Episode 557: Ciao, Venice!

So in Venice, it shouldn't be too surprising to find a pinup calendar of gondoliers. Since this is Italy, it's also not surprising to find one of Catholic priests, right? My question is simply this: How do those fresh-faced priests reconcile being the objects of just with their vow of chastity? If I were being facetious, I'd say this contradiction about sums up the slightly bizarre nature of Catholicism. (I suppose the rationale is that as long as they're fully clothed, since the priest on the cover was definitely in a cassock, it's okay.) Anyway, Venice is a really pretty place, with no vehicular traffic to mar it. We had a look at frightfully expensive Venetian lace, as well as a really cool glassblowing demonstration. We also took a tranquil gondola ride through the canals, sipping Prosecco and Bellini, and taking lots of photographs, of course. A lot of stuff in Venice seems to undergoing restoration at the moment though, including the famous Ponte dei Sospiri, or the Bridge of Sighs if you don't speak Italian. Sort of spoils the pictures, just a little. I also think I'm on the verge of falling ill, although my condition hasn't worsened after one day, so I'm hoping that lots of water will help to stave off whatever I'm coming down with.