Fright from the Pigeons

After having nightmares about braying donkeys, I was quite happy when the morning came..

Today was the day to practice some serious Italian, we will be on our way to Venice soon, I feel calm, composed, and I just know nothing will alter this mood of mine.

Calm..Composed? How can anyone one be remotely any of these things when Jalaj is driving!!! Is he crazy? Is Monica crazy to hand over the car to him? Just to feed that bloody male ego?

He is looking out of the window, taking pictures, and NO he is not on the passenger seat! He is wondering why every one is honking? Of course, they will honk YOU are ON the wrong side of the road !
And yes we are on a HIGHWAY.

I am not liking this job of a navigator too much, when one of them is driving the other takes a nap, all sprawled in the back seat, and excuse me? When do I get a chance to even close my eyes for a minute?

With Jalaj driving, any way it was not possible, even if the next 200 kilometres was a straight road, after all I had the lives of three young people on my shoulders, I could not risk it by sleeping!!

Just in case you are wondering I have always been a huge fan of Greta Garbo and Meena Kumari.

I promised the Gods above, I will not drink too much, I will try to become a vegetarian, I will not seek so much attention, please… please just get me safe and sound to Venice!!

Yipppeee! We are in Venice, Did I really promise all those things??? Nah…I was joking!

I am overtaken by a sense of Nostalgia, I will soon see Gianina, my dear friend, who moved back to Venice last year and I too was returning to this drop dead gorgeous city after 15 years..

If I may add at this point, last time I was here I stayed at the 'Danielli', sipping pink champagne, chewing on a strawberry and not this four feet by four feet hole which was given a name of a 'hotel room' and lugging my luggage from the parking lot.
Sigh! What all one has to endure to gain fame and stardom!

We started the shoot at St Marco’s square; a little rain was not going to stop us! I hate these pigeons! What? You want me to feed them? Are you crazy? It will look good on camera? Ok! Sure, why not!

All you guys who saw that smiling me with pigeons… IT WAS A CAMERA TRICK! I was petrified, I had 20 of those monsters clutching on my delicate skin with their sharp claws…
I meant all I said “God!! Save me please please! I hate you MONICA!!!”

I was given a break to get over this trauma, while my flock got their pictures and Jalaj did yet another time lapse.

And I decided a little retail therapy might help calm my nerves.
Gianina and I headed straight towards 'Moretti' our favourite glass shop in Venice, the retail therapy did calm me down, but played havoc on the system of my credit card… and all that money was spent in less than 5 minutes?

But what the heck we live only once! And this purchase was karmic, it happened on a spur of moment, it was not thought about, it was meant to be!

Lesson of the day: Cut your credit card in two when you feel you need to calm your nerves.

And now we were to head for Gianina’s house, there is a party tonight…of course in my honour!