text and images britt-arnhild
A week ago I started a new Monday theme, My Extended Blog Family.
Every Monday I hope to show you one or more people I have met through blogging,
people who, by their existence, have changed my life.
Last week we travelled to Sarajevo where we met Faruk.
This week........it is not a big surprise, is it, that we go to Venice, or Venezia, which of course is the real name of this fairy tale city.
In the spring of 2007, Marta, Terje and I spent a week in Venezia. We did not know La Serenissima very well then, and walked around with our noses deep in a city map. Ha, at least that´s what Terje did. I let him show us the way, which made my eyes, my mind, my heart free to breath in every facet of the city.
Suddenly our walk came to a dead end, the dead end being a huge shop window, a glass artist sitting inside making small figures. "Oh, please, let is have a look" Marta said. Inside we took our time to see the artist making a small turtle, and Marta continued "Can I buy the turtle? Please!"
"Of course you can" the artist said. "But it is still too hot. Come back tomorrow, and I will have it ready for you."
The next day we were there. To buy the turtle and a few other things, and to take photos. Back home I made a blog post about our visit. I sent a thank you note to the artist, Mauro, got a nice email back........and forgot about it.......almost.
A few montsh later I went back to Venezia by myself. I had fallen in love with a city. Deeply in love.
This time I walked without a map. Got lost, found my way, got lost again........and again.......and again. And all of a sudden I found myself at a dead end, with a huge window, with a glass artist inside. I opened the door and walked in. The maestro was busy with a customer but looked up when he heared the door open, and cried out "The blog lady! May I take you out for a coffee?"
I accepted...
...and got a friend.
A friend for my lifetime.
While planning this post I have tried to find highlights from our friendship.
There are so many, it is impossible to share them all.
When Mauro took me to Trattoria Alla Scala to show me spaghetti vongole the real way, presenting me to the owner of the restaurant "Here is a famous writer", being treated like one.
When he took me, Marta and Terje on a private tour in the laguna with his boat.
When he taught Marta and me to make glass bonbons...... I still have our pieces of art in an antique Venetian miniature glass bowl.
When he taught me to drink spriz.....
....or when he presented me to his parents.
Wait, this is starting to sound like a love story!
As a matter of fact, it IS a love story. But not the way you think. No, it is about the love you find in a friendship, a friendship between two people who meet, by chance, and respond to each other by the way of friendship. Reflect something in each other´s eyes. Something which matters. Something you want to last.
There are not many friendships like this.
I do have a few,
and I feel blessed.
Deeply blessed.
We met his parents by chance actually. When we were on our way to Mauro´s home. On Murano. There I met Barbara, Mauro´s girlfriend, and their daughters.
And Mauro made me dinner.
One summer Mauro came to Trondheim together with Barbara and Irene, and Barbara pregnant with Linda.
And I (and sometimes we) have been back to Venezia again and again and again.
We have been out in the laguna to catch vongole,
we have......
.........Like I said, I can go on and on and on,
and as I plan to visit Venezia again and again and again in the future,
there will be more memories,
hopefully.
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More Venezia blogging can be found by clicking on this link
Here is my favorite
(next time I visit Mauro I plan to buy a seahorse......or five)
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Thanks for your responses on yesterday´s Blue Studie Reading Group post.
I´ll write more about it tomorrow.
