Notable moments

So I realized that I didn't really touch on any of the details of our trip other than the photos and logistics of our trip home so I thought I would just list a few of the highlights, if you're interested.

-We stayed at Hotel Al Grapso de Ua which is this little Victorian-style place in an alley right off of Rialto Bridge. Our travel agent booked us here at the end of our honeymoon and when I saw the deal I could get in November I jumped on it (57-Euro a night paid at time of booking). Our room was a little smaller this time (I booked "economy" whatever that means) but it was perfectly adequate and comfortable for 5 nights of rest while having the city at our fingertips. One note, the shower was in the corner of the bathroom and had no doors or curtain. Not sure what that's about but it otherwise worked just fine.

-The restaurant associated with the hotel peaked our interest however it didn't live up to expectations. Don't get me wrong, the food was great, but the waiter, who seemed to fein knowing English, misinterpreted my order and I ended up getting tagliatoni in pesto rather than dumplings with pesto in tomato cream sauce. I enjoyed it anyway. Still the entire experience was just strange.

-Making reservations for dinner was key on some evenings, particularly at Trattoria da Carletto whose small cozy dining room was very full. Oh and their interpretation of shrimp cocktail is a ton of tiny shrimp on a bed of lettuce drowned in thousand island dressing. Tasty but not what we were expecting.

-Our first night we went back to La Bitta (one of many recommendations made to us by a friend who spent some time in the city working on an art exhibit). This was the one place we were able to eat out our first time here although I could barely finish my dish that time. We enjoyed a delicious meal with a bottle of prosecco and then proceeded to spend the rest of the evening at a "cafe" aka lounge/bar not far from St. Mark's Square polishing off 2 more bottles!

-On our visit to Murano we took in a tour at the glass museum and learned all about how they make the glass and the families that keep those secrets. It was very informative and made us appreciate all of the glass they seem to sell everywhere in Venice that much more. It's important to make sure what you're buying is authentic though as some shops sell glass items from China.

-Burano and it's rows and rows of brightly colored houses really stole my heart. Jake was fascinated with their leaning bell tower to the point that I think a small part of him wanted to see it fall. We also visited the neighborhing island of Torcello to check out the ancient religious site there. I had so been looking forward to the views from the bell tower there but alas, it was closed for renovations and all scaffolded up. Sigh.

-We did get lost our fair share of times and kept a running tally of dead ends we hit. in 5 days we hit 7 of them, not too shabby. St. Mark's Square in the evening was a bit of a treat because the lights gave off quite a wonderful glow and there were very few people. It made picture-taking tough but just to see it was enough.

-Traveled all the way to Italy only to continuously hear Rihanna coming out of touristy shops. Oh and that awful Enrica Iglacious (sorry about the spelling there) song that is so popular right now.

-Finally I will report that the purchase of multiple Wine Diapers paid off. We brought back 3 bottles with no problems (in our checked suitcase). We also succeeded in finding a glass chess set with little blue and red pieces. So excited about that.

I'll wrap up by saying that Venice is great and definitely worth a visit if even for a day while in Europe. It's easily accessible by plane or train and getting into the city once you're there is pretty simple too (Il Vaparetto!). Have a great weekend everyone, I'm road tripping to CT!