Ending in Venice

The most appropriate way to recap the majority of our time in Venice is simply in photos of some of the sights we took in as we wandered around the city.  There are very few "attractions" in Venice, so we ended the vacation on a relaxing note.  However, I do have a few bits and tips for those of you visiting soon...

As soon as we arrived, I told Eric that it felt like we were in a different country, even though we obviously were in Italy.  I mean, the STREETS are made of WATER.  Even though you obviously know that about Venice, it's hard to get over.

One thing to note is that while Venice is amazing and spectacular and one-of-a-kind, it's not the place to go for a "foodie" vacation. At least not in the traditional, sit-down Italian dinner kind of way. Now, there's nothing wrong with that - it's amazing in a million and one other ways. But if you're like us, and you don't skimp on good food when traveling, you should know that. I think the reason is that in any other city, you can simply walk a few blocks inward and find something non-touristy and local.  Every inch of Venice is pretty much touristy, so it remains a dilemma.

We learned that to find good food we should literally get lost in the streets (easy to do, since they aren't really grid-like), and that we should look for long lines of Italians at walk-up windows.  We did both of those things when we were there and ended up with some pretty good food.  If we had gone off of what guidebooks said, we would have been up a creek canal without a paddle. I mean, most of the restaurants had English menus and pictures attached - and that is a no, ma'am.

With that being said, we really, really enjoyed our time in Venice.  It's a beautiful city, unlike any other in the entire world. Grab a second cup of coffee and enjoy...

From the top of the Rialto Bridge.

View from the Rialto Bridge.

Rialto market. We never buy any of these cheap souvenirs, but I love browsing anyway, ha!

Eric bought me a cameo ring while in Venice (swoon), and in the store across the street from where we bought mine, they had this basset hound cameo. If it wasn't 280 euro, Sarah would have had this coming to her via international airmail. I mean, who WEARS that?!

We finally got lost long enough to find a good lunch spot! And, turns out cameras do crazy things to stripes.

Toward the end of our three days in Venice, we had to stop taking canal shots. Because EVERY canal you cross over is gorgeous, and I just had tons of shots that all looked nearly the same...

But I mean...they ARE pretty, so here you go!

Piazza San Marco

Piazza San Marco.

From the rooftop pool and deck at the Hilton.

From the Rialto Bridge at dusk on our last night.

And that's a wrap folks! We flew out very early the next morning, so we went to another Hilton property closer to the airport for our last night.  We had to be out the door by about 5:15 am, and water buses in Venice just aren't running that early.  Everything went really smoothly, so I wouldn't worry too much if you DO have an early flight out - just prepare for it and make sure you have a way to get across the canal other than by private taxi at 80 euro a pop (compared to 7 euro for a water bus, and you may not be able to even get a private water taxi that early anyway - it IS Italy, after all).

We had the time of our lives, and Eric is already plotting another trip.  I think he likes the planning process just as much as the actual trip!

We have two other trips coming up on the horizon...one to Napa Valley/San Francisco, and one to good ol' NYC.  Can you believe that after all of this travel internationally over the years, I have NEVER been to California, and Eric has NEVER been to New York? Craziness!  If you have any travel tips from vacations or living in those areas, I'm ALL ears!

And so is Pierre...in a more literal sense :)

A Basset Birthday Weekend

Thank you ALL so much for Pierre's birthday wishes on Friday - here, on Facebook, and on Instagram! And a special thank you to Pierre's Aunt Sarah and BBFF (Basset BFF), Floyd, for the most adorable birthday package ever...

Sarah made Pierre a whole bag of peanut butter (dog) cookies - and with a BASSET cookie cutter!!! And a tie, to enhance his natural beauty handsomeness. Be still my heart. Sarah made Floyd a tie a while back, when I was studying for the bar, and I told her she had to teach me how to sew when I was done. Well apparently, she thinks teaching me to sew is a lost cause because she just made Pierre a tie. Just kidding :)  Isn't that the sweetest?!? Started his birthday weekend off on the right paw.

We took Pierre out to dinner at Mellow Mushroom on Friday night...i.e. he got a bone and got to people watch while we ate.  While observing other families around us, Eric and I discussed how much easier it is to take a dog out to dinner than a toddler.

Saturday, Eric and I went for a hike at Crowder's Mountain in the morning, and found the best Carolina BBQ at Mac's Speed Shop on the way home - conveniently located across the street from the Canine Cafe, where we stopped to pick up a birthday cake for P.

The collard greens were phenomenal.

