Waterworld

Picture a normal city, only the streets are made of water and the cars are really boats. We did know this about Venice before we went, but some aspects were a bit unexpected. Take the above island, for example. It's a cemetery. Fascinating, huh?

And since they don't have vehicles with wheels, they have corresponding boats that serve the same purposes as our cars/trucks/vans, etc. In this other Venice post, in the very last picture (the one I'm in) you can see a taxi rank just over my shoulder--water taxis. They also have...

....buses (this one is at a bus stop, which is also afloat),

...ambulances,

...fuel stations,

... and even ice cream

"trucks."

This guy even has a little fruit stand out of his boat.

And this looks like a residential parking area.

Venice just seems like another world! Once we left the lagoon it was a bit shocking to see cars again.

Venice!

Venice was even cooler than we expected! We spent two amazing days (Monday and Tuesday) exploring the fabulous floating city! I'll try to keep the blah, blah, blah to a minimum and focus on photos. (But there might be a follow-up post...) (Above, Jacob enjoying some of the famous Italian gelato; and me in front of the Procuratie Vecchie in the Piazza San Marco)

We took the requisite gondola ride, and it was extra-special. It was just the two of us, which was romantic; and our gondolier even serenaded us! It was one of those fabulous moments you just can't fabricate. Here's a fun game: any guesses about what's making Jacob's mouth black? Scroll to the bottom of the post, and see if your guess is anywhere close to the truth.

Here are just a few more photos. We found Venice to be fascinating and romantic and wonderful!
(Photos below: part of the Basilica San Marco and the Doge's Palace from the Piazzetta; Jacob contemplating the piazza; the posh upholstery in our gondola; and me standing at Ponte della Paglia with Bacino in the background)

Jacob's tongue is black because he's eating spaghetti al nero di seppia. If your Italian isn't perfect, that's spaghetti in squid ink. It has a salty seafood taste, but in a really yummy way.

Windows by Chagall

Today we went to a tiny church in a tiny village called Tudeley to see a really amazing thing--the only church in the world where all its windows are by Marc Chagall, the super-important Modern artist. The windows were really cool and tell stories of Creation; Death and New Life; and Joy and Hope. Here are photos of some of the amazing windows--they were really beautiful.

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Pablo Picasso said: "When Matisse dies, Chagall will be the only painter left who understands what colour really is." This next window is my favourite. The four windows at the top are candles lighting the way to heaven.

"I have been fascinated by the Bible since my childhood; the Bible is a synonym for Nature"
--Marc Chagall

Hats

In preparation for Easter when everyone wears hats to church, the shops are selling a lot of fascinating hats. While we were out with our friends Becky and Mike today we each tried on a hat or two. (Use your imagination to picture them without tags.) (:

It's a sign!

We did have an unfortunate frog encounter

Saturday--where was this sign when we needed it?

(Jacob: "We think he [rib]bit the dust.")

Jacob: "what the %&#@ am I supposed to do now?"

It may seem unnecessary to have a business dedicated to equine laundry,
but you have to remember that horses wear clothes in England.

This one's dedicated to Nick

who enjoyed this sign in the Tube stations in London.

I might be the only person who finds this funny, but it's a directional

sign telling me where to find trees. It's in the middle of the forest.

Where trees are abundant. Particularly to the right...?

We like this sign because apparently in Spain it has to be indicated on
every little piece of grass whether fútbol is allowed.

This sign is next to a fountain.
Jacob: "The water doesn't scare me; the lightening bolt to the groin does."

A comical translation attempt at a gift shop in Jordan.

This one's at Petra where

scenes from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade were filmed.

Logic Lane is an actual street in Oxford. I'm going to start invoking

it when someone's grasp of reality is slipping: "You need to take a trip over to Logic Lane, buddy."

If you were in doubt as to whether Jerusalem is a dangerous place,

this sign clears things up.

This one is just around the corner from our house on the path along

the River Lark. The first prohibition really is a stick person carrying a

larger-than-possible fish. And running. The middle image

is interesting too.

just goofing off

We really enjoyed spending this morning in Brandon, the town where RAF Lakenheath is technically located. The bakery in town was gorgeous and delicious! And we took a walk through Thetford Forest (which we've blogged about before). Jacob enjoyed trying out the playground equipment, and I found a fun climbing tree. We loved the nicer weather this morning and the signs of spring.

Preston

Two weekends ago we took a trip with about 35 great 16 and 17-year olds from our church to Preston in Lancashire to visit places of significance in our Church. It was a really cool, faith-promoting trip. The Ribble River (below) is where the first baptisms in Great Britain took place in 1837. They were the beginnings of the oldest continuous LDS congregation in the world, which still meets in Preston today.

We also visited the Missionary Training Centre where we took a tour and spoke to actual missionaries-in-training, as well as the mission presidency there.

Preston is also a place where our late leader President Hinckley served as a missionary. We saw some of the places where he taught and lived, including the house where his life's turning point occurred.

Jacob and I enjoyed the teenagers' road-trip shenanigans. Many things were exchanged between vans as we drove down the motorway, such as pizza, mustard, pop tarts and handshakes. Risky behaviour aside, I can't tell you how impressed I am with these youth!

fish & chips

Yes, they're greasy and provide little (ok, maybe zero) nutritional value. But fish & chips are so delicious! And they're basically the national dish.

Over the summer Jacob and I drove up to the Norfolk coast and had delicious fish & chips (because we heard about the superiority of fish & chips on the coast). Jacob isn't a fish fan, but he discovered that he really enjoys haddock more than the normal cod.

The detail in this photo shows how flaky the fish can be. Also, you can see the silver skin inside the batter. When we first got here it freaked me out a little that I was eating the skin. Two years later I love it and think it's the best part.

I've been planning this post for a while, but I couldn't resist posting it on a Friday during Lent. Apparently the ubiquity of the 'chippy' (fish & chips shop) came about because people wanted fish & chips on Friday nights during Lent.

The following video clip is well worth the 57 seconds it takes to watch it. So hilarious.