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Vacation 2025
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  • Melanie Kilian
  • Ourtravels
  • Melanie Kilian

Vacation 2025

Starting off in Venice and then...well, we arent sure Read more
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  • Trip start
    August 31, 2025
    Vacation 2025
    View from the Hilton in the Airport

    Guadalajara

    August 31, 2025 in Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F

    Quick 35 minute flight to Guadalajara, then to Madrid tomorrow. Nothing exciting to report, but we have to start somewhere.

  • Vacation 2025

    I'm pretty sure its Wednesday

    September 3, 2025 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    After traveling for nearly 24 hours since Sunday it has been a little confusing. We did sleep yesterday afternoon until around 10 pm and then between midnight and 8 this morning. I woke up still a little dazed.
    We are staying in The Cannaregio neighborhood and there are very few tourists here, so our walk through the Jewish Ghetto for morning coffee and cornetti was very peaceful.
    My first impressions of this part of Venice are entirely visual. Everywhere I look, the colors, the textures, these are what scenic artists have been trying to duplicate on stage and screen for decades. Im trying to resist photographing everything I see. I am enjoying our first day. We havent ventured into the center of Venice yet. Thats for another day.
    More tomorrow.

    Heres a video which describes our neighborhood:
    https://youtu.be/DslFd6tmzyo?si=UAn6zb6gAHbfO3z2

    -Jim    Read more

  • Vacation 2025
    1

    First day exploring outside cannaregio

    September 4, 2025 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    We heavily exlored our neighborhood yesterday, found a really nice little quiet park, walked along the northern waterfront and finished the day with a great meal. Today we needed to go to the bank so after coffee (of course) we headed south to the san marco neighborhood. It was early enough that we didnt encounter the mobs and actually got to see/cross the realto bridge. We took a gondola back across the canal after banking and made our way back for a quick snack. Really saw that part of the city and it was beautiful. Early, you really get to see the way the city works, like disney underground, the canals are full of working boats, hauling delivering, moving etc. More exploration to come.

    -jim    Read more

  • Vacation 2025
    1

    Yesterday

    September 4, 2025 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F

    Yesterday we explored our neighborhood (Cannaregio) We had cappuccino and cornetti at a beautiful little piazza in the heart of the Jewish ghetto, then walked all over Cannaregio, found a park(!!!), stopped for an aperol spritz and cicchetti (Venetian tapas) walked some more and had a delicious dinner at Ba'Ghetto.
    Melanie    Read more

  • Vacation 2025

    Amazing day!

    September 4, 2025 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 73 °F

    Amazing sightseeing today including the Rialto bridge and St Mark's square for a total of 17,000 steps 🥰
    Delicious dinner at an Italian /Indian restaurant, recommended by our AirBnB host. Loving this unique and beautiful city💕
    Melanie    Read more

  • Vacation 2025
    The Apple of my eye gazing at Magritte's "Empire of Light"

    First Real Day...

    September 5, 2025 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 73 °F

    An explanation, but first I need to go back to last night. In our continuing battle with time zone changes, we decided to go out for dinner at 7 pm for Indian food. The restaurant was recommended by our abnb host and it was amazing. We were the only PCDOAC's there (persons completely devoid of any color) so we figured it would be.
    We then walked all the way down to San Marco square to see it all lit up (magnificent, still). Finally got to sleep at around 11.
    Ok, so today; We woke up late and both felt completely refreshed, synched and ready. It was a new day. It felt like a first day. After coffee and pastry we walked down to the Peggy Guggenheim museum . What an amazing collection of modern art. We spent most of the day there, walked home, had dinner, then walked back down to the Chiesa dei pieta (called Vivaldi's church) and sat for a concert by the Vivaldi Baroque Ensemble. They played "Four Seasons"....In Vivaldi's church.
    In Venice.
    I dont want to sound like a newb, but seriously?
    We were just lucky enough to be here while they were here. My soul is full, i cant possibly take any more today.
    36,000 steps in two days, our feet are done too!

    -jim

    Oh, and we got sim cards! The navigation gods will smile on us now.    Read more

  • Vacation 2025

    A magical night

    September 6, 2025 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    The day was a much needed rest day. The night was something we will never forget. Our AirBnB host and her husband offered to "take us out on their boat" for a couple of hours. And here is where we stopped being able to post our experiences because the evening was so much more than can be expressed in words. These are the words I have : Rita and Paolo picked us up in their beautiful boat and took us all around Venice by water. We cruised the Grand Canal and saw all of the magnificent palazzos, went down small canals to local neighborhoods, stopped for drinks and chicceti in the boat and marveled at the moonlight on the water. Rita shared the history and importance of places we didn't know existed. Paolo was so kind. They were incredibly generous in sharing their time and their beautiful city with us. We made new friends. We shared an unforgettable experience.
    Melanie    Read more

