Clothe a Cold, Float a Fever?

So, I am sick, feeling a bit hot and feverish with a stuffed nose. Not a big deal, just my body trying to tell me to rest after my insisting that it be active in the heat (both in Israel and Italy) after not sleeping well for quite some time.

Had I been truly wise, I would have stayed in my hotel room all day, only leaving to drink tea and eat fruit. Except that, with all my Internet savvy, I managed to book a real doozy of a hotel room (up four full flights of steps, plus the room itself is really an afterthought - someone plastered over part of a hallway, added a cheap door, and now they charge a small fortune for it!). Since ascending to my room is worthy of a stairmaster workout, I am loathe to descend without a very good reason, yet I could not imagine lying there all day, being sick AND annoyed at myself for having a room with no view (the windows are positioned above eye level; yes, I tried to switch rooms but they are fully booked).

So, I planned a relatively easy day, squeezing as many vaporetti (water bus) rides out of my $40+ tourist pass (valid for 72 hours) as possible, before it expires tomorrow afternoon. In other words, I went island hopping, traveling from Venice to Burano (known for its lace and extremely colorful houses), then to Torcello (a small island with a very valuable gold mosaic in its basilica and a bell tower with a tremendous view of the lagoon), changing boats in Burano to return to Murano (for a final look!) and then back to Venice. The water and the breeze were refreshing, and I probably spent a few solid hours floating around, not exerting myself. Even climbing the bell tower was relatively easy; instead of lots of steps some genius had built a ramp. Hallelujah!

Early this evening, returning to a street vendor who was selling some unique lampshades which I thought might look fun in my studio, I spotted another interesting shop. And despite my repeated vow (OK, I say this silently, so no one has actually heard me) that I am not going to buy another thing, I spotted a greenish, velvety-ish and ruffly-ish jacket, a more flamboyant version of the top I wore to my chocolate party. It fit. It was also heftily marked down from a stratospheric price to one in the double digits. I pounced.

We shall see if clothes shopping is a cure for my cold. I hope so!