or Flamenco Dancer . . . .

For a while now I've been thinking of getting a little kitten and after reading several blogs I am definitely inspired. Annie recommended a book called "Cats For
Dummies" which I found at B&N on Friday. I have been enjoying reading Annie's and Anne's posts about Maria, Lulu, Polly and Winston. I also enjoy looking at Leslie's cool photos on her blog. Their kittens and cats are all so adorable and so now I'm inspired. I've read several chapters of my Cats for Dummies book already and I am finding the information really helpful. This is a very big decision for me and a responsibility I don't take lightly, so I want to learn and read as much as I can. I'm very excited and can't wait. Thanks for the great book recommendation Annie!

81 Days and counting . . . .

Venice in the early morning and late night hours . . .

As I look forward to my Spain trip in 88 days from today I can't help but reflect on my trip to Venice last year. With each trip that I take I really try to do something new and different. One of the things that I really did differently last year was to spend some time exploring Venice during the early morning and late night hours! The experience was truly unforgettable!

Here's a YouTube I created to give you an idea of my experience.



I can't wait to find out what I will discover and experience in Spain!

Light the Passion, Share the Dream . . .Beijing, China--Summer Olympics 2008

A B2V team mate who was lucky enough to run this leg, sent me this photo . . . can you guess what it is?


From Athens, Greece and through the streets of LA to Beijing . . . it's the traditional Torch Relay that carried the Olympic Flame 137,000 kilometers through 130 cities around the world in 130 days and ended in Chengdu when the last torchbearer Yu Zhirong, one of the many heros of the recent Sichuan earthquake, arrived to light the cauldron. In tonight's opening ceremony, the sacred flame will be lit at the start of the Olympic Games and will stay lit until the games conclude on August 24.

Tonight, don't forget . . . the "Opening Ceremony" for the Summer Olympic Games 2008! Whoo hoo!

My Review: Mar Adentro & Volver . . .

So why post a review on these two particular movies? Well, I usually like to post about interesting and significant things in my life. And guess what? These two movies are the very first foreign films that I’ve ever watched! A post worthy topic in and of itself! :)

The two films are Mar Adentro (“The Sea Inside”) by Alejandro Amenábar and Volver by Pedro Almodóvar and they were highly recommended by Sandra and Maria from Slow Travel. Both movies were filmed in Spain and since I’ll be traveling there later in the year, they thought these movies would be great for me to watch. They were right!

I’m not quite sure exactly how to describe each movie other than to say that the story lines were complicated, thoughtful, sad, quirky, serious, humorous, poignant and strongly centered around human behavior to include friendship, family, love and forgiveness. It touched upon personal relationships, disagreements, life struggles, tragedies of abuse and individual feelings about life and the choices we make, even to live or die. Both films were outstanding in dealing with these issues.

I have to say that I really enjoyed the performances by Penelope Cruz (didn’t realize that she could sing so well) and Javier Bardem. The supporting cast were also all very good in both films. I thought they were both written and directed extremely well and I really loved watching them.

Thanks so much Maria and Sandra for recommending these two outstanding films!

No Regrets . . . .

Happyslip posted an inspirational post on her blog.



Professor Pausch's famous last lecture video at Carnegie Mellon University was awesome especially his messages at the end.

Have an awesome weekend everyone!