I have been waiting all week to tell this part of the story!!!
My dear friend Jona (http://jona-sunnydays.blogspot.com/) and I have been corresponding for a couple of years. Jona lives in a small country near Venice - SLOVENIA: Slovenia /sloʊˈviːniə/ (help·info), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: Republika Slovenija, listen (help·info)), is a country in Central Europe bordering Italy to the west, the Adriatic Sea to the southwest, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north. The capital of Slovenia is Ljubljana (from Wikipedia). Last year, she kindly sent me hundreds of her photos from Venice so I could practice painting for this trip.
When the dates of my visit to Venice were firm, we emailed Karlyn who agreed to have Jona join our group for THREE DAYS! And what a JOY it was!
Jona arrived early and met me at our hotel. We found our group for introductions to Karlyn and Douglass, and we sat in a square attempting to sketch one of the doorways and restaurants. We dined on the square, and immediately Jona was helping with all the translations! Everywhere we went -- from directions to gelatos to reading signs in storefronts and churches, Jona helped us with her fluent Italian! What a marvel! Just think of the mental gymnastics! Her native tongue is Slovenian, her second language is Italian, and she was translating it all into English!!! WHAT A GIFT!
But more than that, Jona was sheer energy and FUN! She has been to Venice many many times, and so my painting pal Judy, Barb, Jona and I set off on our own adventures -- exploring, shopping, taking dozens of photos, and of course, eating at some of the 'less touristy' trattorias! (Jona has been working on my Italian -- thank God! Lol)
What was amazing to me too what the instant bond we felt. It was like refinding a sister! Our days were filled with laughter, excitement and sheer joy!
Mercy, I miss her already!
3 comments:
Oh what a sweet story Lin. I'm so happy that you and Jona were able to meet and spend time together. What a gift. And thanks again for sharing all the incredible photos. The doorways, the grape arbor, and the gondola with the famous bridge behind -- all my favorites. And OH Murano glass. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it and I would have been mesmerized to see it in all it's glory. I've been able to purchase a couple small pieces here at an outlet and it's incredible stuff. Isn't it nice to relive this trip over and over with your wonderful photos?
Hugs,
Lorraine
Lin - It is so great that you got to share some time with Jona in Venice!! How nice that she was able to join the group and add to the enjoyment of the trip. I love how close people can become with people from other places through blogs. Just think...a few years ago this wouldn't have been possible! We would be missing out on so much! Your story of your trip gets better each day!!
My dear Lin,
I'm so very glad for you that you had the possibility to make your own photos of Venice this year.
Those three days I spent with you in Venice were really special to me and you really grew to my heart. I dearly hope we can keep the promise to meet somewhere again.
Thank you for everything, Lin!
You are a darling and I love and miss you so much!!!
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