Full Day in Venice…..picturesque movie scenery

After my blog post last night I shared it with all the girls in Tracy and Sydney’s bed….the 4 of us piled in like a bed time story scene. We laughed and giggled so hard, that Sydney wanted to hear more. We found a France email pre blog days and they loved listening and laughing. It was now midnight and way past a normal bedtime after the long journey. I went to bed but forgot to silence my phone that I awoke at 4 am to many texts. My sweet little Hillary had a bumped chin and the brave girl had to get stitches, ugh!. Poor baby…..I responded and back to bed, awoke at 6 am to a nightmare, ugh!!! Back to sleep……I feel like my mom, lol

We awoke to Heavenly church bells ringing at 10am!! That means 10 bells ding dong in a row….. Omg, the official sounds you know your in Italy. Our house was silent as all girls still sound asleep. So nice to sleep in, get fully rested and now at 12:25 am again, I feel like I’m on normal time, not jet lagged after our packed day. Tracy and I headed to the neighborhood grocery store to buy breakfast items, and explore a true Italian market. It is a cold morning, but the rain has stopped. This is where everyone is speaking Italian and the food is only identifiable by the imagery of the items. I’m determined to cook breakfast on this gas stove that you must use a lighter to start, a little intimidating and scary but I have bragged about my “Laurie eggs” and we are hungry. The yellow/orange color of these eggs is bright and a sign of serious fresh delish!! Everyone wants a different type….a cheese omelette, a fried egg, and a salami cheese omelette for me. Fresh pear & peach juice, we are energized with food and off to start a leisurely strolling day with no real plan, just ideas of what to do. The Peggy Guggenheim museum is the first stop. We view this unreal art collection, I overhear a gentleman ask another tourist, “ what’s this place about, she answers a rich American crazy lady had a lot of money and was into art, she lived here”. It was a funny moment that made me chuckle. I talked to a girl working in one of the rooms and …..small world she used to live in Tucson, and went to high school in San Diego. She is in Venice for 3 months to do an internship as she graduated from UC Davis with a art history major, cool life experiences. Again my favorite part of traveling- learning others life stories.

We exit and find my second Hazelnut gelato. Yummy……I need to try another flavor but am definitely a creature of habit and the second one was better than the first. I’m understanding why people say the fun of Venice is getting lost but, with kids I’m not so sure 😉 We have had ideas of where to go but cannot find our way. Me the human map is not living up to par as we run into dead ends, a canal with no bridge or tiny alleyways that cause claustrophobic anxieties for me. I wonder if Bruce navigated this city well or did he just jump on a Vaparetto as to avoid walking? ☺️We  make our way and continue on….I light my first candle in a beautiful church and say a prayer for those I love! We continue on and stumble upon the Secrets of Venice Crime & Justice museum. Not sure this would have been my choice to visit but we are a 4-some and Tabby & Tracy we’re intrigued. Wow…..it was all about the torture that took place in the 1500’s. We saw a head crusher, knuckle crushers, ropes used to hang people, a real human head, chairs with sharp objects from all sides you were forced to sit on after being starved, like some serious weird bizarre shit!! Holy moly! Best part for me was the 5 stories of stairs we had to hike to get to the top of the exhibition. I need more exercise with all the bread, cheese, pasta, and gelato in my future. Lots more exercise had in NYC. Afraid I will need a serious diet when home.

Venice is like a movie scene to me, Vegas does a nice job replicating it at Caersars but wow is all I can say around every corner. I am a fan for sure and to me it does not smell. It is a pristine clean quaint town surrounded by water everywhere. The sun has come out and the day is that much more beautiful. My most favorite part of being here and Italy in general is the sounds of the music you hear around you…..sounds of accordions being played in the streets, gondoliers singing opera, a violinist, a metal circular drum,  church bells ringing on the hour and half hour. I tell you my senses are on stimulation overload in a very good way.

