Venice in Pictures...

I promised I'd give you more of Italy, so here it is. Venice was, by far, my favorite place we went. It beautiful, breathtaking and unbelievable. America has nothing as exquisite and almost impossible. The city felt like a fairy tale, with ancient characters and quaint views. I couldn't stop smiling in awe the entire time we were there.

We started our visit to the city with a water taxi ride down the Grand Canal. The weather could not have been more perfect, the sun was low on the water, the air was fresh and the breeze was refreshing. It was the perfect introduction to the perfect city.

This first picture is a snap i took from the water taxi- it is someone's balcony. My favorite part of Italy, in general, was that everyone decorated their windows with flower boxes and everyone had greenery and flowers on their balconies (even in the midst of Rome).

After the water taxi, we climbed into our gondola (with cute Gondolier). Luckily, my family was able to snag one with just us four, so it was a little more private. By now, the sun was setting on the water and the view was gorgeous.

This is a picture looking out of our gondola down a small canal.

Luckily, we were also serenaded in our gondola. On the bottom left of this picture you can see a man standing- he was singing opera as we were paddled through the the back canals.

I just like this shot (besides the fact that it has a man's tooshie in it). To me, it just captures the essence of the city- from the tall, statuesque Church in the background to the simple boating scene in the front.

And, finally, this is another picture I really liked, no particular reason, it just makes me smile. We finished the evening with dinner in a small restaurant where my sister and I were treated to delicious gluten free pasta and fabulous wine! The next day we explored Venice during the day, which included a glass blowing factory and beautiful glass jewelry. I purchased a necklace of lots of strands of tiny beaded glass featuring different strands of purple. I had never seen anything like it, and am saving it for something special. I try to snap a picture of it soon to share.

Next up: Tuscany & Rome!!