Arrived at the Gregory in Venice

Got up at 6 and worked hard at my packing till 8 when Maria came in with my b’fast followed by Signora with my lunch and the bill. I had a great time in sorting out the things to take and the things to leave.

About 9:30 I went to French lesson, got my $60 cashed and gave the mail clerk $2.00 to look after my mail which he said he would. Bought Mrs. O. the Italian self taught book. Came back to the house and said good bye to the Hubbell’s and Signora, gave the servants 7 francs - enough too, but they were not grateful – never are.

Went to station and had to buy a second class ticket to Bologna. Saw Mrs. O. and her daughter and we got into a 2nd class carriage with two other people who soon got out and three priests got in two fat and one both fat and jolly. He talked a perfect stream for a couple of hours but could only understand a few words of what they said. My lunch was very good and the country beautiful.

Finally we came to Bologna where we changed trains and got into a 3rd class carriage which I liked better than 2nd- more air and more people so we can’t have any horrid tragedy. Got to Venice which looked like any station with solid ground and grass and weeds about it. We got two facchini *and tried to follow them but we lost them some way and so cut wandering around.

Finally Hortense discovered that our things were in a gondola and we soon got in and it was such fun being poled along through narrow canals and under bridges and running into other gondolas. Most of the houses are dirty and dingy and even black as thought they had been through a fire.

Finally we came to the Gregory. It is up two flights of stairs. We have two connecting rooms – a bureau wash stand, a table, two beds. Mine is very tiny, over the stairs, with a bed, a commode, a bureau wash stand, a table, two chairs, and a wooden 3 pegged clothes rack in the wall for all my clothes. I got them all on too.

I had a cinder in my eye and borrowed Mrs. O’s scissors and I never saw anyone so dirty in my life. Washed my face 4 times with soap and hot water. We had a nice dinner, read a London paper in the living room and went to bed; at 9:45 I was in bed.
Mosquito net - I like it here immensely.

*porters