We spent all day Monday on a train to Venice. It’s only a 6 hour train ride and the scenery was amazing. We went through Austria and Italy and saw lots of the alps, italian countryside and beautiful villages with castles. It was amazing.
This became a favorite German drink while we were there. Spezi is a mix of cola and orange-juice-lemonade. It has a unique taste and our coke loving friends particularly loved it. We wanted to bring some home but weight made it impossible. It’s yummy.
When we arrived they opened up the doors of the train and stepping out onto the platform reminded me of stepping into a hot yoga class. It was that humid, and that hot. So hot. I couldn’t believe it. We had read the temps would be in the 90’s F so I wasn’t super worried. That’s hot, but not unfamiliar to us from St. George. What I didn’t take into account was the extreme humidity! It was like being in a rainforest!!!
Our first view from the train station:
We were completely overwhelmed by the scenery. Nadja had told me over and over that Venice was a postcard…it’s not until you’re in the postcard that you realize how true that is. Every where you turn is unreal.
Nadja found us an amazing 3 bedroom flat through Airbnb. It was to die for. I still can’t believe how beautiful it was. We loved every inch of our paradise-and spent a particularly large amount of time in front of the small AC unit in the hall. Every night we would return and lay on the cold tile floor, worshiping the chilly air.
Our bedroom in our home-away-from-home.
The view from our window:
We loved all of the beautiful tiles. Everything was so colorful and beautiful.
The first night we found ourselves at a street fest, listening to italian ska and eating italian street food. It was surreal being surrounded by so much culture so quickly.
Seriously…a postcard.
The next morning we got up and went on a ferry ride to Burano, a nearby island. Venice as a whole is a tourist trap and very few people are actually original to the island. Most shops are souvenirs or restaurants and the whole island is very, very full of people. Burano is more of a residential island AND gorgeous to look at as well. They love bright colors and have painted the entire island with them!
One of our favorite italian snacks is these ^ half moons. They’re like a quesadilla but on thin pizza crust and filled with gourmet cheeses and meats. They warm them up and cut them into slices for you.
Italian cannolis…oh goodness.
Burano is known for it’s handmade lace. It was awesome to actually see someone making lace-I bought a new hanky from this lovely little shop.
While sitting here looking out at the sea we met a darling little old italian woman. She sat next to Lyndi and told us stories in Italian. Lyndi and Jon speak a bit of Spanish and were able to communicate a little bit. We left her with a polaroid and took one for ourselves. It was amazing.
That tower really is leaning!
I loved this shop as well and pretty much had to buy a painting. Murano, a neighboring island, is known for it’s glass so the painting I purchased incorporates both. Burano is the perfect picture to paint!
The cathedrals are so intricate, so detailed and so HUGE. It was interesting to see the difference between the German and Italian style. Germans are more gothic, Italians more classic.
Oh Italian food. What we have doesn’t compare. This lasagna was incredible. I found a new favorite dish as well-cuttle fish with pasta in ink. The fish is fresh from the sea there and is sauteed in it’s own black ink. It is SO delicious and nothing I\’ll probably ever find here in StG.
The next day we ferryed to the Art Biennale. It’s a modern art exhibit that’s quite famous in Europe. Each country receives a building that they can do whatever they want with. Some were amazing, some were lame and some were confusing/strange/we’re just not artistic enough. We made a movie that afternoon that’s soon to be released. Coming soon.
Lunch.
The next morning we did a photoshoot. We were in Venice so it seemed necessary. Pics coming soon.
We spent the rest of the day being full-blown tourists. That started with fish pedicures.
Gondula rides.
At least 4 gelato stops.
And getting completely lost in Venice only to realize you\’ve done a full circle of almost the entire island just so you can see this really big old building that technically holds no significance to you other than its super old and super big and Lyndi bought a magnet that looks like it so we had to see it in person.
Wow it’s hot there.
Our last night we ate at a darling little Mom-and-Pop shop with a kitchen the size of mine and a family running the entire establishment. It was delicious.
So most places we went DID NOT HAVE ICE, and charge more or the same amount for water as they did for any other drink. It got hard to spend 4 € for a small bottle of water! I was so glad to see this lovely shop had San Pellegrino and not just coke!
The island is known for it’s seafood and we loved all of it!
That night we boarded our sweaty tired bodies onto the night train sleep wagon. Thanks to Phil and Nadja we were all in the same room together (they had to be stealthy booking tickets online at the same time) and it was tight. We quickly discovered our car was attached to a first class car that just so happened to have a shower in their bathroom. We may have used all of first classes water showering…
Not wanting to return to my salty, sweated-through clothes I walked my way home from the train station in nothing but my swim bottoms and a t-shirt. It was a glorious Venetian walk-of-shame. Bach to Deutschland!
Pingback: You Don't Need to be a Millionaire to Need a Family Trust (Your Children Will Thank You) - TodaysMama