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Italy, Travel, Venice

Venezia – Part II

Now, back to Venice!

We woke up the second day to sunshine and blue skies. It was the perfect day to see the sights and take in more of the Venetian culture. First stop was St. Mark’s Square and Basilica with a Rick Steve’s Audio Tour.

 

 

Then we headed to the Rialto Bridge for lunch on the Grand Canal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best dessert I had the WHOLE trip.

After lunch we shopped. I loved all the window displays. This one made me wish we lived somewhere where I could wear fun gloves.

Doge’s Palace was pretty amazing, too!

 

 

 

 

Is this what my future son will look like one day? Hahahaha

That evening we timed our gondola ride with the sunset and set out for the 45-min ride. I must say, it was probably one of the most romantic things I’ve ever done. Watching the moon, holding Rob’s hand, resting my head on his shoulder, kissing under the Bridge of Sighs, the peaceful water… my heart was on overdrive. Then on our walk to dinner after Rob dipped me in St. Mark’s Square for a kiss and I about passed out from the cheesy, romantic gesture. I really loved it actually.

 

If you’re ever in Venice, I definitely recommend a gondola ride. Didn’t get the best pictures though, sorry. Still learning to use my camera and wanted to enjoy the ride!

Leaving the next morning was really hard. I wasn’t ready to leave the smell of the ocean, the pebble-stoned alley ways and bridges – the history.

November 20, 2011 by
Italy, Travel, Venice

Venezia – Part I

There is only one word I can think of when I look back at our time in Venice.

ROMANTIC.

 

Venice wasn’t originally in our itinerary, but we re-thought it, scratched Florence and booked two days in Venice instead! And I’m so happy we did. As soon as we arrived I was in love.

It was raining when we arrived via Easy Jet, but we didn’t care the least. We were in VENICE!

 

 

 

As soon as our water taxi dropped us off at St. Mark’s Square, we dropped our luggage off, went mask shopping and grabbed lunch in sandwich row (which was a street over from our hotel).

 

 

We checked into our hotel – Albergo Doni. It felt a little haunted to me, with the peeling, warped wall paper, red furniture, dark drapes, and gold accents.

Look at the canal right outside our hotel!

 

 

That night we put an extra layer on and set off for a real Venetian dinner – a pub crawl!!!

1st stop – Osteria il Milion: very hungry!

 

2nd stop – Rosticceria San Bartolomeo: satisfied, enjoying the 1.99 Euro glass of red wine.

3rd stop – Osteria Enoteca ai Rusteghi: ready to mingle! We met the nicest couple from Canada, the husband looked like Christopher Reeves!

 

 

4th stop – Osteria al Portego : dessert time, but with more wine.

 

Last stop – Bacaro Jazz: a funky jazz bar to get us silly ;)

 

We had so much fun that first night. It was relaxing to stroll, kiss in alley ways, and snuggle under an umbrella.

I didn’t realize how many pictures I took in Venice until I started really going through them. So, I’m going to save day 2 for another post, or you wouldn’t stop scrolling!

November 8, 2011 by
Italy, Travel

Orvieto & the 3 C’s

Our third day in Italy (since it fell on a Sunday) was spent in Orvieto in Umbria. As soon as we got up we took the first train to Orvieto early that morning.

Now before I continue, you must know that Orvieto sits on a grand hill made of tuff (volcanic rock). It sits up 1,000 feet and overlooks the beautiful valley hills below. It’s famous for its 3 C’s – Ceramics, Cathedral & Classico Orvieto wine. All of which I enjoyed!

When the train started, Rob dozed off and I read Harry Potter. Felt like I was on the Hogwart’s Express with the drizzle coming down on the windows!

Once our trained hushed to a stop, we got out and took the funicular up to the town. It was still sprinkling out, but once we got to the top, we didn’t care. The view was gorgeous. Vineyards, farms, hills and old Italian houses and castles – it was all so lovely.