Sunday, Pierre sported his new tie to his birthday party.  We celebrated with family since everyone was already together for Mother's Day. The peanut butter cake was a hit...don't be misled, the cake is on a plate the size of a saucer. We still have a few pieces left for P to enjoy this week :)

On a very sad note, I received news this morning that one of my law school friends and classmates passed away on Sunday. She was very young, and had three very small children. If you're taking prayer requests, please add her sweet husband and family to your list this week. I know that there are reasons for things that are beyond my knowledge, but I'm just sick over it this morning. She should have been graduating this weekend.

On that note, I hope you're taking the time to enjoy the little things in life this week. Life is way, way too short.

Wrapping up the Cinque Terre and on to Venice

On our last day in the Cinque Terre, we had done all the hiking we could do, and had visited all of the villages except Riomaggiore.  We decided to hit up Monterosso and Vernazza one more time, and then head into Riomaggiore for apertifs and dinner. 

If you are ever in Monterosso, you MUST eat at a small place tucked way back into an alley in the center of old town called Via Venti.  Seriously, the best gnocchi I've had in all of Italy, or in my entire life for that matter. Eric had trofie pasta with homemade pesto.  Interesting tidbit - the Cinque Terre is known for its pesto, and the trofie pasta was designed especially for pesto to stick to (it has lots of nooks and crannies in it).

Then, with time on our hands, we headed into Vernazza to do some rock lounging.  If at all possible, we always try to leave an extra day on the end of our time in a city to have no real agenda.  It really gives us a better sense of the town and the culture when we can pretend to be locals and just sort of wander for a day.  Plus, it gives a chance to rest up before heading off to the next adventure - in this case, Venice, where we knew we'd be on our feet all day long, every day. 

We headed back to our hotel for the afternoon and did some lounging and reading on the terrace on the upper level.  We figured when our hotel has a view like that, might as well enjoy it.  That night, we took a train into Riomaggiore since the trail between there and Manarola was closed.

We had apertif at the most amazing little place overlooking the water and took in the view. 

Then, we decided we hadn't had nearly enough of the view and decided to just get "fast food" for dinner. Italian style fast food that is - freshly made pizza and focaccia, a cone of the most amazing fried mixed seafood, along with two Moretti beers from the market.  We ate alone on the rocks, and watched the sun set over the water.  For sure, one of my favorite dinners/views of the trip.

The next morning, we were up bright and early to head to our last stop in Venice.  We wanted to get an early start though because the plan was to stop in Florence for the afternoon on the way.  The Santa Maria Novella train station is pretty large and easy to navigate, and they have a bag drop.  So we stopped, checked our luggage for a few hours, and then set out to explore the city, see The Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio, and do a little shopping in the market.

We still ended up with too much luggage, even with me trying to pack light. Poor Eric trudged those bags up too many flights of stairs to count.

We got the most AMAZING fresh, hand sliced roast beef and turkey sandwiches at the market in Florence. I know it sounds random, but they were so fantastic.

As most of you know, we celebrated our third wedding anniversary on this trip, and we follow the traditional gift giving guidelines. Three years = leather.  I have a post coming up on our anniversary gifts and traditions, but I did up finding an amazing bag in Florence, and Eric got a leather padfolio that matches his briefcase that he bought on our honeymoon in Rome. Good finds - we left Florence with a couple more bags, but eh, we were on to our last stop anyway. 

We arrived in Venice, boarded a water bus, and then headed to the Molino Stucky Hilton, which was gorgeous.  We had superb service, as always, and....I just have to show y'all because it was so ridiculous...they upgraded us to an executive suite.  As if I needed another reason to love Hilton.  We stayed at small, local hotels and beds and breakfasts all throughout this trip because, well, there just aren't Hiltons in the Cinque Terre. 

But at the end of a trip when we are tired and weary and most of our clothing is dirty and muddy and our feet ache and all I want is some ICE for crying out loud....it's really nice to end the trip at a higher end, American hotel. I say that at the risk of sounding snobbish, but....risk taken. Anywho, the room was CRAZY - we never would have paid the outlandish rate for it because (hello!) when you're in Venice, who stays in a hotel room?  But...if they're offering an upgrade, I'll take it.

Sitting room...that we used once, for 10 minutes to check email.

Hallway to bed and bath.

Crazy big bathroom by European standards.

Bedroom...with crazy hand blown glass chandelier.

But the best thing about having status at Hiltons...executive lounges. Free snacks, water, drinks, coffee, etc. all day, and then happy hour with an open bar before dinner. It was EXACTLY what we needed for a pick me up before taking the shuttle back across the channel for dinner.

Only one post left about our adventures in Venice! Hope you all had a lovely Monday!

Happy Third Birthday, Pierre!

We interrupt this vacation recap to wish a very happy birthday to Pierre!

