Ciao Bella -Exploring Venice!

Venice has been amazing. We rented an apartment for the week and it’s been so nice to have our own rooms, make delicious Italian coffee in the morning, having an actual refrigerator requiring us going to a local grocery store, hang laundry to dry outside our window on the 2nd floor, walking along the myriad of canals and seeing 100s of gelaterias (we have tried many so far! - Suso is my favorite!!).

I have been so excited to be back here - last time I was here was during my junior year abroad in Switzerland. Late 90s had felt unreal to me - we would “ditch” school to hop on an overnight train to have an extra day in Italy over a weekend. Let’s just say it’s been awhile - and a lot has changed. A lot more people everywhere…a lot more shops…a lot more gondolas - but still the same allure…

…The same wonder hearing people speak in Italian with such an expressiveness in their hands and faces…

…The deliciousness of the pizzas (definitely the most delicious crusts I’ve get had) and they are the cheapest thing on the menu usually!!!

…The creaminess and delicious flavors of gelato!

…The feeling of not knowing what you will see as you cross over yet another small bridge over a lovely small canal and turn the corner…

…the feeling of questioning your mothering skills when the girls say they know how to get home from the grocery store…and letting them go alone(!). (Then realizing they got back to the apartment way more easily than I did!!)

…and getting a much needed haircut felt good too!

We’ve been here almost one week already - I can’t believe it. Time is going by so fast …and we are coming home in 2 1/2 weeks.

We’re going to watch the 90s version of Romeo and Juliet tonight (which I’ve never seen) and hop on a train tomorrow morning to visit fair Verona for a day.

On Tuesday AM, we’ll then take a 4 am water taxi and then Flight to Munich. We’ll be there for a week and Maddie will take her long awaited German lessons (she LOVES the German language!).

We’ll also begin studying a bit of a world War 2 for the last couple of weeks we are here, including reading the Diary of Anne Frank and visiting some WWII sites along the way.

Hope you are all doing well! ❤️

Next stop:

Munich and then Paris a week later - via train (I got a eurail pass for us!)Read more