(Did anyone get the title’s reference to the song–“Make new friends and keep the old…?”)

We got an early start to meet an old friend at the train station.  On our way there, we decided we had better go to Bisiol before as tomorrow is a big holiday and everything will be closed. So, we turned back, did a quick but substantial shopping there, and then practically ran to get to the station on time.

Amy is a friend from college days with whom I have reconnected through another mutual friend, (hi Diane) on Facebook.  So, we waited for her in front of the station for just a few minutes and there she was! We started walking and it started raining so we came back to our apartment to chat–and chat and chat! Amy, who lives in Copenhagen and had lived, years ago, in Florence, is a brilliant, worldly and charming woman and I was really glad she made the trip to Venice to visit.

We had a lunch reso at Trattoria da Bepi Antico, right nearby. Lunch was fine–we had so much to talk about–but the service was the worst we’ve ever had in Venice. The food was good, the wine was OK. We all shared everything which makes it fun. We had a spider crab salad for an appetizer, served in the crab shell with tender valeriana lettuce and olive oil. Then we shared one pasta dish–pappardelle with mushrooms, a frittura, and a baked branzino with artichokes, and some spinach. The branzino was the most interesting–the artichokes were well cooked shaved and all over the top.

Here’s Amy and me at lunch:

We sat there for a long time. Amy wanted a glimpse of San Marco before she left, and I got a random canal shot along the way:

We sat for a coffee in the piazza, when I looked at my Che Bateo weather app and realized how late it was. Amy had to really rush to catch the vaporetto in time to get back to the train station to make her 5:00 train back to Florence. We got down to the docks and it was clear that she had missed it, so she jumped into a water taxi and off she went. I can’t believe the day went by so fast! Now I want to go visit her in Copenhagen!

Here she goes:

We walked home from there, stopping at the vegetable stand in Santa Maria Formosa for some broccoli and blueberries.

After a little rest we had delicious rolled roast veal from Bisiol, and salad and broccoli. And a local Cabernet.

What a gift to see Amy after all these years.

I sometimes feel like life is a piñata and I am breaking it open through the years and the treats are just falling out. Lucky me.