The Last Few Days

I have been pretty exhausted since arriving in Europe- tried to get so much done before I left and there was only so much time, and then I have to spend time with family too, and the last minute things. My first teaching was at Oderzo not far from Venice. I had toyed with taking the night train, but flying and staying in a hotel was cheaper than the overnight train. So I took my dollies on a stroll around Venice and tried to take photos of them in some iconic locations.....

Yesterday I took the train to Firenze and found the hotel I had booked quite easily- it appears that Firenze is much more affected by the economic crisis than Venice with all but one of the bookstores shut down- even the hotels are  more reasonably prices though I am sharing a bathroom and that always lowers the price. I have enrolled in a course at Il Bisonte to make a woodcut and do some printing on paper- a wish/dream for a long time ( doing a woodblock cutting course) and suddenly the timing was right- I did miss the first day but today we work from 9.30 until 6.30. I walked over there yesterday to see where I had to go and found that Firenze is much smaller than I remembered or maybe I just walk more these days. Anyway I am so looking forward to the course, it's ages since I have done a workshop!

The workshop in Oderzo went well and my hostess Denise from Cuci Service invited me to her house for a meal with her family which was most enjoyable. Most people managed to finish their pieces.