been there

Julia's time in Switzerland has opened a world to me

     When she went over there for 3 years in 2002, I was heartbroken.  I missed my daughter and I am  not ashamed to admit it.
     I hated the fact that she was there.
     That was 16 years ago.  She is still there.
     Her being there opened a whole new world for me.  For us.
     Jackie and I were able to visit places we only had read about.
     It's funny, how sometimes the past ties up with the present.
     I just finished a book by Donna Leon, who writes about a detective in Venice.       I have told this story before, but I will say it again.  We had gone to Venice.  We stayed in a hotel over near the hospital.  I remember there was a church, a small plaza, a huge statue, and a side canal that ended in the lagoon that surrounds Venice.
When we got home, I bought one of her books.  The first book I read in her series opened with a body being found in the little side canal!    The hospital, square, ice cream stand...all places we knew, were all described in the book.  I got hooked on Guido Brunetti.  I actually felt like I was really there, in the book.
     Venice was beautiful.  And complicated.  I tried to find Marco Polo's boyhood home, but never seemed to negotiate the right alleys and "streets."
     Leon's character, Guido Brunetti, is a life long Venice resident and has the same problem, sometimes getting turned around in the town he has lived in his whole life.
     Tonight I read about the horrible flooding going on in Venice.  Acqua Alta.  The tides are pushed by strong winds and the town gets flooded.  Today there were pictures of people in hip deep water in St. Mark's Square, a place where we stood and admired the centuries old buildings.  An estimated 70 percent of the town is flooded.  It's terrible.
     Jackie and I also spent several days in Germany.  We did a one day Rhine cruise and stayed in a real castle.  It was an amazing experience.  One of my favorite photos I have taken was on that trip.
     On the cruise we passed Mice Castle, a tiny little building on a small island in the middle of the river.  It was used to collect tolls from boats.  Today I saw a picture of people walking to the castle!  There has been a severe drought in Germany and the water levels have dropped on many of the rivers, including the Rhine.
     The Rhine is so low, people are walking to the castle.  Walking.  Where the river should be.
     Shipping is impacted, tourism is affected, transportation, energy....all due to the drought.
     I count my blessing for the times we got to go.  We are going next summer because there is a huge festival that happens every 20 years.  Julia missed the last one, but we are all going to the 2019 shindig.
     I just hope the forces of nature return to normal....if there is such a thing anymore.
     Sayonara.  Bonne Nuit.