We arrive at the Piazzo San Marcos aka St Marks Square…..a ginormous square….the church is finally in the distance, we approach and enter. We had been told to pay attention to the sinking uneven floor. The beauty of all these European Catholic Churches visually take my breath away. We follow the herd of people doing the same, I’m shocked my the daytime crowds and to think this is not a tourist season. Some areas not as crowded but this one is……Doges palace is next door, but we are hungry…..it’s 3:30/4 and lunch is calling our name. We find a touristy spot behind the basilica and share a Gnocchi Formaggi, margheriti pizza, and mozzarella with tomato. Cheese overload. I get my first Lemoncello and of course ice 🙂 a leisurely time. I keep learning more about this family and vice versa. Lots of conversations about childhood stories, quirks we all have individually. Fancy Tracy has a gold monogram bangle phone charger. The coolest invention that her mother gave her for a gift. Like a serious stylish version of a movie. We are sitting outside and gondoliers are singing as a small canal is behind us, church bells ring again……it’s a surreal setting.

We head towards the Main Street of fancy shops, I’m realizing why people love to shop here. So many fancy stores, all the big name brands, Sydney is on a mission to go to the Golden Goose. Fashionista Laurie has never heard of this place and could not be happier to have found a place to sit in a chair and make blog notes. I am such a simple blah girl who would need to win the lottery to every enjoy shopping. They all go crazy over these shoes….look it up. I’m in awe of the price for distressed shoes. I feel like an old lady, when my grandma used to make fun that we spent money to buy jeans with holes in them. Lol….Tracy got her Venetian shoe purchase. A beautiful $500 pair of white distressed leather tennies with a blue star on the side. Sydney wanted to $1200 pair with sparkles but that was a negative. 🙂 With a bag in hand we exited to board our gondola ride around the Grande Canal……Some people dress VERY fancy elegant here and others more traveling comfort. I have packed totally wrong.

Gondola time…..This was as breathtaking as your imaginations dreams it will be, much more relaxing and quiet than expected. This is definitely a honeymoon destination for sure….a romantic city! Most gondolas pass by with couples and are cozied up to one another. We are snapping photos and I’m quizzing our gondolier about the facts of Venice ha ha. He informs us 52-53,000 people live in the main city center of Venice, while 445K live in the city of Venice. We have not seen any more than this main tourist area and I’m getting curious to know what else exists so close by. A few singing boats pass by that we get the ambience of the opera singer on the water like at the Gainey Hyatt. Sydney wants us to take another ride tomorrow with a singer, we shall see if that makes the long list on the agenda.  It was a 35 minute ride that was truly magical. I’m curious how there are not accidents as these canals are narrow, it’s a true skill to steer/row one of these boats. We venture home to rest and change for dinner.

We have learned the hard way that iPhone maps don’t understand canals, Venice, or how to get around either. I’m curious if I’m missing out on an app of how to get around Venice? Wow….I just thought of that, gotta check after this post is complete. Hope I’m not boring you….ha ha like Citymap in NYC. Genius idea, I bet it exists…..

Its Sunday, so every recommended restaurant is closed. We once again just find a spot nearby. We are dying to try a non touristy restaurant off these main squares and are on a mission it will happen tomorrow night. Dinner was still good, over the Rialto bridge we go to a nice spot. Fungi pasta, pesto, and veal limone, followed by tirimusa and an espresso for me-no complaints!

We take kids home and we ventured back out to check out the famous Gritti Palace & Harry’s Bar. Fancy fancy fancy places. The Gritti Palace Hotel starts at $1400k a night and goes to $11k per night for a suite. A list of famous people have stayed here and autographed the sign in book on display. This is the one fancy common denominator Tracy and I share…..we LOVE fancy Hotel lobby’s. I can sit in one all day. Sadly Harry’s bar had just closed by time we arrived at 11:30 pm. The bonus we were escorted by 2 very handsome young Italian police officers. We had passed them twice while lost searching for the place, they were kind enough to personally show us. We of course asked many questions and had nice chats. I took Tracy photo with them. We made our way home on these quiet desolate Venetian streets while window shopping in peace. I will agree with reviews that a must do is to explore late at night or early morning to have the quiet of the magic all to your self. It was seriously amazing! …..long day. It’s almost 2 am, my alarm is set for 7:45 am.

We are scheduled for a tour, I can’t be more excited as I am a structured plan it vacationer. We will meet our free walking tour guide and group at 10:30 am in a whole new area, says off the beaten path. It’s a 2 hour tour……we have our agenda for after and will see where the day takes us. Cipriani Hotel for a famous Bellini is on the list. Sweet dreams…..Ciao!

love Laurie sue