The kids had a blast in Venice because, well, what kid doesn’t like boats, water, and masks? Okay, my kids shouldn’t, as they are obsessed with the movie Jaws, Shark Week and all things Shark. My youngest told me that there were sharks in the waters around Venice. My oldest thought that he might be right. Never the less, they still enjoyed the scenery and the boat rides.

Pictured above: Me and my oldest sitting on what they call “The People Mover”. The People mover is a small train, like a cable car that sits on tracks high up off the ground. We rode it for about five minutes, but for the boys it left a lasting impression.Instead of booking a hotel right on the canal, we checked into a hotel in east Venice. That required us to do a bit of a trek across land, sky and water in order to reach the canal. Actually, we could have omitted the sky part had the grownups dug a bit more into the whole getting to the canal part of the journey. Duh…

Well anyway, we eventually figured things out and ended up on what’s referred to as a “water bus”. Water buses are awesome. While riding the water bus, we were able to get a nice view of the canal and all the buildings built upon it. Amazing how the buildings sit on the water like that. Apparently, the foundations for the buildings are wooden platforms. After being submerged under water so long the wood petrified into a very solid state. The petrification made the wood much like stone, thereby providing a pretty stable foundation…a lot more stable than that of the Leaning Tower of Pisa!

To L.T.P.: I’m only kidding. I think you’re super D. awesome.Besides, Venice may have got the buildings on the water right, but I can’t say the same for Saint Mark’s Campanile (Tower). Sadly to say, it collapsed a couple of times. It has since been restored and glistens in the Venetian sunlight right next to St. Mark’s Basilica (pictured below).We found Venetian masks on our way to the Basilica and… then shoes, which led us to go from house shoes to Moon Boots for my son!We happened upon the Moon Boots in a little sports shop. We looked around and then I saw these:These boots are funky looking, but they sure are fun. After watching the kid galloping around in them as if he were Neil Armstrong on the moon, I resolved that I had to acquire a pair for my younger son and myself. This led us on a journey to a little town called Nervesa della Battaglia–the last town we stopped in before leaving Italy.

The original Moon Boots were designed in the 1970s by an Italian Businessman by the name of Giancarlo Zanatta. An idea struck him after watching the famed first landing of Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin on the moon. He zeroed in on their footwear and a revolution began. The original boots, made by Tecnica, were first manufactured and designed in Italy. After an interesting pursuit through several shops, which I won’t detail because it’s sort of a long story, and ridiculous, we acquired two more pairs of The Original Moon Boots. They are the perfect souvenirs! Side Note: Besides their funky look, they’re quite practical as they are lightweight, easy to walk in, and they come in a range of sizes (3 sizes in one). The boot molds to your foot and keeps them warm. Most people use them when they go skiing, others use them for snow. Some even wear them for fashion. Some swear they are way better than the often coveted Uggs. Hence, I’m telling myself that I might be able to get away with wearing these with shorts and skirts after winter. Don’t know if I’ll try to pull that off, but only time will tell. Napolean Dynamite wore snow boots all year, so why can’t I?

As you can see, besides having a passion for Montessori and homeschooling, I also have a passion for shoes. Hey, even shoes have history!