Grazie mille!

Ahhh...Venice.  What can I say about our trip.  It was "magnifico"!  The most apparent and immediate impression of Venice was that it was warm, gloriously warm.  I brought a long sleeve jacket with me and I didn't even need it...what a concept!!!  Coming from London in the middle of "summer" or as I like to call it, "Wintmer" (because I'm really not sure that London actually has a summer), the warm muggy air was delicious.

Josh and I arrived in Italy late on Saturday night.  After popping into our hotel room (on the mainland) to drop off our bags, we walked to a nearby cafe for a late night snack.  I had (one of many on this trip) a tomato and fresh mozzarella sandwich, while Josh devoured some prosciutto and tortellini in white sauce.  Mmmmm...we were in love already!

The next morning, after a delicious breakfast of carbs and more carbs, Josh and I jumped on a bus to take the short journey from the mainland to Venice.  I was a bit worried on the way over because the area before Venice is quite industrial and pretty much ugly, which is unfortunate, but my fears were unfounded because once we arrived in Venice the scenery was everything I had hoped it would be.  The first item on our agenda was to find the place where we were having our gondola lessons.  We were sidetracked on our way by gelato.  Sadly, I spent my gelato money on using a toilet!  Seriously, it cost me 1.50 euro to use the toilet...it cost Josh 1.40 euro for his cone!  That is just not right...

If someone was telling me they were planning a trip to Venice, I would 100% recommend a Gondola lesson from Row Venice.  For about the same price as a 40 minute Gondola ride, we got a 2 hour lesson and tour of the canals in Venice.  It was a great introduction to this beautiful city and it was fun to try (and in my case, try and fail) to row like the Venetians.  Okay, okay...I did manage to get the hang of it after a while, but Josh was much better at it than me! 

Josh working on the hand movements for rowing a traditional Venetian boat.

Me trying to row in Venice...I wasn't very good :(

 

Venice from the canal.

So beautiful!

This makes laundry look exotic :)

A few of the hundreds of bridges spanning the canals in Venice. 

After our rowing lesson ended, Josh and I took the water bus (YES!  A boat bus!) over to Lido, a southern island off of Venice, to check into our hotel room.  Lido has a similar feel to Venice, but with larger homes with gardens and miles of sandy beaches.  Josh and I had been dreaming about soaking up the warm sun in Venice so we headed down to the beach for a swim in the Adriatic Sea.  The air was warm and smelled of salt and sea with a luxurious breeze floating over us as we watched people play in the surf and fly kites.  Pure bliss!

The beach!  And yes, I did see some topless ladies...that is Europe for you!

Josh and I on the beach...Josh decided to go topless :)

Sunset on Lido...what more could you want?

After a few glorious hours on the beach, Josh and I  took a nap at the hotel. Vacation naps are the best naps ever, you don't have anywhere you need to be, nothing you are missing, no timetable, just relaxation!  We finally managed to rouse ourselves and headed out for a late dinner.  We enjoyed sitting outside in the warm air (no need for a jacket!), sipping wine and eating pasta.  Our evening ended with another liter of wine on the rooftop deck of our hotel.  We lounged, we drank, we watched the stars, we talked...it was a great first day in Italy.

The next morning, after a breakfast of carbs and more carbs (I don't know how all Italians aren't 300 pounds), Josh and I took the water bus towards Murano, another island off of Venice that is known for its glass blowing artists.  Before Murano though, we stopped off at an island called

Isola di San Michele.  The entire island is a cemetery, which piqued my interest immediately.  If you know me at all, you know that I have a deep fascination and love for cemeteries, which is strange, I know, but they feel so historic and peaceful to me.  I love to read the names and dates on the gravestones and imagine what the people were like and what kind of lives they led.

The cemetery island off of Venice

Courtyard within the cemetery.

Some of the headstones, Josh liked all the pictures.

On Murano, we walked along a canal and popped into a few glass shops.  The glass was very pretty, but also very expensive.  Murano was not my favorite island, it looked a lot like Venice, but everything was centered around the glass making, so all the shops had glass and that was pretty much it, a little boring so Josh and I hopped back onto a water bus to explore Venice.

Murano

A pretty glass sculpture in Murano

Josh inside of the water bus :)  He's a little too tall!

Our water bus dropped us off in an area of Venice that isn't touristy, which was great.  Not many people and some "real" Italian shops.  We bought some fresh raspberries from a fruit vendor and then found a wine shop that sold wine by the liter from large barrels.  We had the guy fill up one of our large water bottles with some Sauvignon Blanc...it only cost 1.65 euros!  Oh yeah!

My new favorite Venice shop...cheap wine!

B is for Baird :)

Where the Venetians live.

Josh and I wandered Venice over the next few hours, just soaking in the lifestyle, sun and a few cones of gelato.  It was a warm day and after being out for five or six hours, we were exhausted, so we took a water bus back to our hotel for another wonderful afternoon nap!

The Grand Canal

Me on the Grand Canal

Doge Museum and St. Mark's Basilica

Josh on the water bus headed back to Lido

After our nap, Josh and I headed back down to the beach for another relaxing hour.  We ate dinner at another restaurant on Lido (I had seafood pasta, mmmmm...so good).  We decided to go back to Venice to see it at night, but sadly, we (I) forgot to bring the camera along.  We wandered through the square at St. Mark's and listened to some lovely music being played by a band at one of the restaurants, it was all very romantic and Josh (being the silly and wonderful husband he is) got down on one knee and proposed to me...twice.  Of course I said Yes!  We wandered through the maze of streets, had more gelato (I could get used to gelato every day) and headed back to our hotel for another night of stargazing and wine drinking. 

Our last day in Venice, Josh and I had a lazy morning.  Our flight wasn't leaving until about 10:30 pm that night, so we had a full day of sightseeing to do.  We hopped back on those wonderful water buses and visited the island of Burano (the island known for lace-making).  Burano was beautiful, all the houses are brightly colored and brilliant in the sun. 

Burano!  So pretty!

Josh and I in Burano

Brightly painted houses on Burano

Josh and I spent a few hours in Burano, just wandering the streets and having lunch outside enjoying the view and the weather.  We had to head back to our hotel to collect our bags and head back to Venice to catch a bus back to the airport. Our last meal was Italian style pizza at a little (air conditioned!) place in Venice.  I could get used to eating fresh mozzarella and tomatoes every day!

Josh and I on a water bus.

Our vacation was fantastic.  Josh and I really needed a warm get away and Venice fit the bill perfectly.  I'm glad we decided to stay on Lido because I don't think we would have gone to the beach if we would have stayed in Venice.  It was a perfect vacation!  It was hard to come back to London, especially since it was so cold and rainy when we got back (granted, it was 2:00 in the morning).  I look forward to visiting other parts of Italy in the future!

Rachel

PS.  Josh and I saw this business on the ride from Venice to the airport in Treviso...it made us laugh...tee hee!

F.A.R.T...LOL!