Cool things to see in Venice

Venice is known for their mask making skills. There are hundreds of shops selling leather masquerade masquerade masks reasonably priced for souvenirs. However, there are a few specialty shops where the true artistry of mask making an be seen. There masks were amazing.

everyone has to see the Rialto bridge. ok, seen it. lets move on.

of course the canals and the boats.

I like some of the statues as well.  

But this was my favorite spot, there were a few trees by a bridge and the dock area was nice and cool on a hot day and looked out over the water. It was so nice to just sit there, cool down, and soak in where I was and how lucky I was to be able to go to see places like this.

Ah, the famous locks on the bridges. Couples think they can lock their love by putting a padlock on the bridge and throwing the key in the water. Nice thought, but it's causing al kinds of problems for the bridges that are old and the added constant weight is detrimental to the bridges. So the lovers may find their love locks broken at some point soon.

Whovians, did you know there's a Dr. Who museum near London?

Sure, it's just a police box, riiiiight?

London's Harry Potter Studio Tour was so cool, yes I'm a potter nerd.

When we went to London, one of the most exciting parts wasn't the culture or the history that London has to offer. It was the Harry Potter Studio Tour. I am an adult, and older adult. And I took my kid ( then 20 years old),  to the tour.  It was, by far, her favorite part of our trip to England. I must admit, it was one of my favorite parts too. Yes, I am a Potter fan. I've stood in line at Midnight for books when they were release. I've made and bought Potter costumes and toys for my kid. I actually credit the series with helping my daughter's reading level. She was capable of readying and was at grade level in second grade, but she didn't enjoy reading. Over the summer of second grade into third, she discovered the Harry Potters books. Her reading level jumped from standard second grade to at least sixth grade in just 2 months. So not only do I enjoy Potter, I enjoy what it does for kids. Increases their reading levels, imagination, and vocabulary skills. Go Potter!

The great hall

lemon drops! if this isn't the entrance to Dumbledore's office

Death eaters masks

 The Burrow.

I'm sorry if you can see the next one, you must have witnessed death. This is a Thestral.

Diagon Alley of course.

Hogwarts

And that corner in London where Harry, Ron, and Hermione are trying to sneak into the ministry.

 Seriously, does this need explanation?

Best tour in London!

One of the most fun tourist attractions we encountered in England was "The Ghost Bus Tours". We had such a good time, it was funny and educational. The staff was so enjoyable, I can't recommend this enough. Not only did they cover more than the traditional tour bus runs, but with humor. I was laughing so much at some points, I could hardly breath. Huzzah for the ghost bus!

 Another sign of spring, these are buds from a tree in Marcy, New York on April 2, 2016.  I don't even know what type of tree, I'll have to look it up and come back and correct this!

Talent or Torture? Alligators in shows

At the outdoor show today there was a show about alligators and snakes. It was for entertainment purposes. It's kind of like people watching NASCAR. Sitting in baking sun for hours isn't fun, they're all waiting for the crash and burn. At a gator and snake show, the adults are all watching to see if the handler messes up and gets bitten.

So I sat through the gator show and I felt bad for the gator. They goaded it to make it open its mouth and jump and move around. If you were a gator, would you like to be kept in a coffin size box then yanked out into bright lights and poked? Of course not. On the other hand, they claim that the gator had been taken from someones home and that because it was 4 feet long or longer, it generally would have been euthanized. My immediate thought was, if I were the gator, I might have chosen euthanasia over that life. The handlers then stated that they "show" a gator for a couple of weeks, then the gator is sent to a preserve to live out the rest of their natural lives. That sounds better. I guess a few weeks of torment verses being killed might be a fair deal for the gator.   And I hope that maybe all the kids in the audience will learn to respect these animals and if they ever get a chance to see one in person and then know better than to try to feed it or get too close. So overall I decided it's not too much torture as long as what they said about it being released into a nature preserve is true.

Sugar bears are soooooo cute!

 We went to the outdoor show at Turning Stone Casino today and there was a booth selling sugar bears. They claim that their wastes have no odors, that they don't smell so your cats and dogs don't think of them as food and they get along really well with other animals. I have my doubts. My Arya caught a mouse last night and a mole this morning. In my house. She's an indoor only cat and I think anything that moves would be fair game to her. As much as I'd love a sugar bear, I think it's not fair to the sugar bear to bring it in the house and let the cats attack it.

But tell me this isn't the cutest little thing!