Monday, September 10, 2018

A Mediterranean Cruise ~ Venice

What better way to visit Italy and the Greek Islands than on a cruise with friends?  It's been more than a week since we returned home, and high time I unpacked my photos.  It seems one always hits the ground running after a vacation.  Let me start with a few highlights of Venice...the beginning of a most memorable time in the Mediterranean.


 We flew to Venice via Amsterdam (on KLM)...arriving there almost a full day after we left home.


How strange to leave the airport on a water taxi and be delivered directly to our hotel!


And so began our two week adventure that we had looked forward to for the past year...with Lovella, Anneliese and our husbands.


Venice...the grand city built on water!  


To build a city where it is impossible to build a city is madness in itself, but to build there one of the most elegant and grandest of cities is the madness of genius.”  

It has its beginnings in 402 AD, when settlers arrived and began building canals and putting up buildings. Many of the buildings in Venice today are still standing on 1000 year old piles of wood!


We walked the narrow alleyways between buildings...


...and over Venice's famous Rialto bridge.


San Marco Square or Piazza San Marco has been the centre of life in Venice for eons. St. Mark's Basilica at one end is Venice's prime attraction...as we could tell by the line-ups waiting to enter.  We decided to be content with viewing it from the exterior!

Did you know that there are more than 100 islands on the lagoon of Venice?  We visited two of those islands while we were there.

My favorite was Burano...with its colorful buildings.



Famous for Burano lace...we saw first hand how it is produced.  By hand.  One stitch at a time!


Italy is known for its leaning towers...one of which is located on Burano Island. St. Martin's church was built in the 18th century and the 53 meter tower started sinking almost immediately. But several hundred years later...it is still standing.


We also visited the island of Murano...renowned for its hand-crafted glass.   We watched a demo at the glass museum...and I picked up hand-crafted glass necklaces for my granddaughters.


On our final night in Venice...we dined on pasta and all things Italian beneath the Rialto bridge and then rode through the canals on a gondola.


It was the best end to a wonderful time in Venice!

Next stop...Dubrovnyk, Croatia.








14 comments:

  1. What a wonderful place. How lovely to see the lace being handmade.

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  2. Such a beautiful city. I have often wondered how it has not rotted away, but it looks fabulous and solid. That trip was amazing and a year in the planning! No wonder!

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    1. Yes, it is quite amazing to see that a city built that is 'built on water' has stood the test of time!

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  3. So glad you are breaking it down by cities. What an amazing experience and to have friends along is the cherry on top!

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  4. You guys had such an amazing trip from start to finish. I loved following along on Pinterest and now on your blog posts. So many good memories of Venice when we saw it in 2006. In fact, the farmer and I did a little dance in the square and had a gondola ride on the date 06-06-06!!! Looking forward to your next post ...

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    1. How fun, Rosella...to make such good memories of Venice on 06-06-06! We walked that square (no dancing though) on 18-08-18. :)

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  5. I'm glad you are going a bit more into detail on this fabulous time! I think I'll just link you to my post. =)

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  6. OH it looks so wonderful, Judy. I enjoyed your travels on IG but seeing even more pics here is wonderful too.

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  7. Also, thank you for commenting on my Kings Landing post. I always think of you and Elmer and our visit there every time I visit.

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  8. I can see why your fav was Burano. So colourful! That lace making is truly a labour of time..and love. What a fabulous trip you had. It's always fun to be at home and be able to follow along. Now the recap ...and you have so many memories.

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  9. So beautiful to see this all again. I love your details... so helpful to remember it all.

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  10. I've seen Venice in movies, but your photos capture the beauty of the city. The canals intrigue me. I would love to see the lace making.

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  11. Venice is my all time favorite city! I am happy I saw it back in the early 70's when it was quiet and not overfilled with tourists. The last time I was there it was very crowded and I've heard it is even more so these days with the cruise ships bring even more people...but I can understand how everyone wants to visit at least once! It is such a magical and beautiful place!

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'The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.'
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson