We HEART Venezia

Today was our second day in Venice. It is absolutely beautiful here. The weather is perfect, the crests of the canals dance all day long in the sun, and everyone speaks English. Life is good.

I had four scoops of gelato total today, Jen had two. For breakfast: gelato; lunch: spinach ricotta calzone and chicken siciliana calzone; for dinner: spaghetti alla bolognaise, ravioli alla bolognaise, and a magherita pizza. I had a “spritz” with my meal, recommended on someone’s blog as a favorite early evening Viennese drink. What showed up was a bright orange liquid with a green olive on a stick and a slice of lemon floating at the top with a few pieces of ice. It looked horrible; it was DELICIOUS. We walked to a Il Doge Gelateria a couple doors down from the restaurant that has some of the best, freshest gelato on the island. I got three scoops: chocolate hazelnut, caramel (which had a picture of flan next to the title), and hazelnut. Jen got one of the signature flavors: crème del doge, which was chocolate with orange. All of it was delicious and amazing. Jen and I can find our way back to our hotel without a map now (a bit of wandering, of course, but that’s the fun of it.)

Every corner has a new amazing shop with handcrafted workmanship, a centuries old church adorned with aged saints, or a gallery of Murano glass (beautiful to look at and window shop). Today Jen and I wandered into a mask shop. The cobblestone streets still hold the confetti from Carnival a few weeks ago (at the beginning of Lent), apparently it’s a big deal around these ‘ere parts. The mask shop had all handmade hand painted papier-mâché masks of every color, sparkle, and animal one can imagine.

We came back to the hotel after lunch and wandering. I had a headache and needed to lay down without the sun shining in my eyes. Jen saw me back to the room then went to buy me some caffeine. She came back with a giant two-liter Coca Cola Light (my FAVORITE soda in Europe) and a cannoli to help the healing along. We took our afternoon siesta outside our French doors to the little balcony/plaza outside our hotel room. We’re on the top floor of the building, so we have access to the area where the cleaning ladies air dry the hotel’s sheets and it makes for a very pleasant and comfortable sitting area.

I researched places to eat dinner recommends on the internets after we had rested up, and Jen and I decided on a couple of options plus one gelataria nearby. The first place didn’t work out, the second place was just a takeout pizza place, which we weren’t looking for, so we just picked another restaurant near by these two Venice staples, figuring that most of the places in the area had much of the same reputation. We were either right or lucky, because dinner this evening was delicious. The gelato place I had found online was still close to where we had suppered, so all my research wasn’t for naught!

It was a nice easy breezy day followed by a simple and lovely evening. It’s been nice to just spend time with one another and be able to appreciate the nuances of not such a touristy couple of days in Venice. Tomorrow is supposed to be our last day here, but we’re considering extending our Venice stay by a couple of days and skipping Florence altogether, maybe even heading to Rome early. Lots to discuss!