A Crazy Little Thing Called Love: Europa: Parte Due

Oh Italia…from the moment we arrived Julian was in love. Barcos (boats) everywhere :) And so was I. The “taxi” also known as a vaporetto… from the airport to Venice was a bit long because they are sticklers for going the speed limit in the ocean apparently. But it was worth every second. As soon as I stepped off the boat, it was like I was in a fairytale. Piazza San Marco is absolutely enchanting. Not that I have seen much of the world but if I had to chose to go to one place in the world it would be Venice. There truly is no other place like it. There is art in every pebble in that city.

Julian a wee bit hyper on the vaporetto...

The hotel we stayed at was just around the corner from the famous Piazza San Marco and it too was enchanting. It was an absolute maze of a building, just like the rest of Venice. To get to our room we had to exit the building, go into another alley, climb a few more flights of stairs, and take a few hallways. Thankfully we didn’t have to carry our luggage. The concierge took care of that for us by dropping them out of a window onto a middle terrace and reclaimed them by climbing up out of a lower level window once we were in our “wing” of the hotel. It was definitely not up to “code” in American standards, ha! The hotel was built in the 1500’s and in the past had been a hospital, a hotel, and a brothel house…a little bit of every thing. To describe the hotel is hard to capture in words…old world, vintage, intricate, detailed. That was the best I could do. I will let the pictures do the talking. It was just beautiful. And our room was bigger than the one in Paris :) Plus it had air conditioning! Major bonus!

The courtyard just outside of our hotel.

The stairs up to the lobby...so fun.

The alley where our maze to our room began :)
Note all the cables bundled up so safely along the walls : P

Our room had some intense fabric on the walls!

The furniture was so pretty though :)

Even the key to the room was cool!

The first day we just got lost literally…in the alleys of Venice, wandering around the shops and restaurants. The streets there have absolutely not rhyme or reason and if I remember correctly, the smallest alley is only 20.5 inches wide. Again…it was super hot there but the ocean breeze helped. We stopped in a little grocery store to get some snacks and water and for some reason, no matter how many times we tried, we bought sparkling water for the next two days. It was horrible. Sparkling water has a time and place for me. But when it is hot, sticky, and there are nothing but stairs everywhere, it just doesn’t quite quench your thirst the way flat water does. Obviously looking back now, it is really funny but at the time I wanted to punch Mario for not being able to read Italian correctly.

I spy with my little eye...a gondolier!!

Even the street signs themselves were hard to find.

...and back to the map.

La Dolce Vita

Just look at those sweet lanterns!!!

…And then it was dinner time. That’s when it all went down hill. We were introduced to Spaghetti Nera or Black Spaghetti. It is tinted black from the ink of cuttlefish. Sounds gross and looks unappetizing but my oh my, when that fork hit my mouth I was in food heaven. It was the best thing I had ever eaten…until Mario’s mom made a dish in Spain, which I will tell you guys about in another entry. So to date, the second best thing I have ever eaten. We ate it for lunch and dinner everyday we were there. And gelato…I lost count how many times we ate gelato. Let’s just say it lives up to its expectation.

Gelato: Take 1

Gelato: Take 2
Note the large grocery bags filled
with sparkling water..grrr

Night night bug...

Since we were only there for a short time we only did all the super touristy things and I am so glad we did. We went to a glass blowing shop where we saw a demonstration of a horse being made. I think it only took 4 minutes for a blob of glass to be made into a delicate piece of art. Absolutely incredible. We of course went on a gondola ride at sunset…which wasn’t quite the same with Julian with us but magical nonetheless. Listened to the bands play in the Piazza, purchased some souvenirs from the street vendors, and walked along the oceanfront. Unfortunately, the Basilica was closed for renovations but I don’t think we would have had time anyway. All in all, I think Venice was the highlight of the whole trip for me. So here is an insane amount of pictures for two days worth…now go and find a flight to Venice! You won’t regret it.

Revisiting their honeymoon spot :)

And he's awake...Time to party!

But really...it is SO gorgeous!!

Just look at the pier...the water...

...the backdrop...

...I couldn't get enough!

Boom dang.

The Piaza San Marco is just ridiculous...How did they build
things so precise and so beautiful so long ago
...It blows me away

Your typical "continental breakfast" in Europe puts ours to
shame in the States. Everything is so fresh!! All. The. Time.

...uh goooood morning sleepy heads :)

Cartoon Break :)

A city on water...I've been there and it is still hard to believe.

Guapos!
...Reppin' JD!

coches coches coches!

5€ for a picture...no thanks, I'll just creep on you from the alley

Tum oooooonn!

Mah Boy :)

Half way through our meal, we were informed that our
previous waiter dressed in a white button up and dress pants
would be relieved and someone else would be taking care of
us.. Shortly after, our previous waiter (now in a tank top)
took the table next to us and enjoyed a cigarette.