On Day 6 of my trip, I woke up to a beautiful sunny day in Venice. First thing I did was make my way St. Mark's Square for a tour of the Basilica. The line had been long on the previous day, so I figured if I got there when it opened I could miss the line. This strategy worked.
The mosaics outside the Basilica tell stories, specifically of the theft of St. Mark's body from Alexandria, Egypt in A.D. 828.
The detail everywhere is amazing. They don't allow photos inside, but the gold mosaic is unlike any other Basilica you will see. Google "St. Mark's Basilica Photos Interior" and just browse the pics if you are interested. It's stunning and worth a look.
The Clock Tower in St. Mark's Square (Torre dell'Orologio)
San Marco Column
San Marco Column on left, San Theodore Column on right
La Fenice Opera House that was next door to my hotel
Built in 1792, it has seen the first performance of many famous Operas.
Traffic Jam, Venice Style
I spent a good portion of the day on a 3 island tour. First stop was Murano. We were whisked off the boat and immediately into a glass factory to see some glass blowing.
We saw this vase being blown, and I purchased a similar vase at that company store.
We had a short time to walk around on our own before the boat left.
Not enough time to explore much of the island, but enough time to hit up a few stores and take some pics.
Looking back toward Venice
Next stop was Burano. Here is the short video I took as we approached Burano.
Notice: (1) their bell tower leans, and (2) the tour guide has the most stereotypical Italian speaking English accent ever.
Burano is a fishing island and also famous for lace making.
All the buildings are brightly colored and I could not have loved it more.
We had a fair amount of time there and yet, I almost missed the boat because I was so caught up in the lace shopping!
Stopped in a bakery for some special cookies they make on Burano (they would become my dinner).
The last stop was Torcello, which is scarcely populated, but is the oldest populated island in Venice.
The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta on the left, and Santa Fosca on the right.
Y'all. This was founded in 639, and first renovated in 864. It is OLD.
Hemingway hung out at this Cipriani hotel in 1948 when he was writing Across the River and Into the Trees.
After Torcello, it was time to head back to Venice. Per usual, I took the name of my purse (The Neverfull) as a challenge.
I got some good pics from the water coming as we came back into Venice.
I walked back to my hotel to unload my purse, and then set out for Rialto Bridge. I wanted to get there before the sunset.
The Grand Canal
Rialto Bridge
The shops on Rialto Bridge
Sunset over the Grand Canal
I crossed over the bridge from San Marco to San Palo and walked through the markets a little bit.
Then I meandered back from Rialto to St. Mark's. It was a route I hadn't been before, so there was lots to check out. I stopped in many shops and worked to fill my purse back up.
I like this last shot I took of the day... The Campanille with a small sliver of the moon rising.
That's almost a wrap on Venice. Stay tuned for the last day of my trip... Venice, and back to Milan.
I'm obsessed with Swiss Oatmeal. I particularly love Corner Bakery's Swiss Oatmeal. If you are not familiar with Swiss Oatmeal, it is a cold oatmeal cereal with fruit and nuts. I've had a similar recipe for years, but it was only similar. It wasn't close enough for my liking. So I finally set out into the land of Pinterest to find a recipe that was a good Copy Cat. I found a few, combined them and came up with what I think is a very close Copy Cat Recipe of Corner Bakery's Swiss Oatmeal. Here's what I do (note, this recipe is really just pictures, because I don't really have measurements for these things. The photos aren't great, but it's easier if I show you what I do)... Here's the Phase 1 ingredients... Milk Honey Yogurt (I use a vanilla greek yogurt) Oats (old fashioned, not quick...you probably could do steel cut too) I've simplified this to where you only need a bowl and a spoon for Phase 1 becau
Welcome to my Christmas Shin-Dig! I've never thrown a blog party before so I'm kind of nervous, but that can just be our little secret. I have lots of things I want to include in my party, so I've decided the best way to tackle this is to do several posts, so keep scrolling down so that you don't miss a single thing that goes on at this party! I always try to have party favors when I throw a party, and this one shouldn't be an exception, so I am giving away a prize. Here are some photos of the prize All you have to do to enter is comment on one of my Christmas Party Blog entries. I will put all the names in a hat and draw a winner. I will post the winner's name on my blog on Sunday, so check back to see if this cute little Santa bubble light is coming to your house! All entry comments must be posted by 11:59 p.m. Pacific time. If this is your first trip to my blog, Welcome! Please come back and see me again!
One week from today will mark 2 years since I started this whole blogging thing. I'm very excited about this blogiverary because an opportunity has come up for me to do a giveaway for you guys! My sponsor has many websites that sell just about everything... lately I've been looking at the site for luggage because I'm feeling the need for a new carry on bag for my upcoming trip to NOLA. But more about the giveaway! Here's a picture of a couple of samples... I will be giving you a set of Tervis tumblers! If you don't know about Tervis tumblers, they are great because they keep your beverage super cold and they don't sweat all over your table! As you can see, I'm feeling the collegiate tumblers in honor of the upcoming football season, but if you are the winner, I will give you a couple of choices: (1) You can choose from over a hundred different tumbler themes to fit your personality or lifestyle: Texas themes, Initial (pink or black), Beach th
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