I'm just trying to walk myself home.
Browsing Tag
Last week for Instagram Travel Thursday I shared Snapshots of Venice, which was the second to last city Mary Polly and I visited on our Mediterranean Cruise. Today I’m sharing… Snapshots of Sicily It was over a year ago that we visited our final port of call, the island of Sicily. Until this week, I …
I am sharing photos of Venice for Instagram Travel Thursday this week! All of these images were taken from the front seat of Vaporetto #1, which is a water bus that runs along The Grand Canal. I’m not sure any place gets the kind of reaction that Venice does on Instagram. Instantly recognizable, the floating …
Visiting The Campanile in Venice, Italy When you’re walking in dream-like Venice, there is not a single moment in which you do not want to snap a photo. Every doorway and window. Each little bridge or canal. Venice is breathtaking at every turn. You have to force yourself out from behind your camera to take …
A Visit to The Doge’s Palace in Venice, Italy This post is part of a continuing series about a Mediterranean Cruise I took with my thirteen year old daughter in the fall of 2012. After wandering the city of Venice for several hours, we visited The Doge’s Palace. Overlooking the Grand Canal, Doge’s Palace was …
Venice, Italy: A Few First Impressions This post is part of a continuing series about a Mediterranean Cruise I took with my thirteen year old daughter in the fall of 2012. Today I am talking about Venice! You’ve seen Venice in movies, pictures and books all of your life, but still, there is nothing quite …
I am continuing a series of posts about a Mediterranean Cruise I took with my thirteen year old daughter in the fall of 2012. Today I am talking about The Lovely Port of Olbia, Sardinia, Italy Olbia is on the northeastern side of the island of Sardinia. There are several lovely beaches there, or so …
I am continuing a series of posts about a Mediterranean Cruise I took with my thirteen year old daughter in the fall of 2012. Today I am talking about our One Glorious Day in Rome! (The Port of Citvitavecchia) First stop in Rome, The Colosseum. Pulling up to the Colosseum was one of those surreal …
The Cruise Port Livorno was the next stop on our Mediterranean Cruise. Livorno is on the western side of Italy and from the port, one can access Pisa, Florence or any number of hill towns in Tuscany. Our original plan was to take one of the excursions to Florence, but the one we chose was …
Venice was our last stop on our anniversary trip to Italy in 2004. It’s one of those places you see pictures of all your life, but you cannot even believe it is real when you get there.
It is decadent and glorious and everything you could imagine. Even in December.
December 9, 2004
Venice Italy
Where do I even begin?
Venice is absolutely breathtaking. The whole city is just oozing elegance. From the very first moments on Vaporetto #1, I have been in awe.
Like a great maze, there is a treasure around every corner, a beautiful church, shops full of every possible color of glass and marbled paper, bright and elaborate masks, bridges, market stalls and gondolas. I have waked around in a dazed dream-like state.
Yesterday we just walked and walked and walked. We had the most wonderful sandwiches and cicchetti (Italian tapas) which we ate on a bridge. We went to San Marco and just stood there in the square.
We went back today to tour the cathedral and we took our time because I was enamored with every detail. The whole inside of the building was covered in mosaics and the pieces are tiny! When I got up close to them I could not believe all the tiny little quarter inch tiles.
My favorite mosaic was the one of Jesus sitting on the throne ruling His kingdom. Our guidebook said that Jesus was commonly pictured like this (instead of on a cross) in Byzantine cultures. I bought a postcard of this mosaic to remember Jesus this way–Sovereign over all, his hands stretched out in front of him, welcoming. Not to worry. He’s handling all things.
A Day in San Gimignano, Italy Taido and I went to Italy for our 10th anniversary in 2004. We were married in December, so we chose to go during that month even though we were taking a chance on the weather. We did have some rainy, cold days, but the lack of crowds at all …
I loved each and every museum we visited in Florence, but I especially loved San Marco. Maybe it was because I was just trying to check seeing Fra Angelico’s frescos off my list, but I wasn’t expecting as much from this experience as I was from the other places on my agenda. Maybe it was …
December 3, 2004 Florence, Italy I’m sitting in front of Michelangelo’s David. It is larger than life, perfectly situated under a brilliant dome. He is captivating. We wandered over to the Accademia to see if we could make reservations for tomorrow and it was wide open with no line. So fun! So we bought our …
Falling in Love with Italy Eight years ago, Taido and I walked hand in hand in the streets of Italy. It was December. We were celebrating being married for 10 years. We fell in love with the Renaissance in Florence, we picnicked in the ruins of a Tuscan hill town, and we succumbed to the …