Michelle and Shannon take on Venice {My 6th time going, but 1st time without any children}

On Tuesday of Michelle's 8 day visit, I made sure to put the little kids in the hourly care at the post day care from 8:00am-4:00pm...this care in addition to Bubba and Pooks being in school (and on the school bus) from 7:15-3:30pm allowed us a kid-free day in Venice. This was a first for me and let me tell you, it was loooong overdue. Obviously I love my children but anyone with children can attest that going somewhere with them takes 4 times longer to do even the most basic tasks. So being able to hop in the van, drive straight to Venice, park and then explore was amazing. No baby carrier, no stroller, no whining, no 5 million potty breaks. Once on the Rialto bridge, I actually got to go into stores. Jewelry stores, glass stores, souvenir shops....I could do it all because I didn't have to worry about 8 little hands touching/breaking. It was amazing! I could stop at take photos, we could stop and get gelato, we could eat at Hard Rock Cafe and not worry about how long it would take. I was able to enjoy an adult beverage...totally new experiences in Venice this time!

We started out near the train station (as we park the van where you would park if you were boarding a cruise ship) and walked to St. Mark's Square. We took our time, we weaved down little side streets. We took photos, we stopped for a cappuccino and a brioche.

This was the first time I had ever approached the Rialto from this side, I liked the view with the gondala's right in front.

 We arrived at St. Mark's square just about lunchtime....

 Because we had eaten Italian food all weekend, because we were kid-free, we decided to eat lunch at Hard Rock Cafe and enjoy a drink as well as some good ol' 'American' food. I use the quotes since Michelle had nachos.

Bonus: we got to keep our souvenir glasses...I'm not really into collecting Hard Rock memorabilia but it is neat to have a glass that reads ''Venice''. 

It really is a truly wonderful city. I was kind of ''over'' it for awhile but going without any children was a new experience. I don't mean to bash my kids, they are very well behaved children and I love them to pieces but not worrying that someone was too close to the water, not having to make sure everyone was holding someone's hand through the crowds. Not worrying about who was closest to the edge on the Vaparetto...it was much more a relaxing day.

We made it home just in time to pick up the kids. Tuesday evening the boys had t-ball practice so we had a relaxing evening at home.

Exploring Italy with Nanaw and Papa: Venice!

On Sunday we opted to stay near home. We went to the big open air market in Camisano, then Papa and B went to see the new Batman movie. We were all still a little tired from the day before and we knew that Monday we were going to....Venice!

I love Venice. I don't love the crowds or all the tourist crap, but I do love the back alleys, the canals, the gondalas...it's adorable!

While we had been to Venice before, this was our first time taking a gondala ride and I have to say, we loved it! Our gondalier spoke English and talked enough to point on interesting buildings but not so much that it took away from the experience. We rode in one gondala and my parents rode in the other. It was fascinating to see them maneuver these long boats through tiny canals alongside other gondalas and boats. It was on my ''must do/bucket list'' while in Europe and I'm so glad I can cross it off. I'm not sure if we'll do it again as it's pretty pricey but it was well worth it for the experience!

Another pricey but well worth it stop in Venice was Hard Rock Cafe. I love Italy, I really do but I'm a Kansas girl. I'm used to meat and potatoes. I like pasta and pizza and tomatos and paninis but there is only so much one can eat before practically shouting ''I JUST WANT A CHEESEBURGER". A bacon cheeseburger that is so juicy it drips down your arm when you take a bite, kinda burger. Not a frozen patty ''maxi burger'' that they sell in other restaurants.

So when I was telling a friend about my craving she said "go to Hard Rock Cafe, it's truly American and their cheeseburgers are perfect''. So while in Venice, here I am insisting on a cheeseburger. {I do justify this by saying, it's not like I'm a tourist only here for 10 days seeking a burger...we've lived here almost 8 months, I just wanted a taste of home!}. We get there and it's like I stepped into a HRC in Chicago...I no longer felt like I was even in Italy! The staff spoke English, Styx was on TV and I was given a buzzer to wait til the table was ready! We were seated very quickly and I immediately opened the menu and there it was! The "Legendary 10 oz Cheeseburger" is €16.95...or almost $22. For a burger and fries. I didn't even care. I ordered it, cooked medium, and waited. When it came...oh my gosh was it everything I had hoped for and more! I didn't get a picture of it, I was so excited to dive right in. And I'm not even ashamed to admit that I ate damn near the entire thing. I don't think it was the lack of having had a burger in so long either ,as it was truly delicious.

So we ate at Hard Rock and wandered around St. Marks Square:

 

 All in all, we had a blast in Venice. And it wasn't even that crowded!

The day after Christmas....

 we went to Venice! It involved a 15 minute bus ride to the train station, an hour long train ride and boom we were there! We had an awesome Christmas and I promise I will get pictures up soon! I took all those pics on my DSLR and I can't find the cable to transfer the photos. So when we went to Venice, I made sure to take my point and shoot, immediate uploads for those who are missing seeing the kids' faces.

  

less than a month ago I was in south Texas driving through Starbucks...now I'm drinking tiny little cappuccinos in Venice?! Man life is strange!

Move over hot apple cider, this is hot spiced wine! AMAZING!!!

 The boys loved Venice. All the ''rivers'' that they got to ride in a bus, then a train, then a boat...the whole day was pretty awesome to them too. 

 Sissy finally woke up by lunctime at a Pizzeria. It was good, but had nothing on the local place we like to eat at...we may be biased already! Although sissy did eat an entire slice by herself!

 I'll be honest, I can't even remember what the significance of this statue is, but with the clouds lined up like this, I couldn't not take a photo. 

 

Peanut and Pooks especially loved all the pigeons. Watching them, chasing them, it didn't matter. 

   Ciao!