wacky adventure: part 2, freedomland

After celebrating my very first Canada Day, we packed up our bags and prepared for Wacky Adventure: part two. A note to travelers- do NOT try to fly to the United States from Canada on July 2nd. Most of the US customs officials were on holiday and the airport was packed! We very nearly missed our flight. We waited in customs (this is done on the Canadian side) for hours and when we finally got through, our names were being called on the loud speaker as a final boarding call. Luckily, we booked it through security, sprinted to our gate, and made it just in the nick of time. We had a quick flight, Mom picked us up at the Indianapolis airport and then we hit the road to the lake.

The boy was overwhelmed with the magnitude of patriotism in the heartland. He said he saw more American flags on the trip to the lake then he has seen Canadian flags in his entire life!

Serenissima

The train hummed along, twisting itself through the foothills of the Alps. We stopped in Innsbruck, Austria, the site of the 1964 Olympics, for lunch and to change trains. The boy confessed that he had chosen a less direct way to reach our destination so that we could pass through the mountains. After a delicious bakery style sandwich, which of course can only be found in Europe, I felt tryptophan taking its effect, so after boarding our new train I settled in for a nap.... The next thing I know, several hours later, I wake up and to my surprise have a very different vision outside of my window... The land is lush and green. The mountains have passed, and distinctly there are rows and rows and rows of.... grapevines. Its not so bad when you go to sleep and wake up to find yourself in Italy! After and hour or so more, as I was about to loose it with excitement to see which city we would stay in, our train finally stopped in Venezia! Just when I felt that my life couldn't possibly get any sweeter, we off boarded the train, and there was a guy in his flashy designer suit and D&G sunglasses, waiting for the boy and his plus one. We followed this costra nostrati out of the train station, not to the bus stop, but to the dock where our private water taxi awaited us. Our impeccably dressed captain weaved us through the canals of what must certainly be the most beautiful city in the world.