Am Not Coping

It's very pretty, re the orchid @Zoe7

Venice has tiny ice cream scoops. That is one of my memories ....

@Mazarita

How gorgeous is Venice @Mazarita! It is definitely one of my favourite places in the world (that I have been to anyway). I didn't spend my time in the main tourist areas - I ventured further out in the city where there are beautiful walkways, gardens and parks - and of course canals!!!!1 I absolutely loved it and I was there in Autumn so the leaves were beautiful and the water didn't smell as much as in Summer.

I love my little orchid too - my little present to myself after struggling so much with money coming in over the last few months!

I am not an ice-cream lover @Faith-and-Hope so cannot relate to that memory lol

It was summer and very hot when we were there @Zoe7 .... and their ice cream scoops are teaspoon sized !! I would have loved to find parks and gardens there. Like Paris, it's a painters paradise.

@Faith-and-Hope, @Zoe7, I don't remember small ice cream scoops. I was there I think in November. It was amazing stepping onto the first boat down the Grand Canal, magical. Then had a terrible delirious cold in the hotel room alone for a few days. After that, I remember wearing a big long wool felt coat, camel coloured. It was a wonderland to me. Where you went sounds fabulous, Zoe.

That is one of the things that appealed to me too @Faith-and-Hope everywhere you looked there was someone painting, sculpting, glass making etc. or selling their works - and most of it was so beautiful. I could have come home with a dozen paintings - if I had the money, place to put them and could get them on the plane There was one tiny little book shop that had the most amazing handmade notebooks - could have bought the whole shop - it really was a step back in time - one of those things that gets lost now in our world - which is very sad.

It was @Mazarita - on my own, sitting on a bench seat in a small park, overlooking part of the Grand Canal - that is where I decided I would look into doing teaching when I returned home. It was one of those very few moments in my life where it was just me, happy and looking forward to something better - if only that moment could have lasted forever hey!

All of that and the way the light reflected off the water at different times of the day - absolutely breathtaking. @Faith-and-Hope

@Zoe7, @Faith-and-Hope, I look back and am glad I had my travelling times too, especially that I did several trips solo. Many strong experiences. I was pretty scared constantly though. Above all, I appreciated the architecture and the physical reality of Venice itself.

I did a tour - which wasn't always comfortable for me but I got on really well with the tour guide and she pointed me in the right direction to see more of the unknown and less touristy places in the countries/places we went to. Then I spent some time in the UK and Ireland on my own. I did spend the majority of the time travelling on my own - I wasn't interested in most of the 'party' things that others wanted to do so there were many times that I went out on my own while they went to an organised group activity/event! At one point - funnily enough @Faith-and-Hope it was in Greece - I nearly came home. I wasn't 'coping' very well (in my own head) and really thought I couldn't continue on but the tour guide helped to 'calm me' and I stayed. I wouldn't have seen Venice if I had left!

@Mazarita @Faith-and-Hope Another terror attack - this time in Barcelona (a van used). At least one killed and 32+ injured - but still counting. Why is this world so messed up???? I really don't get it!! What the hell makes people think that hurting others is ok - for any reason!!!!!!!