I've been trying to get this post on but blogger has been finicky, so sorry for the delay. I'm positive that I can't adequately summarize Venice. I am not a great writer, and am easily overwhelmed at the thought of trying to put it all down in words, but I'm giving it a go.
Venice is magical. Yes, it does have the occasional smelly spot. But, it's like no other place in the world. And when you are there, that is so very clear. I had to keep reminding myself that this wasn't a Disney set, like the main streets at Disney World... but this was Venice and we were truly here. We were transported to and from our hotel by water taxi, which hold about 10 people. Our hotel was very pretty, with a garden courtyard where we ate breakfast each morning. It was a peaceful place. When we first went to our room, we went in with the credit card like key and plopped our stuff down. Then Matt and I started flipping every light switch in the place with no luck in having any lights turn on. We couldn't figure out what in the world was wrong, why we didn't have any power in our room...then our guide, Michael came to door and told us you have to put the card key in a slot by the door to have any electricity to your room, including air conditioning. Sure enough, you stick the card in there and voila! Lights!! Air!! Hand dandy... And aren't they so smart, because then when you leave your room for the day, you can't leave all the electricity running. They are stingy, I told ya.
I had woken up very early our first morning there and was showered and ready to go by 7 a.m. I took a walk alone on the streets of Venice and it was so surreal and probably one of my favorite moments of our trip. Hardly anyone out yet, and the few that were said, "Buongiorno" ( a kindness that we didn't experience much during the rest of the trip) The morning light was so different from the gorgeous sunset we had seen the night before. It made the colors so soft, and yet vibrant. I had a brief but definitely memberable encounter with an Italian nun who had lots to say that I unfortunately could understand. Then I joined the rest of our group fro breakfast before our tour of the city.
This day was also special in that it was mine and Matt's 15 year wedding anniversary. I can tell you that never in a million, bazillion years would I have dreamed we'd spend any anniversary in Venice. We are truly blessed to have had this experience and have these memories together. Our group toured the Murano glass factory, St. Mark's, the Doge's palace and then had the afternoon for free time. Matt and I along with Amy and Nikki and a few others opted to take a gondola ride through the canals. Such a cool experience, a once in a lifetime thing to do. Like Amy said, "How can we not?? We are in Venice!" Then we had some shopping time before meeting for dinner.
Dinner the first night had been quite the experience. We were given 4 courses of Venetian favorite seafood. this included octopus, prawn, spaghetti with mussels, and calamari. Thank the Lord for salad and tiramisu. I'm not a seafood eater, with the exception of tilapia and salmon, that kind of thing...The next night the tour company had heard that many of us weren't thrilled with the dinner the night before and gave us complimentary bottles of wine for dinner that night, which I thought was a nice gesture and thoroughly enjoyed. The wine in Italy is so wonderful. We tried many different types and tried to have what was local to the area we were in. Our favorites were the Chiati Classico in Tuscany and the Tears of Christ white wine in Sorrento. But honestly, it was all delicious and part of the "being in Italy" for me.
Many of my favorite pictures of the trip are in Venice, but I don't want to overload you on them. I'll try, I said try to choose some that give you an idea of what this wonderful city is like.
Venice is magical. Yes, it does have the occasional smelly spot. But, it's like no other place in the world. And when you are there, that is so very clear. I had to keep reminding myself that this wasn't a Disney set, like the main streets at Disney World... but this was Venice and we were truly here. We were transported to and from our hotel by water taxi, which hold about 10 people. Our hotel was very pretty, with a garden courtyard where we ate breakfast each morning. It was a peaceful place. When we first went to our room, we went in with the credit card like key and plopped our stuff down. Then Matt and I started flipping every light switch in the place with no luck in having any lights turn on. We couldn't figure out what in the world was wrong, why we didn't have any power in our room...then our guide, Michael came to door and told us you have to put the card key in a slot by the door to have any electricity to your room, including air conditioning. Sure enough, you stick the card in there and voila! Lights!! Air!! Hand dandy... And aren't they so smart, because then when you leave your room for the day, you can't leave all the electricity running. They are stingy, I told ya.