We got on the little trolley bus and it took us to downtown Orvieto where the Duomo, shops and eateries were. The cathedral was by far our favorite of the trip. At the base of the cathedral are four marble pillars carved with biblical scenes that tell the story of the world from left to right in 4 acts – Genesis, Old Testament, New Testament and Revelation.

Lunch involved a lot of meat and cheese.

We wandered the streets, bought chocolate for my mum, stopped at a gelateria – then relaxed in a small park for some more panoramic views.

Once the rain stopped, the humidity was back. We had walked our little hearts out (AGAIN), so we opted for some cold Classico Wine before we caught the train back to Rome.

It was the perfect day, and quite relaxing. The rain was refreshing and really made the scenery come to life.

Missing Europe!

October 22, 2011 by
Italy, Rome, Travel

When in Rome – Part I

Do as the Romans do. And we did. We napped in the Forum, sipped cappuccino, went for a stroll and chatted about the future over dinner.

Our first day was spent admiring our view of the Church of San Giovanni and Rome’s city walls from our penthouse studio (5 floors up with no elevator) in Pilgrim’s Rome. Our landlord Gabriella (who owned a B&B across the way) was so nice! Our studio apartment had a large terrace, a bedroom off to the side, and a full bath and kitchen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is Gabriella.

After we got settled in, we set off for the Colosseum, Forum and Pantheon.

 

 

 

 

We look a little tired and sweaty here – but happy!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That first night we got lost for a few hours, and when we finally found our rental, we stopped and picked up some wine, cheese, meat and crackers to enjoy on our patio. It was exactly what we needed after walking around Rome all day.

The morning after:

Our second day in Rome was spent in Vatican City.

 

It was incredibly humid so we stopped and had some cold beer.

 

 

 

That evening we took a night walk across Rome, starting at the Spanish Steps. After the steps we splurged on dinner, then headed to the Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona to people watch. We ended our walk in Campo De’ Fiori and sat and watched the young bar scene. Sort of felt like Mill Ave., but cooler since we were in Rome.

 

 

 

Rome was one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been. So much to do and see! We’re already planning our next European vacation, and it starts with Rome again! Then, France, and London and Ireland… he.he.

Part 2 to come later…

October 4, 2011 by
Greece, Italy, Travel

I’m Back

And it was by far the best vacation I’ve ever been on.

It’s 4 am and I can’t sleep. Wide awake. Been up since 1 am. Went to bed at 9:30. Is this what jet lag is? My eyes burn but I can’t calm my mind.

Back to my blog post.

7 cities in 18 days. I still can’t believe we did it. I’m so proud of us. Proud that we survived all the modes of transportation needed… the map reading, nights of being lost, language-barriers, sleepless nights, pushy Italian crowds, and minor hiccups along the way. There were a lot of “should’ves” and “wish we would’ves”, but also a lot of “glad we did’s” and “thank God’s”.

Here is just a glimpse of what you’ll be seeing more of (in more detail of course). I took over 2,000 pictures and can’t wait to clean them up and post them! Not all 2,000 of course, just the highlights! Still digesting them all. I still feel like I didn’t take enough! I’ll definitely be including all the food shots, as we ate some pretty amazing food. Oh, and I will try to post some videos, too. HILARIOUS.

Rome, Italy

Orvieto, Italy

Venice, Italy

Naples, Italy

Capri, Italy

Athens, Greece

Santorini, Greece

I fell in love with my husband all over again. He was the best travel partner I could have asked for. He made this trip absolutely amazing and I’m so thankful to have him in my life.

I was happiest when I was watching him eat (lots of pictures to come like the one below), or swim in the ocean, or smile at me, even when I was about to have a nervous break-down. We laughed a lot and will hold these memories in our hearts forever. Getting a little choked up now. Jeez.

I’m glad to say that I did everything I wanted to do while I was there. More on that to come!

September 20, 2011 by