I arrived at the appointed time to the security gate and… there were a
hundred men in Italian suits and shiny black shoes already waiting in
line!
Since I was the speaker, I didn't feel like I should get at the
back of the
line, so I skipped to the front of the line. There was a young
lady waiting
behind the gate watching for me, so I slipped inside before the
suits could
protest… much.
We had a full room with people standing
in the back. Everyone seemed to
really appreciate the depth of quilting
talent that was shown, from several
quilt festivals worldwide.
Toward
the end as we left, we heard there was a demonstration blocking a
road
nearby. Later at my hotel I heard and saw a low-flying helicopter, and
wondered if it was related to the demonstrations. It was. There was a huge
anti-American demonstration near the Embassy all afternoon – we avoided the
area and I don't have any more information on what happened yet. Our friends
at the Embassy chose to stay inside the compound for the rest of the day
instead of going home.
I had lunch with a Venetian photographer and
his wife. They live on Lido Island and he is known for his atmospheric photos of
Carnivale. We talked about me perhaps coming to Venice Carnivale in Feb 2014 and
they offered to help me get into some private costume parties. Now wouldn't that
be amazing?! I would go in costume, with my camera.
to
Basilica di Santa Maria del Popolo
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_di_Santa_Maria_del_Popolo
which
has 2 large Caravaggio paintings.
I walked back along the river, then
caught a taxi to the hotel to meet
my host Susan Fiorentino. We had to drive
the long way to get out of the city, due to the demonstrations. We saw a lot of
police but never saw the demonstration.
Anyway, she picked me up at 5:45, we
got to the restaurant at 7 pm, everyone
else showed up at 8 pm, we ate at 9
pm, there was a chaotic show and tell of
quilts at 10 pm, and after many
good-byes we left at 10:45 pm, and got to the hotel at 11:30 pm. A good time was
had by all. I had my first stuffed zucchini flower! Norah McMeeking and her
husband sat next to me and we traded travel stories.
Over my short trip
to Rome, there were several enthusiastic eQuilter customers who came to meet me
at all the events. One lady even cried, she was so excited to meet me. I got a
little teary too – it is so amazing that I can travel so far and find new
friends who feel so close to me – I feel honored to have friends like this
around the world – thanks to quilting!
Now I am packing, going to bed,
and checking out at 7 am for my flight to
Moscow tomorrow. (Saturday)