I had woken up very early our first morning there and was showered and ready to go by 7 a.m. I took a walk alone on the streets of Venice and it was so surreal and probably one of my favorite moments of our trip. Hardly anyone out yet, and the few that were said, "Buongiorno" ( a kindness that we didn't experience much during the rest of the trip) The morning light was so different from the gorgeous sunset we had seen the night before. It made the colors so soft, and yet vibrant. I had a brief but definitely memberable encounter with an Italian nun who had lots to say that I unfortunately could understand. Then I joined the rest of our group fro breakfast before our tour of the city.
This day was also special in that it was mine and Matt's 15 year wedding anniversary. I can tell you that never in a million, bazillion years would I have dreamed we'd spend any anniversary in Venice. We are truly blessed to have had this experience and have these memories together. Our group toured the Murano glass factory, St. Mark's, the Doge's palace and then had the afternoon for free time. Matt and I along with Amy and Nikki and a few others opted to take a gondola ride through the canals. Such a cool experience, a once in a lifetime thing to do. Like Amy said, "How can we not?? We are in Venice!" Then we had some shopping time before meeting for dinner.
Dinner the first night had been quite the experience. We were given 4 courses of Venetian favorite seafood. this included octopus, prawn, spaghetti with mussels, and calamari. Thank the Lord for salad and tiramisu. I'm not a seafood eater, with the exception of tilapia and salmon, that kind of thing...The next night the tour company had heard that many of us weren't thrilled with the dinner the night before and gave us complimentary bottles of wine for dinner that night, which I thought was a nice gesture and thoroughly enjoyed. The wine in Italy is so wonderful. We tried many different types and tried to have what was local to the area we were in. Our favorites were the Chiati Classico in Tuscany and the Tears of Christ white wine in Sorrento. But honestly, it was all delicious and part of the "being in Italy" for me.
Many of my favorite pictures of the trip are in Venice, but I don't want to overload you on them. I'll try, I said try to choose some that give you an idea of what this wonderful city is like.
<--<-- our hotel, Residenza Cannaregio
<<--the world known St. Mark's square-- the pigeons can be a little creepy but don't mean any harm. There are just tons of them and they swoop right in front of your face and sometimes don't move out of the way and you almost step on them.
<<--just a portion of the massive, gorgeous, breathtaking St. Mark's. The front facade is incredibly ornate and interesting. No pics allowed inside, though.
<<--the best tiramisu evah! Creamy, cold and a ton of expresso. Thanks to Marilyn for sharing!!
<<--the best tiramisu evah! Creamy, cold and a ton of expresso. Thanks to Marilyn for sharing!!
<<--imagine living in this place?? What must that be like??
<<--<<--a great example of the colors and lines of Venice ... I love the blue boats :)
<<--the famous Rialto bridge ...filled with shops inside...see the waterbus loading up below...
<<--<<--sunset on our walk to dinnerNext time: Pisa (and possibly more Venice if I can't stop myself ;)
3 comments:
Your photos are breathtaking. So glad you had this experience. Keep sharing. Loving this personal guided tour.
Beautiful photos, thanks for taking us with you on your trip. Venice is magical, through your eyes and words I too can experience it. It is certainly the easiest way to travel, but I do miss those special moments with the local people, like your little nun in the morning. The Lord sent her to "bless your anniversary and add to add a personal touch to your stay in Venice." We, like that nun, never know what an impact we have on those we meet---even when we don't understand what people are saying, sometimes just "being there at the moment" is what is important. I thank the Lord for giving you and Matt this special anniversary trip. I look forward to next posting, and yes, by all means post more Venice if you like. I love the pictures and your story. Love, Mom
Gorgeous photos and a super story! Are you kidding??? You are a super story-teller! I'm checking your blog everyday for the next post. It's great to hear all about it. You're not overwhelming us (the readers) at all! Love you all and miss you, Jacki
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