For our first wedding anniversary, we took a trip to Venice, arguably one of the most romantic cities in Europe. It was one of those treat-yo-self kinda weekends… after all, you only have one 1-year anniversary! In our three days on the island, we visited all the tourist hotspots, took ferries to the nearby islands of Murano and Burano, and walked seemingly endless miles through the alleys of the city. We ate pizza every day, gelato twice, and pastas and vino as well!
The first day, we went to the islands of Burano and Murano. Burano is known for its brightly colored houses. It was so cute! I want a purple one.
Murano is best known for its glass making. There is store after store of incredible glass art (but no photos!) and you can visit the factories as well for a demonstration. Apparently, it takes about 15 years to become a master glass maker. Murano has the best in the world, and everywhere else is poor quality, so they say.
On our anniversary (8/6!), we walked around the neighborhoods, visited the Rialto Bridge, and ate gelato!
We also went to dinner at an amazing restaurant called Riviera, and then went to St. Mark’s Square to check out the church at night! It was golden and beautiful and there was music playing around the square, so romantic! It also rained for like 15 minutes that day, and the whole square was flooded. The island of Venice is actually sinking (it could be gone in the next 100 years, some say). So, even a short rainfall creates large puddles, as even a slight increase in sea level will flood the square.
On our last day, we visited more of the main tourist attractions, including St. Mark’s Basilica (a stunning church), St. Mark’s Campanile (a bell tower with amazing views over the island), and Doge’s Palace (a historic palace that used to be the home of the supreme leader, also the court and the prisons).
St. Mark’s Basilica:
St. Mark’s Campanile:
Doge’s Palace:
One of the main things to do in Venice is take a gondola ride. We considered it, and almost did it… But, we ultimately decided against it – it is expensive, and doesn’t look as romantic and peaceful as I imagined before we arrived. The gondoliers (the ones you expect to be handsome, joyful Italian men that will maybe sing you a song), were often on their phones and smoking cigarettes while paddling people around. Also, it was super hot and crowded. It just didn’t look appealing. Instead, we opted for a water taxi ride, which was so much fun! It was a boat just like the one in Indiana Jones (The Last Crusade), and we got to go through the Grand Canal, a side canal, and out into open water.
I may actually throw it out there that Venice has made its way toward the top of my list of favorite places. It is so unique and beautiful, the food was great, and we had a blast! We are looking forward to 2 more trips this August, both to France… Stay tuned!
The Great Fekspedition 