When it was time to leave Florence, we all loaded up on a bullet train and headed over to Venice. Ryan and I were really looking forward to this because we've never been to Venice before! Mia enjoyed sitting with her friend AJ on the train while Lily and I sat right behind them. Ryan sat across from us.
It didn't take long to fall in love with Venice! I'm absolutely amazed there is a whole city floating on water. It was so cool! Given that it was late December, it was pretty cold on the water, but it wasn't crowded at all which is definitely a summertime issue. We couldn't wait to climb in a gondola and start seeing the city!
We loved seeing one of the Venetian fire stations. Yes, everything is by boat! No cars or bikes are allowed on the islands...only people.
We did a walking tour around the city once we arrived at the main island, and who should we stumble upon but one of Venice's most famous explorers, Marco Polo! He told us all about his adventures and being in Venice then shared his treasure of Mickey pins with us.
We also spent some time exploring Saint Mark's Cathedral and Square. We aren't allowed to take any pictures inside the cathedral, but it was beautiful.
After an afternoon of exploring and learning our way around, we all took a boat over to the Hotel Stucky Molina and checked in. We had the evening to ourselves, so our family decided to stay nearby. We walked around a little bit until we came across what looked like a nice little pizzeria. We ended up having a delicious prosciutto and mozzarella appetizer that was delicious. Mia ordered lasagna, I had a gorgonzola pasta, and Ryan and Lily ordered pizzas; it was fun to watch the man in the kitchen make the pizzas directly across from us! This was a small little restaurant, and it appeared we were the only non-Italian people inside. It was a fun and delicious evening!
The next morning we had a private tour of the Doge's Palace which was really beautiful. The adults enjoyed learning about the history of the Doges, the government, and the city while we walked around, but the kids had a lot of fun as they went on a scavenger hunt around the palace.
When we finished our tour, we all headed over to learn more about the famous Venetian art form of mask making. It was so neat! Then we had the opportunity to make our own. Mia made an awesome wolf mask.
Lily made a beautiful classic pastel mask.
Ryan and I enjoyed being creative. He made a cool Italian flag mask while I went with a nice silver and blue combo. They all turned out great!
We then had lunch and an afternoon of exploring on our own which we enjoyed. Eventually though, evening arrived, and it was time for our farewell party with our group. It wasn't just any party though. No, we had a few hours on the Jolly Roger pirate ship! They had a delicious buffet for dinner along with fabulous bellinis to drink. Towards the end, they turned it into a dance party which was fun to watch. As we started to return to the hotel, they played a great video with tons of pictures from throughout the trip. It was a great way to end the evening. When we arrived back, it was time to say goodbye to everyone!
Miki and Korey: our fearless guides. Mia with her new friends...Lily, AJ, Gianna, and one more little girl whose name I can't remember since I'm actually writing this several weeks after our trip.
The girls really enjoyed being around Korey and Miki.
Our family with our new friends Erica, Kenny, Alex, and Lily Messer who live in LA. We enjoyed getting to know them this trip!
On Friday morning, we got up, ate a quick breakfast, and then caught the taxi that Miki had called for us to get back to the train station. As we left, she waved us off...and waved...and waved...and waved.
Bye Venice; you've been great!
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