 

Eric and I have been joking that he's actually 21 in dog years, so he may need some Bowser Beer to celebrate with tonight.

 

This morning, we celebrated with a birthday boy breakfast of turkey sausage and turkey bacon.

I'm almost positive that some peanut butter birthday cake and a trip to the dog park will be making an appearance at some point today.

I can't believe it's been a whole year since we brought this little love nugget to his forever home.

But he has a funny way of making it seem like he's been here for forever. 

A funny way of making us forget what life was like without him around.

Happy Birthday, sweet Pierre!

Here's to so many more!

I'll be back to recap birthday happenings on Monday :)

"The dog is the most faithful of animals and would be much esteemed were it not so common. God made his greatest gifts the commonest."

- Martin Luther

Because One Post on the Cinque Terre Wasn't Enough

Unfortunately, two out of the four hikes between the five villages were closed due to rockslides and landslides.  However, the two hikes that we did do were the lengthier/more challenging of the four, so we felt like we still got the full experience.

After our beach lingering, we went on to do the hike from Vernazza into Corniglia. Note the steel netting above me...after seeing the size of some of the boulders it caught and reading news stories like this, I was pretty thankful for it.

View back toward Vernazza...the little beach we were on is bottom center.

This hike wasn't nearly as intense as the first one we did - many more areas that were level and we were able to take in much more of the view because we didn't have to worry about stable footing the whole time.  The natural, unadulterated, raw beauty of the Cinque Terre amazed us...the photos really just can't even begin to do it justice.

It was incredible to us that all along these hikes between villages, there were homes - some that were even higher up the trail than we were.  I mean, I can't imagine having to go down these trails with bags of groceries, but these people have called the Cinque Terre home for generations upon generations.

Approaching Corniglia

The only bit of trail "running" that I did was here, ahead of Eric to get this shot.

Corniglia was a cute little town, and I did pop into the market to get some fresh strawberries, but we didn't spend as much time here as we did in the other villages. Word from the wise - I would not recommend staying in Corniglia unless you are prepared a) to climb up 400 stairs (literal number) from the train station every time you come back "home", or b) to wait 15 to 20 minutes each time for a bus to take you to the top of the hill.  Cute town, but I would recommend visiting as opposed to staying here.

We were pretty tired by this point in the day, so we went back to shower and then took a train back into Vernazza for aperitivo and dinner that night at Trattoria da Sandro, upon a recommendation from Aspiring Kennedy in this post.

Aperitivo in Italy is sort of like our happy hour, but restaurants serve small snacks for free (or included in the price of your drink is probably more accurate) to go along with your cocktail.  These range from small bits of pizza or bread/topping, to a bowl of chips and nuts/olives.  We picked a spot right on the harbor in Vernazza and had prosecco and spritz before our dinner. You pay a little more to sit right on the water, but hey, it's vacation right? A spritz is our favorite to order in Italy, and everyone drinks them.  Basically, we just try to fit in and pretend like we live there as much as possible, ha!  But...I think my poor Italian might just give me away.  A spritz is prosecco, aperol (sometimes campari), and a splash of soda water, garnished with an orange slice.  I love anything sparkling, so these are right up my alley.

Around 8:30 or so we headed to dinner.  We learned our first time in Italy a few years ago that 8:00 is the absolute earliest you want to head to dinner unless you want to be completely alone in the restaurant.  Apertifs help hold us over until then.  Trattoria da Sandro is right outside the train station in Vernazza, literally.  Ordinarily, we would avoid it, as the location indicates a tourist trap.  But since Aspiring Kennedy had recommended it (and has never failed us on her restaurant recommendations in Europe thus far), we decided to give it a go. And oh my, I am so glad we did. Both the food and the service were phenomenal, and like most places in the Cinque Terre, it's family run.  Y'all know we love a good small business.

Fresh anchovies are their specialty, and while it's probably not something I would order in the States (which are inevitably NOT fresh and packed in oil...blegh), I was determined to give it a go in the Cinque Terre.  Ours were marinated in lemon juice and were phenomenally fresh. I definitely recommend giving them a try even if you don't ordinarily like them (I don't).  I ordered the sea bass in a lovely light tomato sauce with potatoes and zucchini, and Eric actually ordered the anchovy casserole which was out. of. this. world.

As we finished up our last course, our bartender from the place where we had drinks before dinner came in with a large group of his friends for dinner at the same restaurant.  If there was ever any doubt that this was one of the best places in town to eat, that erased it!

We spent the remainder of the evening strolling around Vernazza under the glow of street lamps, and then took a train back to Manarola. 

Coming up tomorrow...a MUCH more low-key third day in the Cinque Terre.