Veteran actor Jon Voight is overjoyed to have been invited to join his daughter Angelina Jolie and her family in Venice, Italy last week (21Feb10) after years of estrangement.
The Tomb Raider actress cut Voight out of her life in 2001 after he voiced concerns for her mental health shortly before she adopted son Maddox from Cambodia.
Voight has made several attempts to mend his fractured relationship with Jolie, and he revealed in November (09) the pair is back in contact.
They stepped out in public for the first time in years on Sunday (21Feb10) when Voight was pictured with Jolie, her partner Brad Pitt, and their children on a boat trip down the city's Grand Canal.
Voight is delighted to have the chance to bond with his six grandkids and he hopes it won't be the last time he gets to visit Jolie and her young family.
Speaking to UsMagazine.com from Venice, where Jolie is shooting new movie The Tourist, he says, "It's nice to have something that's positive! (The canal ride was) lovely. The weather wasn't so bad for the journey. It's a very beautiful trip. A lot of fun.
"I love the possibility of spending time with the family. It's a very beautiful thing."
And the 71 year old insists Jolie and Pitt's romance is still going strong, despite recent tabloid rumours of an impending split
He adds, "Of course they are (fine)! You can see!"