Today has been such an amazing day.
We woke up early, got ready, packed up and ate breakfast. We then called our old taxi driver friend from yesterday, Alesso, and asked if he could come pick us up, which he did. We were running a few minutes behind so we high tailed it through the train station to catch our train. But we made it with actually time to spare, so we were happy and relieved!
The train was actually really nice and comfortable. We had seats that faced each other and we settled in for a 3.5 hour train ride to Venice. We were kicking ourselves that we didn't bring a card game or something to play. The wifi that is on the train was spotty, and so I mostly read and napped and we talked. We were very excited to get to Venice.
View from the train. Italian countryside and pretty blue, blue sky!
We got to Venice about 1:00pm and honestly I was instantly blown away at how unique it is and how gorgeous all the buildings and architecture are! Really, really breathtaking. Words don't do it justice.
We caught the water bus that goes along the Grand Canal to get to our hotel. It was really funny and very slow, but we were just loving the scenery and so we had a great time.
We got to our hotel about 45 minutes later, and checked in. Our room wasn't quite ready yet, so we left our baggage with the front desk and headed out to see Piazza San Marco and the basilica. Our hotel was just around the corner and it was a quick walk over to the square.
When we got there I immediately noticed all the pigeons. There were people putting food all over themselves trying to attract all the pigeons! Uh, no thanks! I couldn't help but think back to my MTC teachers telling us that pigeons in Italy are like rats, dirty and gross and do not go near them. Gross.
It was awesome to be in the Piazza San Marco and to see the basilica and the tower.
We decided to go back to our hotel and have some lunch and hook up to the hotel's wifi to download some more tours from our good friend Rick Steve so we could be ready to tour the basilica later on in the afternoon.
We had lunch on the deck of the Westin and the view was so incredible. The pizza wasn't super, but it was so worth it to sit peacefully and see the view. They also brought us hazelnuts, olives, and potato chips while we waited and to have those snacks and a diet coke with this view? Heaven!
Every few minutes a gondola would go by with an opera singer on board singing classic Italian songs, it was honestly dreamy. I loved every second.
After our long lunch we headed back over to Piazza San Marco and started our tour of the basilica. The outside is so impressive and ornate. I really love the middle eastern influence in Venice. It makes the architecture so unique, flowery, and beautiful.
We followed our auto tour inside and really the inside of this basilica is so crazy cool. The mosaics are insane and it is really beautiful.
I think my favorite part was the floor. It is all mosaic and made from different materials of marble and stone and formed in really cool patterns.
These four bronze horses have a really cool story behind them, they have been stolen over the years by several different nations including the Turks, Napoleon, and the Venetians. They used to have Ruby eyes and sit outside of San Marco's, but now they are inside and replicas are outside.
This a view from San Marco's and that bell rings every hour and it moves to look like those bronze people standing by are actually ringing it. It is really neat to see.
Looking out from San Marco's balcony.
San Marco selfie!
Love all the colors and details!
After our tour we walked along the little streets window shopping and looking at all the Murano glass. I snapped a few pictures along our walk.
They had some pretty fancy stores, this one had shoes that were all lined with crystals and diamonds. Pretty nuts...
We stopped in one store and bought a Christmas ornament and a necklace made out of Murano glass. They ladies who worked in the shop talked with us for a long time and we had a great time chatting with them.
After shopping we wandered around some more until we found a little place for dinner. Venice isn't known for great food, and dinner was just okay. But seriously. We are in Venice. Who cares!
Here is Todd giving me the hairy eye ball as I torture him taking pictures of him all during dinner...that's what good wives do afterall.
After dinner we went back to the hotel to get into our room and change our clothes before going on a gondola ride.
On our way back on the water bus again, I snapped this picture...ahhhh I can't get over how gorgeous it is!
Here is our hotel from the water, its the tanish building, the Westin Europa and Regina.
The Lobby...
And our room...it is fancy!
The hotel left us this cute little cake with a note wishing us a happy anniversary...super sweet.
We changed our clothes and left to find a place to get a gondola ride. We waited until dusk so that it would be super pretty and romantic, and it was!
Gondola selfie! I look a little scary here...yikes!
I loved all these windows with flower boxes!
I loved the gondola ride. It was amazing, and so fun for us. Definitely a must do once in your life at least. It might be cheesy, but it was super romantic and special and we really loved it. The scenery was insane. I mean it looks like a postcard. I think we both kept saying over and over again how incredible it was, and what a great time we were having. We are sappy.
Todd did something so incredibly sweet, he gave me this charm of a gondola for my charm bracelet while we were on our gondola ride.
He had bought this back in Texas several months ago knowing we were going to Venice, and kept it a secret and hidden all this time. This is big for him y'all, this kid doesn't keep secrets well. I was so touched and impressed and it was a sweet moment and a special gift! I think I will keep him forever.
We went back to our hotel after the gondola ride and have now settled in for the night. It has been such an incredible day and I am so glad we came to Venice! Such great memories made today. We are honestly having the best time, it's been like a dream trip already, and I can't wait to go to Florence tomorrow morning.
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