Trains & Artichokes

I've been drawing the artichokes from the garden for a new piece.  They are blossoming intense purple flowers and attracting loads of black bees.  The first time that Steven cooked me dinner, he made fresh artichokes.  I had no idea how to eat them and nervously just chewed on the whole leaf, spine and all.  Every time I see artichokes at the store or have them for dinner, I think of that first dinner date.

Today we have traveled to Venice by train.  It took us about 11 hours door to door, riding from the far southwest to the far northeast part of the country.  Our train outside Padova was stopped for almost two hours because of a fire on the tracks.  It was all very mysterious, but eventually the train got going again and we arrived at 3.  Venice is beautiful and also full of tourists, which I enjoy.  It's nice to see so many different people enjoying the sights, though it gets very confusing to navigate the streets in the crowds. We are staying in an apartment in Campo Santa Marina, a short walk from the Ponte di Rialto.  Tomorrow I'll head off to do some sightseeing at Palazzo San Marco and then the art biennale.