[mgjim]

I was lucky enough to be stationed in Vicenza Italy several years ago, about an hour west of Venice. The first time my wife and I traveled to Venice, we took the train and arrived during the height of tourist season. Just getting on a water bus to get to Saint Mark's Square was an ordeal. But once we got our first look at the Grand Canal and the hundreds of years of history unfolded in front of us, we were absolutely taken with the city. We tried to get back as often as possible for romantic little day trips. Among many happy memories of traveling through Europe, I'd have to say that Venice was the one place that left me speechless just about every time we visited.