One Winter Weekend

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

T hey started with a map of the city and no real destination. It was cold out, but they were dressed warmly and there were plenty of cafes dotting the streets where they could buy hot coffee, hot chocolate or a snack to eat while they warmed up.

The snow was falling only lightly, drifting past them without a whisper. They started out from their hotel and began wandering across the map, exploring tiny side streets and playing a sort of treasure hunt game. Could they find the narrowest lane in the city, Calle Varisco? Could they find the house labelled “1”? They also looked for street addresses that reflected their birth years and anniversary years. All of this was marked down with a pen on the map.

When they had crisscrossed the city, they ended up near Rialto Bridge. Naomi’s notebook listed the Rialto food market as an interesting place to linger, and while Max had no interest in the actual food on offer (lots and lots of seafood), he did find it interesting to see the cultural side of the markets. He hadn’t put a lot of thought into the lack of farmland available or how most Venetians got their food, and a look at the market gave him a greater appreciation of the many types of seafood up for grabs at local restaurants. I still want English fish and chips when I get home, he thought with amusement as a vendor showed off fresh squid.

After that, tired of walking, they decided to hop a water bus and cruise the Grand Canal for a daylight look at the city. The snow had stopped by now, and they had a nice view of the hotels and other businesses lining the water, along with glimpses of some of the side streets and canals. It was nearly dusk now, and the Rialto Bridge was well lit up for the night. Further down they spotted the Bridge of Sighs—somehow less impressive now that they had heard the story of its name—as well as a myriad smaller bridges, quiet and deserted in the gathering dusk.

Rising above all they spotted the bell tower and clock tower in St. Mark’s Square, and the spires on the cathedral. Max checked his watch. “If we’re ready, we can get through a quick meal and make the late Mass. You up for it?”

“Definitely.” Naomi’s eyes were sparkling.

They grabbed food at a small takeaway cafe nearby—more pizza for Max and a panini for Naomi—and then headed into the Basilica with the other tourists and worshippers who were joining the Mass.

They were in for a treat. They’d been expecting a regular service, but tonight there was a visiting choir who would be singing the Mass. The voices that rose up to the gilded domes filled the cathedral with the same spine-tingling sound they’d heard that morning, yet somehow it seemed even more impressive at night.

Outside, the Basilica was flooded with light for the nighttime hours, and Max and Naomi took a moment to admire it as they stood in the piazza. Finally, the cold got the better of them, and they all but ran back to the hotel, laughing at their attempts to hurry without slipping on the fresh snow.

Back at the hotel, Naomi made a quick check of her phone. “No calls,” she said happily, and stayed it away again.

Max plumped up a pillow and handed it to her. “Aren’t you going to call and check in?”

She thought about that for a moment. “I don’t think so — not today,” she said at last. “It’s our last day and I’ll let my mom do what I asked her to do—watch Julia. And I’ll enjoy us for one more night before we go home.”

“Speaking of the night— look at this.” Max turned off the lamps and opened the curtains, gesturing out the window. Naomi joined him and gasped a little. They could just see down the canal to Rialto Bridge, and it was still lit up with an ever-changing rainbow of Christmas lights, even at this late hour. Very faintly, they could hear the stream of a jazzy-sounding Christmas carol drifting down the water.

“It’s magical,” said Naomi. “Like something you see in a movie. And we were lucky enough to see it in person.”

They stood in the window for a while longer, holding each other and not speaking. Sometimes, they both realised, you didn’t need words to express a feeling.

Just being in the moment and sharing it was enough.