Ten Years Ago: Venice, Northeastern Italy
It was near summer, a week before he was to return home to stay with his aunt, Xue Teegan, and his cousins. He spent years travelling to different countries, and though he was alone most of the time, he made the most of each trip.
Long Jie passed by a church; its bells chiming the hour. He glanced at the stain-glass windows of mosaics and detailed artwork of saints and angels. He loved the architecture of the churches, the buildings, and small, crumbling palaces in Italy.
And he also loved the saying: 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do,' because, in a foreign land, he will follow their customs.
He continued to walk alone, on the way back to the Italian-styled townhouse he and his parents were staying after spending the day with Han Ru and people they just met.
He walked over a large, white-stone bridge that arched above one of the canals, connecting to other waterways as Gondolas passed below.
