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| I could have been cousin "It" that day! My hair was always in my face... |
SIDE NOTE: Word to the savvy
travelers- hotels in Venice are extremely expensive! We like to stay just
outside of Venice and we usually find great deals in Padua (about 20-30 minutes
from Venice by car). You can also stay in Mestre if you don't have a car; it’s
the first train stop when leaving Venice (about 10 minutes by train).
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| In front of the Rialto Bridge |
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| One of the many pigeons Josh photographed that day! |
That
day a big cold front moved through Venice with storms in the morning, but
luckily it stopped raining by the time we arrived. Although the front brought
late fall weather with it! We arrived at a wind tunnel and it was super cold!!
We weren't prepared for weather THAT cold, but we made it work. Even when it’s
cold and windy, Venice is still an amazing place! It was fun this time around
because the city wasn't as packed with people so we could walk without feeling
herded :) We showed them the Rialto Bridge and did a little shopping, then it
was time for a cocktail. There are a bunch of bars/restaurants on the Grand
Canal right by the Rialto, so we stopped to have a drink and take in the
scenery. We enjoyed watching the Carabinieri go by in their boats, as well as
the water taxis that have the wood interiors. Mike and Laura opted out of a
gondola ride because it was so cold. Maybe next time?
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| Shopping on the Rialto |
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| They bought a new camera for the trip- here they were trying to figure it out! |
We
didn't have any tickets to see the museums in Venice, but we did go up the
tower in Piazza San Marco which was awesome. Originally we thought we would get
in some good exercise by taking the stairs, but the only way up was in an
elevator. Since there weren't many people in Venice, there wasn't a line to see
it (usually there is a very long line). It was great timing because the sun was
starting to set and was coming out of the clouds. After the rain that morning,
the air was really clear so we could into the Alps! It was so amazing!!! There
were white capped mountains as far as the eye could see! Unfortunately it was
REALLY cold up there, so we only stayed for about 10 minutes before going back
down.
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| Piazza San Marco |
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| The tower we went to the top of |
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| a band playing at one of the restaurants in Piazza San Marco |
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| Admiring San Marcos Cathedral |
Before dinner we walked around the
back alleys of Venice and found some really cute residential areas. We stopped
at a small "hole in the wall" bar for another cocktail before dinner-
after all, we were on vacation! During our little happy hour, Josh called the
restaurant we wanted to have dinner at to see if they had availability. Over
the phone they told him they were completely booked for the night. We wanted to
verify this... so we walked to the restaurant and I went in to ask. The guy I
spoke to said they had plenty of availability so we got a table right away. As
it turns out, in Italy it helps to be a young, blond woman in these
situations!! :) The restaurant was known for its seafood, so of course we had
our share of seafood! It was delicious!
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| View from the tower |
After a fun day in Venice, we
started walking back to the car with sore, cold feet. On the way Mike wanted to
stop for water, but we told him we were only about five minutes away from the
car (and we had lots of water bottles in the car). He was extremely parched at
this point. Apparently Josh and I misjudged how far away we were because 15
minutes later Mike asked, "Are we there yet?" Again, we said,
"Really, it's only about five more minutes". About a half an hour
later we arrived at the car. Poor Mike was so thirsty that he took down a
monster bottle of water in only two minutes! Of course that was an inside joke
for the rest of their trip- "only five more minutes!" By this time we
got back to the hotel we were all pretty tired, so we called it a night and
crashed.
Next stop: Verona and Juliet's balcony!
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