My first meeting was set for the Park Hotel restaurant. I had studied the way there beforehand: from the Santa Maria Elisabetta landing a waterbus left every ten minutes for the San Marco, Rialto, and Piazzale Roma landings. There were few other passengers. A graceful young lady fluttered in front of me on the deck. I was unable to see her face but I was dazzled by her legs, which were remarkably long and slender, as is common among the ladies of Venice. The sun was already high in the sky, and a warm wind was blowing in from the lagoon and whipping up the waves. The boat rocked from side to side, and from its deck I caught a breathtaking view of the lagoon and all of Venice.
I went straight to the boat’s stern and took a seat. As we sailed along, I greedily devoured the scenery. I wanted