  • Vacation 2025

    Academia and Tosca

    September 7, 2025 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    Today we visited the Galleria Academia where we saw the works of many of the most famous artists of the Italian Renaissance. Titian, Tintoretto, Bellini, Bosch...
    The building itself is a masterpiece.
    On the way home we decided to finally try the vaporetto (water bus) and were able to cut our walk in half! And it was fun😁
    Tonight we saw Tosca, at the Gran Teatro la Fenice. Oh my goodness! If you love opera you need to see it in Italy.
    Melanie    Read more

  • Vacation 2025

    Went to the islands

    September 8, 2025 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    Today after coffee we hopped on a waterbus and went out to the islands of Murano, Burano and Torcelo.
    Murano is known for its glass making heritage and still sells rememberances of that past to tourist in it's 18,745 souvenir shops. We also watched someone make a jar. And a prancing horse.
    We then hopped on over to Burano, known for lace and linen and its colorful homes. We had lunch. Finished our day on Torcelo, which was, historically, the first of the Venician islands to be settled and abandoned. It remains largely the same. But quieter, and a calm place to walk.

    -jim    Read more

  • Vacation 2025

    Murano, Burano and Torcello

    September 8, 2025 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    We've been doing a good job of avoiding the crowds of tourists but today it was unavoidable. I really wanted to visit Murano, Burano and Torcello and so did every other tourist in Venice 🤷🏻‍♀️. I love glass and really enjoyed the demonstration of glass blowing. We got there as soon as they opened but as we were leaving the demo, the mobs of people were arriving so we jumped on the next boat to Burano. This island is known for lace making and the shops were beautiful! The houses on the island are painted in vibrant colors. We had a nice lunch and headed to Torcello. It was an oasis of peace. There is very little to see there other than the old church filled with byzantine art. We took in the pastoral ambiance for a while and then headed home. All in all, another lovely day in Venice.
    Melanie    Read more

  • Vacation 2025

    Another day of islands

    September 9, 2025 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 72 °F

    Today after coffee we set off on a little island hop to San Giorgio Maggiore, we rode the elevator (because) to the bell tower and took in a view that everyone should experience. We went into the basilica looking for Tintoretto's "last supper", but it was being restored. It was my only reason for going there, but we had a blast anyways. Had a nice coffee at the cafe and set off on a guided tour of the 2018 installation of the "vatican chapels". 11 different architects deconstructed ides of chapels. Very interesting.
    Another water bus out to Lazaro island, an Armenian monastary with the largest collection of Armenian manuscripts in the world. The guided tour was amazing, or at least, it would have been if it werent in Italian.
    We finished the day with a nice glass of white and a couple ciccheti (tapas). What a great day.

    -jim    Read more

  • Vacation 2025
    1

    San Giorgio and San Lazzaro

    September 9, 2025 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 70 °F

    San Giorgio is without a doubt my favorite island! It is a perfect little gem. I would gladly go there every day to enjoy a perfect cappuccino in the lovely cafe, stroll along the wooded paths, and meditate. It is not one of the major attractions in Venice so there were no crowds. The view from the church belltower is arguably better than the view from the tower of St. Mark's (which you can see from San Giorgio.)
    San Lazzaro is the Armenian island. It is completely occupied by the Armenian monastery and grounds. Being there was very moving for me. We met a couple from LA whose grandparents were from the same town in Turkey as mine and we shared their stories. It was a wonderful experience.
    We ended our long day back in our neighborhood with the best wine and cicchetti we've had yet. What a treat!
    Melanie    Read more

  • Vacation 2025

    Rest Day😴

    September 10, 2025 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    We really needed a day off! The weather is a little drizzly today so it was a perfect day to stay in. I slept most of the day 😴
    Melanie

  • Vacation 2025

    2025 Venice Biennale

    September 11, 2025 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    After coffee, took a walk down to the Arsenale to view the exhibits at the 2025 Venice Biennale. Its a festival that, this year, focuses on architecture and sustainable buildings. It was way more interesting than it sounds and we were very happy to spend a couple hours there. We then took the wrong waterbus home (its a cheap tour) and finished our day with a wonderful glass of white wine. Siesta now, middle eastern food for dinner.
    Edit - Afghani eggplant, kofta and peach ice tea for dinner😋

    -jim

    https://www.labiennale.org/en    Read more

  • Vacation 2025
    3D printing sustainable building materials1Resting in audio art installation 😊Venice arsenal. Most of the Biennale was in this neighborhoodBookstore cat just wants to be left alone 😻

