Loading...Eric has this compulsion, I’ve know about it for years, where he has to do those things that one does in a certain place. It doesn’t matter to him if it’s a good idea or not, it only matters that it must be done. I’d been through it before, taken the picture of him in Morocco with a monkey on his shoulder, so I wasn’t too surprised when he insisted on feeding the birds in San Marco so I could get a picture of him covered in birds.
It was our last afternoon and therefore our last chance to get the bird shot. I told him from the beginning that I would stand as far from him as my zoom lens would allow. Pigeons are disgusting and after a week of trudging through their shit on the sidewalks of Venice, I wasn’t too keen on having them perch on my shoulder. So we took the vaporetto down to San Marco again sitting on the deck so we could absorb as much of the sights as we could. I got my final palazzo pictures while Eric mentally psyched himself up for the contest ahead.
I should mention that the other thing I’ve known about Eric for years is that he hates birds. Whenever we see them he gets a little grossed out. I used to mention getting one as a pet and he would vehemently protest. We entered the square and found a feed purveyor, gave him a Euro and Eric stood ready. I backed away and turned on my camera. He asked me what to do. I said: “Put some feed in your hand and hold it out. The birds know what to do.”
As you can tell by the pictures, Eric couldn’t quite stand still with the birds fluttering around him. When they would come near he would freak out and run away from them. Finally he stood still long enough for one to perch on his shoulder. He kept asking me if I got the shot. I wanted to say no because this whole spectacle was hilarious, but I put him out of his misery. Eric is a slave to kitsch, have no doubt.
Our evening ended with sandwiches from our favorite snack bar, prosecco from our favorite wine guy and our teddy bear plates from Padova. It was a fitting end frequenting the neighborhood places that had become our own in the short time we were there and one of the best meals of my life.
The best way to view the pictures (in my opinion) is to click on the first one which opens a larger view, then click Next in that new window. This way you can also read the captions.
