Thanksgiving in Venezia!

Jeff arrived home from his business trip Wednesday the 22nd just in time to rearrange his suitcase for our trip to Italy. Our flight to Venice left at 8:40 Thanksgiving morning. It was a quick 40 minute flight, a 25 minute bus ride and a 20 minute water bus ride and we arrived at the beautiful San Marco Pier in Venice. The trip was pretty uneventful, except for my leaving the directions to the hotel on the water bus. Luckily I remembered the name of the hotel and Jeff had a sense of the location. We actually only had to ask three different locals for directions. The hotel room was amazing.... marble floors, flat screen TV and a jetted tub. We were in heaven with all the amenities. We left the hotel a little after one and had some pizza and cappuccino for lunch. Then we walked a few blocks from our hotel to the beautiful Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square). Lily was absolutely overwhelmed with all the "quack quacks", a.k.a. pigeons. The Square and the Basilica were breath taking. It was another pinch me moment for me and Jeff. After the square we navigated our way through the many narrow streets and canals of Venice. We did some shopping, enjoyed some delicious chocolate gelato and then visited the famous Rialto Bridge. It was a relaxing day and Lily was a dream. She took two separate naps in her stroller, which gave Jeff and I a more "romantic” feel to the city. Thanksgiving evening was spent enjoying take out and bubble baths back at the hotel room. We talked to all our family back in the States and missed the smells of turkey and stuffing (but just a little); after all, we were enjoying the beautiful sights and sounds of Venice. Friday was another day of navigating the canals and taking in the sights. We toured the inside of St. Mark's Basilica, did a quick run through the Palazzo Ducale (Doge's Palace Museum) and enjoyed a relaxing gondola ride down the grand canal all before our lunch at McD's! After lunch Lily napped while Jeff and I sat at a cafe and enjoyed more cappuccino and hot chocolate. We did some more shopping (I had to get another leather bag!) and then we crossed over the Rialto Bridge for some more sight seeing. We ended our day letting Lily chasing the "quack quacks" around the square again. Jeff and I are sure the pigeons were the highlight of Lily's trip. That evening we had a "romantic" dinner at Galileo's. Well, as romantic as a dinner can be with a 19 month old coloring on the table cloth. We had some yummy pasta and dessert and then headed back to the hotel to relax. Lily had her first experience with the bubble bath and she loved it!! She couldn't get enough of laying and splashing while the bubbles came up around her! Saturday we had lazy morning getting everything packed up. We checked out of the hotel and took one last stroll around the city to take in some last minute views of the Grand Canal and beautiful Italian architecture. The weather cooperated all weekend, so we were able to sit outside at a little cafe on the Grand Canal for lunch. It was a nice way to wrap up our wonderful trip to Venice. Another amazing travel adventure under our belts!