Alas, fair Juliet......

Larry finally made it to Venice-Mestre, after a series of gaffes involving trains. Checked into a quaint inn (red velvet carpet and mint green coverlets).


The next day, Larry went to Verona, to try the gelato there. It was very nice, and he kept the plastic bowl....



On the walk out of the town of moody teenage love, Larry spied a curious site....there, in an art shop full of innocent paintings and frames, hung the mark of the demon Larry was running from....a painting by "G. Schlumberger"! The painting was naturally bought, and will be burned at the earliest convenience.


The night ended with fabulous fish and seafood....upon finishing with the meal, Larry was asked if he wanted caffe, tea, or lemon sorbet. Naturally, he chose sorbet. To his dismay, in the Venice area, lemon sorbet is really limocello (a strong local concoction involving lemons and vodka) sorbet. After sniffing it, Larry decided to sadly walk home.

But it was a good night all in all, and Larry slept well...though his big toe hurt again....

Napoli is very Dirty

The title says it all. Fine.

Ercolano was nice, as was Vesuviano. A bit windy. Sorrento hads nice gelato--but Larry was uncertain if it was the best. So the group traveled onwards, towards the Eastern coast.

The trainride was scenic--lovely countryside.

Good friends showed Larry around Pescara. The best pizza so far in Italy was found here.....

Rome and the Some

The group was awoken by the sound of housekeeping. They arose and went in search of food, prior to traveling to the Roman Forum and the Spanish Steps, in search of the best gelato....

They first travelled to the Coloseum, where they were beset by strange men wearing tunics...after a mads chase through the corridors, they made it past the guards and up to the Palace of old, enroute to the Forum.

(Note from servants: yes, Larry sang for the most part, but no coins were dropped in the fountain...the masters are too frugal).


Some delicious gelato was found by the Spanish Steps, as were chestnuts roasted....

To quickly, the night came to an end, and the Jedi Master OJ had to pack. For unlike young Larry, he had to go back to the blood center and keep things flowing.

"Goodbye Larry, happy trails.." Said the Jedi Master, "May the forks be with you..."

"Good by Jedi Master OJ-have fun playing with people's blood," Larry replied.

Then Larry went back to bed, and OJ walked away with a heavy heart.

Note from the servants: Guess who REALLY packed?!?! Yeah, yeah, the slaves never get any credit fsor anything. Found the Disney shop of Rome ... And oh yeah, it was POURING the better part of the evening.

But the trip to the Forum was funny--and the day couldn't have been better. Unless we were no longer indentured servants. Or we got healthcare. But, other than that, a good day.

Tried out being a bum...didn't work....

Many more fun adventures happened in Spain, and enroute to Italy.

Much laughter, and a few gray hairs.

The overworked servants will detail more later, when time becomes available.

The gang then decided to press on to the land of Florence to worship marble......

Upon arriving in the coastal city of Lisboa, the weary travelers were beset by all types of peddlers hawking their wares. There were linens, and bangles, and kind police officers telling the group where to go. Tantalizing smells emanated from every shop....Even grilled Dory fish could be purchased for a small sum.

(Pondering Dory)

Note from the beleaguered slaves:

Yes, they did eat Dory, as well as lasagna, and amazing chocolate mousse. Tons of shoes, linens and pastries to be had. The room obtained by the normally obtuse bosses was quite nice and the window opened out onto a cobbled street downtown.

The Rain in Spain Theory Confimed!

Larry and Jedi Master OJ went about the provincial town, inquiring about possible quests. Finding arms for a fellow renegade proved simple, and was tossed out as a legitimate long term quest.

They managed to quest for staples to provision the quest. Then they remembered an old saying that started "The Rain in Spain..." that a young girl used to repeat, over and over and over....

They decided this seemed like a notworthy cause. Their humble servants followed along, pulling the luggage behind them.

Once on the plains they determined that, yes indeed, the rain in spain DOES stay mostly on the plains.

They were fascinated. For at least 3 minutes, until it no longer became fun.

And then they decided to soldier on to the coast, ever on the lookout for more pirates.

So they did.

Speeding to Their Deaths

Larry and Jedi Master OJ fell asleep aboard the flying contraption, only to wake up in a strange, exciting land. After negotiating with the locals, they managed to obtain a rickety cart, pulled by a decrepit donkey.

After a long ride with the assistance of C3PO and R2D2, they made it to a provincial inn. Then they passed out again.

In the morning, Larry and Jedi Master OJ determined the only proper way to adventure was to be on a noteworthy quest. Thus, they set about to find a quest, first stopping at the local seminary.

Sidenote by Larry's sidekick and Cristi, OJ's valiant (yet unappreciated) servant:

It was actually a red, manual sports car. Larry tried to kill everyone by driving at Mach 3 through winding alleyways, with negligble clearance. OJ was directing using R2D2. We just ended up going in circles. FINALLY, we made it to Toledo, Spain. After much "discussion", the group stayed at the hotel Beatriz. It not only had all the immenities, but breakfast, a huge day spa and swimming pool, AND AIR CONDITIONING! Remind us never to work for dramatic masters again. The pay SO is not worth it. We've attached pictures as proof. Luckily, the "wise" Masters can't use computers, or we'd be up a creek.

After resting and breakfasting in the hotel, the misfits left to tour Toledo.

Adventures Aboard an Airborne Pressurized Tin Can

Larry was a bit bored at his job in the Toothpaste factory. It was a good job, screwing on caps, however long and tedious at times. "Go on an adventure" his coworkers said.

So he did.

After some incidents with the local press gangs and pirates (I won't go into detail, these stories are for another day), Larry wound up in a city known for water. And not just any water, but rain. Lots and lots of rain. He managed to get a ticket on the last tin can leaving Seattle.

While boarding the metal deathtrap, Larry spied an old friend, Jedi Master OJ (the local vampiric council member).
"OJ, are you going on an adventures?" Larry asked.
"Yes, work at the blood bank has been slow recently...and I needed a break," OJ replied.
"Do you want to come adventure with me?"
"Hmm.....OK, sounds like fun."
So they did.