    Books and Biennale

    September 11, 2025 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    The only thing I'll add to what Jim said is that we stopped at a quirky little bookstore called Aqua Alta on our way to the Biennale.
    Also, Venice is a very diverse city so we're getting our fix of our favorite cuisines. 👍🏻🥰
    -Melanie    Read more

  • Vacation 2025
    Cafe at the Finland pavilion
    School parking lot across from our local coffee shop

    Gardeni Biennale

    September 12, 2025 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    After coffee (are you spotting the trend yet?) We caught a boat to the eastern end of Venice to check out the Napoleonic garden that also holds the permanent biennale exibit spaces (30 countries) it was a nice, picturesque walk. Venice is so varied and has so much to offer if one chooses to go off the --well-- beaten path. Around noon we caught a boat the long way home. Stopped off for a nice chilled glass of white and it is now siesta time. Dinner is at 9 with our new venetian friends, well past my bedtime.

    -jim
    PS: I have to say, buying the 7 day transpo card for 65€ was super worth it. We didnt think it would be possible to take enough trips to make it worth the money. Man, are we glad we did. Such a stress reliever, and yes, we broke even in 4 days.    Read more

  • Vacation 2025

    Biennale Day 2 (In the Park)

    September 12, 2025 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    I think we would have been happy with just the gorgeous park but the exhibits really put it over the top! Each "building" was unique. The theme of the Architectural Biennale is sustainable living. I'm including a picture of a poster from the French pavilion that sums it up nicely. I loved today's exhibits and would still be there if I could take in any more information.
    Looking forward to dinner with our Venetian friends tonight❣️
    -Melanie    Read more

  • Vacation 2025

    Decathlon day

    September 13, 2025 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    Hopped on a bus out of town to Decathlon. My favorite store.
    -jim
    Post dinner edit: we just had the most amazing bucket of seafood. Mussels, clams, scallops, calamari, shrimp chunks of bread, all served in a buttery, tomatoey, garlicky sauce. Once we ate most of the seafood, they added the homemade pasta to the pan. Sort of a second course. A meal like ive never had. And a wonderful house proseco accompanying it all. Life is good.
    -jim    Read more

  • Vacation 2025

    Time to move on

    September 15, 2025 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 68 °F

    Its 6:45 monday morning here in Venice. We spent most of yesterday making our travel plans for the next couple of weeks. We will leave here tomorrow morning for our next adventure, so we'll head out for coffee soon and make our way to the train station to buy tickets. We both feel sad to leave this place, but happy we got to see and do everything (and way more!) that we wanted. Plus, we still have today!

    Our hearts are with Kathy and Jav as they leave heading for Portugal to walk their 2nd camino. Buen Camino perigrinos!❤️
    -jim    Read more

  • Vacation 2025

    Last day in Venice

    September 15, 2025 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    Today is our last day in Venice and we feel like we didn't leave too many stones unturned 😊 It has been a wonderful experience. We had coffee and cornetti at Majer, as usual, walked to the train station and bought our tickets, did one more quick run to decathlon and it was time for lunch and a break. We finally walked into the pub around the corner from our AirBnB. I can't believe it took us so long. It was absolutely perfect. We had Venetian craft beer, cicchetti and Venetian pizza. Now we're packing. Later, 8:00 pm, we'll go to the Afghani restaurant. Hossein, the waiter, offered to cook Bangladeshi food for us! 👏🏻
    We'll update later.
    So far we've booked 4 nights in Verona, 2 unbooked nights, probably in Bolzano, and 5 nights in Alta Badia (Google it) in the Italian Alps.
    -Melanie    Read more

  • Vacation 2025

    kindness.

    September 15, 2025 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 75 °F

    Last night while having dinner at our neighborhood middle eastern restaurant, we were having a discussion with the host Hossein. He asked where we were from and that lead to a discussion about the hospitalty of Mexican families. He very proudly said that Bangladeshi families were the same and told us that if we came back he would cook for us. We told him we were leaving but he insisted we come back tonight. Well.
    We went back, not really knowing what to expect. This is not a small mom and pop restaurant, it probably has 15 outside tables, 10 inside and it was packed.
    His wife Fatima, who seemed to run the back of the house started to bring out dish after dish after dish of Bangladeshi food that they had prepared for us. This was food not on the menu and prepared with pride, kindness and generosity. We were subdued by joy and gratitude. They both were so happy that we were able to accept their act of community generosity and appreciated it.

    This is the second amazing gift of kindness that was bestowed upon us here. We heard so much about the backlash against tourists, we were prepared to have to prove ourselves everywhere we went, but we have been seen in a real way by more people than we could have hoped for. The world is in tough shape right now and I think people are just looking for a good reason to rise above the mire. We have been so happy to participate. And we look forward to meeting many more kind people.

    -jim    Read more

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