It has always been a dream of mine to float along the beautiful canals of Venice in a romantic Gondola. Little did I know that I would eventually do it in real life. What surprised me was the feeling of relief from being off my feet for a little while. We walked and walked and walked in Venice. I didn’t have a fitbit then but if I did we would have crushed our step goals for the day.
We went to Venice with Dan’s brother Eric and his wife Megan. On this trip my love affair with Italy began. We were all exhausted from their flights getting delayed and rerouted multiple times to finally landing in Germany… only to turn around and drive an hour away to another airport. They were so relaxed for as much stressful traveling they had been through. However, we finally made our connection to Italy and we all proceeded to pass out on the plane.
After we landed we hopped on a bus that took us to Piazzale Roma. There are no cars in Venice if you were wondering. All of your transportation is either on foot or by gondola and water taxi. We got off the bus and started following the crowd. Wandering if you will, is one of our favorite things to do while traveling. We usually experience wonderful things by accident. After eating breakfast (you can tell how exhausted we were above!) and stopping at the next plaza, we finally bought a map.
Being lost in Italy isn’t the worst thing in the world… there is amazing wine and dessert everywhere. We spent a lot of our time walking through the small crowded alleys. Let’s just say that showering daily is not a universal practice throughout Europe. If you’re planning to visit Italy fall was a perfect time.
The weather was sunny and dressing in layers was perfect. It was so beautiful I couldn’t stop taking pictures. We saw multiple churches and historic buildings and museums.
The canals and changing leaves kept us wanting to see more. I can’t remember if we even planned things to see while we were there. This is my favorite stress free way to travel. Sure I read about Venice prior to going but I’ll never be a down to the minute planner while traveling. Honestly, I could have just eaten all day and been perfectly content. Italy by far has the best food {and WINE!} of anywhere I’ve ever traveled.
This picture was taken at the edge of the Grand canal. You can see the “Basilica di Santa María della Salute” on the right side. We actually went inside this one. 
It never fails… Everywhere we travel there is at least one lion we take a picture with. The next day we were looking for a place to eat breakfast and stumbled upon this gorgeous plaza aka the Piazza San Marco and the Basilica di San Marco. 
The following pictures are some of my favorites from the trip. They encompass the relaxed life of living on the canal and the wonderful time we had with Dan’s family. 
As usual Dan and I packed last minute for this trip. Almost every trip we take only a backpack each, it’s less room for clutter and limits outfit options. (If I could pack my entire closet I would…). Anyway, Dan forgot his sunnies.
It took quite awhile for him to settle on these ones for 7 Euro. He kept passing by the stands saying they were overpriced haha.
When in Italy drink as much cappuccino as you can. It’ll make you fall in love.
Love,
Jenny
#travel the world with me 