Can there be a more thrilling city than Venice? It’s a complete experience of the senses. You can smell, feel, taste, hear and see so much, it is a dazzling and intoxicating experience.

We took a 30 minute train from Dolo to Venice with just our backpacks for an overnight. In Venice we travelled by the ‘vaporetto’ which are basically canal water buses.

We ate incredible pizza just off Piazza San Marco, tried to get into St. Mark’s Basilica with the wrong ticket. We had tickets to the Doge’s Palace, duh. The Palace did not disappoint, we couldn’t believe the weaponry used in the 17th century. How did those soldiers wear all those coats of armor when it’s 95° outside? We commented that times have certainly changed with 21st century warfare now sending in a drone missile attack on the ‘bad guy.’

In the evening we did a Cicchetti (sounds like spaghetti) walking tour through little alleyways and even a gondola ride across the canal with a young Italian guidewoman. We munched on small snacks or side dishes, served in traditional “bàcari” (ancient Venetian tavern.) Neither Michael or I tried the black squid over white polenta — just couldn’t do it. I would classify cicchetti as the Italian equivalent of Spanish tapas. We also sampled Prosecco and other wines from the Venetian area.

The next day we took another vaporetto to Murano Island known for the beautiful blown glass factories and a glass museum. No, we didn’t buy anything! We came back and found a lunch spot on the canal and then visited the Peggy Guggenheim Museo. Afterwards we went on a search for a perfect chocolate cookie for Michael at one of the famous Italian patisseries. We collected our backpacks and headed back to the train station for a seamless ride back to Dolo.

It’s so hard to describe Venice because it is so much an experience of the senses. You really must go . . . bodies pressing together in the heat, chaos, mixed with efficiency, beauty and awe at the many palaces now abandoned because of flooding and strict laws about preserving the old structures and not enough money to do it. It was great to visit Venice for the weekend and we’re happy to be back at our apartment that is quiet and comfortable and once again cooking very simple Italian meals and sleeping with our pillows from Target knowing we will sleep well.

Real Life

Because we’re on an extended three month journey and we have an apartment we’re re-creating home life in the Italian village of Dolo. That means going shopping for food and planning meals and doing laundry, going to the dry cleaner and planning our calendar. So, it might seem like all our troubles and worries are left behind while away, however, we are still tasked with the daily necessities of eating, feeding, cleansing and personal grooming.

One of the highlights of our trip has been going to the Italian grocery store. While local outdoor traditional markets are intriguing and we’ve visited them — it’s so hot we really can’t buy anything and then transport it back to our apartment without a cooler. Locals just venture out on foot early in the morning, get what they need and head back home.

Today we ventured out and went to the Italian equivalent to REI, ‘Decathlon’ and I bought some hiking shoes and a much needed yoga mat. I’ve been doing yoga on to stretch out my body and strength extremities using a bath towel — but it’s just not the same as having a sticky mat. Since we’re here for five weeks we decided to splurge and spend $10 for a sticky mat.

Because I am gluten-free – – even though I’ve been fine eating pizza and pasta, I still seek out gluten free options to keep my gut happy and I’m amazed at the options in Italy. The Italians have happily embraced G/F cookies, crackers, desserts, pasta, pizza and more, and it’s delicious and superior to everything we have in the US! I’m sending samples home!!

To keep ourselves entertained in the evening (we haven’t watched TV for four weeks) we decided to buy a deck of cards — oops, the first deck that we bought was some foreign Italian game with no clubs, spades, hearts or diamonds. What the heck? I’m also reading a great Italian novel based in Venice — it’s a murder mystery about a great German maestro killed at the Teatro. I love learning about all the Venetian neighborhoods and historical buildings along with the number of espressos they drink in a day, delicious meals they eat, parties they attend and especially all the gossiping about one another that is said to be very prevalent among Venetians.

Ciao for now!

<CHECK OUT ALL THE PHOTOS BELOW, CLICK AND ENLAGE THEN SCROLL RIGHT WITH ARROW>