Venezia

We left Innsbruck on Sunday to head to Venice. We were very sad to leave as our experience with the Ames family was so wonderful. If you've ever travelled abroad you know that it can be confusing and difficult on many different levels, so having a family that knows the culture, terrain, and enough of the local language to get around is incredibly valuable. We knew we were facing a whole new level of complication on this trip.

We had planned on stopping halfway between Innsbruck and Venice for lunch and we ended up in Trento, Italy. One thing we didn't really plan for is that on Sunday in Italy EVERYTHING is closed. There were a few random kebab shops open, but the people hanging around the outside of them looked like hardened Turkish gangsters, so we didn't dare go in. We finally found a little cafe run by a Chinese family.

We made it to Mira, a little town outside Venice where we stayed, just in time to check into our room. It was a lovely little Airbnb apartment. It was beautiful and comfortable. We could have been happy there much longer for one night with the exception that it was located in the boonies. After getting settled, we took a 40 minute bus ride to get to Venice. We quickly found a restaurant since we were all starving and after that we had a great time seeing Venice. I was amazed at how narrow the streets were and Aven was impressed that it had streets made of water. She wants our street at home to be made of water now.

We got some gelato (how could we not?), went to Piazza San Marco, and instead of taking a water taxi back to the bus stop we took the water bus. If you ever seen the Japanese train pushers then you'll have an idea of what riding a water bus in Venice is like- only on a rocking boat. We were mashed onto the water bus for about an hour before we got back to the bus stop. Then we had to take a 40 minute bus ride back to where we were staying. We didn't get back to our room until about 11:15 at night. My kids have NEVER been out that late. It was very stressful.

We had originally planned on going back into Venice the next day but Emma and I decided that we had seen enough and left the decision up to Ian since he wanted to go back. We drove all the way to the Venice parking garage where they charge you 26 Euros to park your car for a few hours. The whole parking garage system was so confusing that Ian decided that we should just move on to our next destination: Florence.

Everything in Florence was closed today due to a holiday, so Aven had a Nutella sandwich and a banana for dinner and Emma, Ian, and I had Chinese take-out. Tomorrow we will be relaxing and grocery shopping before going to the Uffizi Gallery on Wednesday. Our apartment is pretty nice, but we are still missing the magic of Innsbruck.

Etta was climbing up and down these steps near the restaurant we ate at in Venice like a pro. As soon as I got a little relaxed she tumbled down two steps and got a nice bruise on her cheek. Yet another mom-of-the-year moment for me.

Aven was amazed by the "water streets".

Ian gets creative with the camera.

It's as beautiful and amazing as the pictures make it look.

Aven and Dad.

Etta and Mom.

A great family shot (thanks Emma!).

Auntie Em and Etta.

The very lovely apartment we stayed in near Venice.

The loveliness of Florence.