We finally made it back to one of our favorite European cities; Venice, Italy. We were there nine years ago on a Rick Steves Tour in 2016, my first trip to Europe. It was a Best of Italy tour that started in the north and worked its way south where we ended in Rome. I wrote multiple blog posts on that trip labeled Italy '16. I was pretty excited about my first trip to Europe. When I think back to that time...how things have changed. Bruce and I are such seasoned travelers now (thanks to Nick living in Japan and Spain). Not to mention how I'm in such better shape after three joint replacement surgeries. I can easily walk and walk and walk without all the issues I previously had. Thank goodness. We also don't feel we need a Rick Steves tour guide to help us along. We've learned the ins and outs of European travel after that first experience and now it's quite easy for us. We look forward to doing whatever we want and on our own timeline. It feels so much more relaxing for us. Venice was always a place we vowed to return to some day and I'm so glad we did. There is something so magical about Venice; we both just love it there. You can easily walk the whole town in one day and all the streets and alley-ways are so quaint. It's like a real-life Disneyland.
Our main goal on this trip was to eat as much as possible since we both love authentic Italian food and we did a pretty good job of that; pasta, pasta and more pasta.
We did throw in a few vegetables like caprese, another favorite.
When we weren't eating pasta, we choose a fish dish because I love how the fish is so fresh and juicy
and often is served with the head on it which I love.
I can't even tell you how many times we ate gelato in Venice, another favorite.
Fortunately, we do a lot of walking with all this eating so it balances out and there is so much to look at as we walk around. This whole town is amazing how they can function without motorized vehicles and use boats for everything. It's just so entertaining to watch.
When we get tired of walking around, we'd take a break to rest with our favorite Italian beverage, Aperol Spritz.
They have happy hour in Italy and we would hit them for a nice Spritz before dinner.
Another drink that originated in Italy (in Venice, actually) is the Bellini. We walked passed the bar where it originated in Venice; Harry's Bar (they don't allow photographs). It's a famous bar where Ernest Hemingway frequented in Venice and now it's a major tourist spot. Cheers to the Aperol Spritz and Bellini in Venice!
Since we were with a Rick Steves tour during our last visit to Venice, we automatically got a tour of St. Mark's Basilica located in the heart of Venice in St. Mark's Square.
This time, we decided to go to mass at St. Mark's since it was Mother's Day. There is a special door you enter, not in the front but on the side and a guard checks to make sure you are entering to attend mass since it is free if you are going to mass. They stopped us to ask so I guess we looked like tourists...Anyway, we got in and we didn't sit in pews but instead they had a section of folding chairs. The place is so huge, you know, and there are multiple chapels inside.
I figured this was a Mother's Day gift to myself, being in Italy and attending a "high" mass the first weekend of our new Pope. Since my own mother is no longer alive, it was sort of spiritual way to remember my mom on this Mother's Day. Love you, Mom!
Bruce never did buy one of those Italian hats we saw in church but he did buy a linen newsboy cap to wear in warmer weather and we both thought it looked very European. He also bought a nice blue Italian cotton shirt that you see so many of the Italian men wear. Perfect souvenirs.
With all the water surrounding you when you go to Venice, you do get the chance to ride in a boat a lot. We took a boat right from the Venice Marco Polo airport right to the heart of Venice. There are three boat options from the airport: an expensive option being an individual water taxi or a cheap option being a vaporetto which is a large water bus that I like to call a cattle car on water. UGH! We rode those a lot when we were there in 2016 and they are usually PACKED with standing room only and not that fun. So, we opted for the middle option which was the Alilaguna boat. We also took this back to the airport and it was perfect; comfortable seats, multiple stops, not overly crowded, etc. Our hotel was just a short walk from the Grand Canal so it was very convenient. We loved our hotel called Hotel Fontana and our room had a cute little balcony overlooking a square with a church.
When we first arrived after a long day of travel, it was a full moon and we had a picture perfect setting. It was such a wonderful way to arrive and take it all in.
Even though we don't do Rick Steves tours anymore, we do read his books and take his advice and he has really good advice about hotels. We've never been disappointed. This hotel also offered breakfast which was excellent, as many are in Europe; just very wholesome and satisfying that we never get tired of. They offer pretty much anything you could get out at a cafe, too, since Europeans eat pretty simple for breakfast. It's only if we want a different view, then you'd venture out but hotel breakfast seems really convenient to us. Except Paris. Then we venture out! There is nothing better than sitting at an outdoor cafe sipping the best espresso ever with a warm, fresh baguette or croissant with french butter and jam. Paris is a whole different game plan... At this hotel, they also had really good sliced cheeses and meats, perfectly cooked soft boiled eggs, fruit, muesli (which I love) and a fresh baked pastry everyday. I got the pear torte the first morning and it was amazing! I usually go straight for the bakery items as soon as I arrive in Europe. The bread, OMG! It is so amazing or any pastry, honestly. It's like you died and went to heaven. But we do a lot of walking so you don't feel guilty eating like this, either. I only gained two pounds on this whole trip and after a couple of days of being home, I was back to my normal weight again, so go figure. I've learned not to feel guilty eating in Europe. For some magical reason, it doesn't have the same effect as eating U.S. food so we make a point of enjoying every minute of our meals and we don't hesitate to indulge.
After we took the Alilaguna boat to Venice, we also rode a couple of gondolas in town to get across all the canals. Usually, there are bridges like the historic Rialto Bridge that crosses the Grand Canal
and other little bridges throughout the whole town.
The Grand Canal does not have a lot of bridges across it but they have little gondolas you can pay two Euros to get across and that is sort of fun to do.
We did ride an individual gondola, of course, like every tourist must do. How can you NOT when in Venice.
Our gondolier was fifth generation. Can you believe that? It's a big deal in Venice. There are about 500 gondoliers in the city so it's pretty easy to find one just waiting around for a customer. Most are out on the Grand Canal but there a many moored around in the smaller canals, too, and that's where we rode one. They usually do take you out on the Grand Canal at one point just for a thrill.
The prices all range depending how long you want to go and where you go. We paid $90 which I think is about the lowest you'd find. We've been before so we just wanted the minimum. Here we are in 2016:
And here we are on our anniversary last summer in good old Gig Harbor, Washington that I wrote about here.
Gotta ride a gondola, what can I say! We are lucky that we have local ones right here but there is nothing like being in Venice. We had a wonderful time on our second visit and we'd go back again in a heartbeat. Arrivederci!
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