day one - venice on our own

We slept - we actually slept well - during our first night in Venice.  Not knowing how well we would sleep, we set the alarm  to make sure we had time to get to breakfast.  The hotel's restaurant is located on the top floor and has a lovely terrace overlooking the Grand Canal.  Even the seagulls enjoy breakfast at the Danieli:

The city was waking up and the gondoliers were headed off to work::

We decided to take a walk over to the Rialto Bridge, exiting St. Mark's Square and walking through small alleys to meet the Grand Canal again on the backside of the island.  The bridge was jammed with tourists, cameras in hand, all of whom were trying to get the very "best" shot:

But not everyone in Venice is a tourist, although it seems that way most of the time.  The UPS (boat) driver was hard at work making deliveries, too:

but this gondolier had decided to take a break::

After scoping out the area for a while, we walked back to the hotel via a different route, coming upon this lovely view of a small canal:

We also happened upon one of the bazillion gelato shops in Venice and both had scoops of tiramisu gelato, which we enjoyed all the way back to the hotel.  Delizioso!!

When we arrived back at the Danieli, we saw that Tauck had reserved a section of the lobby for its guests.  Fruits, cookies and drinks were available, so we decided to sit for a bit and recharge.  Earlier we had picked up our Tauck info packet, including a list of all the group's participants - names and hometowns.  We were the only listing from Canandaigua, but it turned out that many other travelers were interested to meet us, as they also had connections to the Finger Lakes area.

The first couple to connect approached us in the lobby as we were resting after our walking adventure.  On first meeting, everyone in the group seemed to share first names and where they were from..  When we said "Canandaigua, New York," Mimi said, "oh, we've been looking for you."  It turns out they lived in Pittsford (as did we) for several years.  I asked her where they lived and when she told me the street name, I asked if she knew my friend, Marty.  She looked at me with wide eyes and said, "she was our hext door neighbor!"  I explained that Marty and I had worked together at Pittsford Ambulance every Wednesday evening for 13 years!  Marty was the driver and I was the medic on the 6-11 shift and we had the best time working together.  We still see each other occasionally, and I will be sure to tell her about traveling with Mimi and Carl.

In the evening, all the Tauck guests met for a welcome cocktail and dinner reception in a private room at the hotel. We walked into the event with another couple, Rita and Gene from Orange County, California, and ended up at a dinner table with them,, Mimi and Carl, and another couple. The three Tauck directors had split up the large group into 3 smaller groups, and those were the groups that would tour together.  We learned that Mimi and Carl, and RIta and Gene were in the same group with us.  And from that night on, we were a happy group of six.  Instant friends and a fun way to start the trip.