Europe Recap: Venezia

Continuing tradition, while we are on vacation this year, I'm sharing some photos and details from last year's trip. Last year, you got to see China while we were in Europe. This year, you get to see Europe while we are in India! 

Venice was our "together" part of the vacation.  When we were in Berlin, a bunch of my friends and running buddies were there too.  In Munich, we were with my bestie and her family, as well as my friend from high school.  In Lamezia, we were with my husband's family.  So Venice was finally a place for just the two of us.

Our hotel was fairly miserable.  It would have been lovely if the air conditioning had been on, but it was not and they would not (claimed they could not) turn it on for the entire hotel.  So we were stuck sleeping with open windows, which meant it was impossible to sleep because there would be the high-pitched whine of mosquitoes in your ear about every 3 minutes, or you could shut the window, and then it was so hot.  My advice:  Don't stay at the Hotel Colombina in October. 

But there was nothing that could take away from the lovely days we had in Venice: 

An ambulance boat:

This yacht was docked in the Grand Canal.  The name:  My Trust Fund.  Wouldn't that be nice!

The Doge's Palace:

Looking down toward the Bridge of Sighs:

Cattedrale di San Marco:

Saint Mark's Square:

The procurate:

The Doge's Palace:

Art?

More from St. Mark's Square in Venice:

Masks for sale:

Inside San Marco:

Standing water on the floor of the church on one side:

Views of Venice from the Bell Tower:

A shirt for Bella:

Inside another church:

Marzipan concoctions:

I don't know why this guy isn't more famous, as you'll see in the picture below, he apparently lived to be 200!

The Grand Canal:

Inside another church:

The Grand Canal at sunset was probably one of our favorite half hours of the trip.  Pictures taken from the Ponte Realto:

La Fenice opera house:

The Ponte Realto:

More Doge's Palace:

On our gondola ride, the first one of my life!!!!

Going under low bridges:

Our gondolier:

Ponte Realto as seen from our gondola:

The former prison:

My favorite photo of the entire trip?  Heading out into the Grand Canal right at sunset:

Going under the Bridge of Sighs:

Venice was remarkable.  I'd been there multiple times (first in college, and most recently before this trip in about 2000 for a friend's wedding).  Going someplace amazing with the love of your life is wonderful, even if it's somewhere that you've been before.  But I generally like seeing new things and sometimes a later visit to a city won't measure up to the first in some way or another.  You can never recreate your first impression formed on your first visit to a city.  So many places in this world are equally wonderful if explored on your own, with friends, with your parents, or with a love, but Venice is one place I can unequivocally say I found to be infinitely more wonderful when visited while in love. 

My husband in general isn't big on cities in Northern Italy.  He's Calabrian at heart to be sure.  But he agreed that Venice has a certain magic.  As far a cities go, we both prefer Rome, but experiencing Venice together is something we'll never forget!