Venice

We spent two fabulous days in Venice! Favorite part? The whole thing! Within a few hours, I had fallen so in love with this lovely little city that I was ready to uproot and move. Not really sure that Shaun was going to go for that though, so I decided not to actually pursue the move. ;)

We trained to the airport to fly to Venice and had some lovely entertainment along the way.

Our first glimpse of Venice was at night! Loved climbing into the boat and seeing the beautiful city all lit up and reflecting in the water. 

Since my 30th birthday was the next day, Shaun agreed that we could splurge for an awesome room. I LOVED this room! Oh my goodness - I felt like royalty. 

These little school kids were waiting in the courtyard outside of our room to tour the church next door. They noticed me in the open window putting on my make up and started snapping my picture. I decided to play back and grabbed my camera to snap a few pictures back. The kids erupted into giggles  and while we didn't speak the same language we spoke the international language of mischief. ;)

These are pretty iconic of Venice! Loved seeing these masks in every window. 

On the bridge overlooking the Grande Canal. We got really good at finding other couples to take our pictures. 

Gondolas! A little bit of a rip off, but you can't go to Venice and NOT ride a gondola! Gotta say, they are pretty romantic....

Worker unloading a shipment that just came in. 

I loved the wooden boats! If I lived in Venice, this is what my boat of choice would be. 

Local grocery store

Out and about exploring the city!

UPS or FedEx...these guys kept bustling by ever few minutes delivering packages to local businesses. Most of the roads are just wide enough for 4 people to stand shoulder to shoulder, so there are not cars in Venice at all! Makes it much more lovely that way. 

A street beggar outside of St. Peters. 

St. Peter's tomb! 

Venice is a photographer's paradise! I could have spent days photographing the landscapes. It was simply breathtaking. 

My favorite window of flowers. Since there are no real green spaces, the residents of Venice all grow flowers in their windows. Adds such a touch of elegance to a romantically shabby city. 

More fun with photography

We spotted this lovely foot bridge and lunch spot on our gondola ride and decided to come back after we were done. The food did not disappoint! 

The bridge on the Grande Canal! 

This city boasted unspeakable charm! We loved meandering our way through the streets and just taking in the place and the people. I would so go back in a heart beat and if ever I do get a chance to live there....well, don't tempt me. =)