Venice enchantment

Aft mths of planning,
I gave Alberto a hugeee surprise ;)
I broke the news thru' a surprise dinner
(i made him think tt i was out with melinda lol)
and Voila!
a feast of seafood salad, mixed grill & Cava...
i told him we were going to Venice!

I booked a real nice hotel Villa Dori
where we had my dream-come-true 4-poster bed
ahhh how romantic...

the lobby was beautifully designed
victorian style walls, n furniture..

we were starving...
some Paninis and Italian beer!

we hit central Venice!
Piazza Roma
first thing: gelato!!!

I felt like I was in dreamland..
a dream come true for me
a whole city built on sea
unbelievably natural n gorgeous..
i was immersed in romance ;)

everywhere was unique Venetian masks, & gelato!

me & Alberto at the local market

Ponte de Rialto

narrow canals were filled with Gondolas..
of cos we didnt take them,
they were for rich silly tourists..

a peek at the magnificent Piazza San Marco

tons of pigeons filled the Piazza
Alberto stretched out his arms
n pigeons flocked onto them
it was pretty incredible...

Palacio Ducal

Chillin' by the Gran Canal..
I tried Venetian Spritz.
mixture of Wine n an apertif..

Gran Canal

We took the vaporetto instead of the Gondola
to cruise along the Gran Canal
and take in a wonderful view of the floating city..
it was the most memorable part of the trip
n the beauty of the architecture, colors n smell..

DINNER
We picked a romantic restaurant along a canal
I had fantastic seafood tomato-based pasta
Alberto had a tiny cream-based tortellini..
it was so tiny, i bet he was still hungry aft
Wine in Italy is always the best
nowhere else beats that..

1st thing we did on 2nd day
was TO GORGE OURSELVES
with Italian foooood!
we went to a superb restaurant, had a set menu for 12.50euros
(2 courses, appetizer, wine & bread!)
it was motherfucking yummylicious!

For the 1st dish,
I had spaghetti bolognaise (simple, bt w havenly rich sauce)
2nd dish, I had the Venetian bites
an assortment of local fish
cooked in various culinary styles..
the best I've ever had..

luv the unique Venetian masks

Walkin' thru the tiny streets and narrow canals
admiring the natural beauty of the whole city
intrigues me how it was constructed centuries ago..

Masks, local sweets, & playing with dogs..
taking a relaxing walk in Venice

we both bought Venetian masks
in the crowded market!!!
managed to get a great bargain!
look how mysterious we look,
i swear Im gonna use mine the nxt Halloween..

Nxt day, we visited the Basilica in San Marco
it was magnificent n historial
the view from the top was awesome as well..

LUNCH
decided to skip nice lunches in the posh restaurants
instead we bought lunch
n ate it sitting by the square..
gave me a different feel, a more authentic one.

A Calzone
(pizza folded into half, melted cheese &ham..)
u get the picture

An involtino
woho~ that's gotta be the best wrap Ive ever had
lotsa meat, lettuce, cheese, ham, tomatoes..

Cruisin' to the 3 neighbouring islands
we paid 20euros for a 4-hr excursion to 3 interesting islands
Murano, Burano and Torcello..
all of which produce typical products of Venice

1st stop: Murano
it's famous for the Murano glass it manufactures
world-wide fame has of cos caught up w this tiny island
We went for a show
where the expert displayed his skills
in designing/manufacturing this special glass
he was more of an artist
it was pretty interesting actually

2nd stop: Burano
its colourful houses line the canals
adding a vibrant touch to this otherwise small town
It produces the lace that is sold all over Venice
n of cos we had realli good gelato again in this lil island..

lotsa masks again..

Saying goodbye to enchanting Venice.
As touristic as it might be,
Venice was much more beautiful and natural
than I had ever imagined.
A city built on sea,
it truely is a phenomenon
that everyone shld take a look once in ur life.

Italy never fails to charm me
with that relaxing, comfortable atmosphere..
the laughter of the people,
the easy-going ambience..
I think I might would love to live there
to experience the real Italy myself ;)

This trip to Venice was like a dream
mystifying, surreal n charming..