Wait a minute... you love the salami more than me ???? :D :D :D

We didn’t buy waterproof shoes but I sprayed Kiwi Camp Dry on the shoes we’re wearing in VCE. Gave them all a couple coats. The stuff is 17% silicone so I’m thinking they’re waterproofed enough that we could probably walk on the canals if we needed to.

wow, bet I could use one of your shoes as a mirror to touch up the lipgloss! :D

I don't think it is possible on the canals, but if you ever visit the Sea of Galilee I will show you how it is done.

(There is a trick to it -- you put long pieces of wood on your feet, tie a rope to the back of a boat, hold the other end of the rope and then have 12 disciples row like crazy!)

I would like to point out that the above post would be more suited to the Religious Travel forum which I hope will we someday have.

wading through the waters
 

someone mentioned waterproof socks at one point on this thread. Whoever that was, would you please tell where you got them?
Right now I have some of those ugly clear plastic booties to go over my shoes..... :eek: Plus bringing some of those plastic bags our newspapers come in and we use to pick up the dog doo.....

If there is so much water flowing through the streets that I have to wear plastic bags over my shoes, I’ll probably get no further than the Ai Mori bar.
Where I presume both the weather and the martinis are equally dry...;).

With your sheeny shoes, some waterproof sox, you will be galloping through the waves!

Advice to those prone to seasickness
 

The only waves you will see (and they are very small--more like "chop" )will be on the watertaxi ride across the lagoon from the airport. There are no waves in the canals. Caveat: If one is prone to mal de mer, the ride from the airport to the hotel can be a bit choppy. My advice is, no matter what the weather, sit upfront with the driver. You want to be outside. The air will feel so good after being on the plane for so many hours. This is also a good time to check your cellphone international coverage. There are cellphone towers along the lagoon.My kids are accustomed to my calling from the watertaxi in VCE. Great reception.

But as you have stated, the main job of the TalkBoard is to not create new forums.
How does that square with your hopes for a new forum?

Note re cellphones:
The last time that I was there, my five year old (now eight) 950-1900 dual band GSM phone worked almost everywhere at what appeared to be full strength. I don't remember the network, but I never needed to go searching for another and was always happy with whatever T-Mobile found for me.

Also, there appear to be about a dozen T-M Hotspots around Venice. I did not take advantage of them last time, but I hope that at least one of them is convenient either to the AiMori or to the kind of comfortable bar (forget this coffeeshop nonsense) where we can sit down, Cholula can have his (ugh) grappa and the others of us can open a nice bottle of Vino del Veneto while passing the laptop around reading e-mail and FlyerTalk.

Monitor My cellphone works better in VCE than in Beverly Hills. The bar at AiMori is very very comfortable. It is just across from reception and has comfortable seating, a sweet bartender, who makes a great cup of cappucino and there is a plasma TV on the wall. Just a nice ambience. I suspect that will be the FT watering hole/gathering place.

A note to the Italy novices: an Italian "bar" is nothing like an American "bar!" ;)

It's more of a combination espresso bar/snack bar/adult drinks bar, if that makes sense. And you can even (usually) get fresh-squeezed orange juice (spremuta d'arancia)! ^

Of course, I don't know about the "bar" at the Ai Mori, in particular. It may be a breed unto itself, for all I know. :D

And, here is a ten-day forecast for Venice on weather.com (with temps in Fahrenheit):

http://www.weather.com/activities/ot...m=search_10day

The Ai Mori bar is a hang out for Venetian streetwalkers -- naturally, these ladies are all fantastic swimmers.

Monitor, I usually fail tremendously at any job I undertake. Therefore, the odds are that I will fail at not creating any forums and let a Religious Travellers Forum get by me.

Hopefully, my failure will be contagious and the rest of the TalkBoard will also slip up in this case.

In that case, shouldn't they be called "canal swimmers" rather than "streetwalkers?" :D