Italian Blate: Venice

I decided to change things up a bit today and return back to my Italian Blate recaps that I've yet to finish documenting. I swear, it's the story of my life these days. If you remember, last October, I had the great fortune of traveling to Italy to visit my dear blog-friend-turned-real-life-friend, Jessica, of Jessica Lynn Writes. I spent 4 days there with Jess, eating and drinking and enjoying every single little charming thing Italy had to offer. One day, Jess and I ventured a mere hour away from her home in Maniago to explore the islands of Murano & Burano...and of course, make a stop in the famous floating city of Venice. 

Venice was our last stop of the day and it was well worth the wait. I'd always dreamed of visiting, but for some reason, during our time here in Europe, D and I just hadn't made time for it. This is one reason I love having friends all over the world. The combination of military life and blogger life can be super rewarding! Jess and I wandered around the canal-lined streets for an hour that evening, stopping only to snap photos, eat gelato, and to watch the sun set over the Grand Canal. Venice was everything I hoped it would be, and more. After returning home and showing D all the gorgeous photos I took, he's convinced we've got to make a stop here on our last big cruise next May. Luckily, there are more than enough cruises starting in Venice to make that dream a reality for him! You definitely won't see me complaining. ;)

Italian Blate: Island of Murano

Another fun stop on my Italian blate with Jess was the island of Murano. Murano is also a short boat ride from Venice and is most widely known as being the home of Murano glass. The second we hopped of the boat at the dock in Murano, we were shuffled into a glass shop to watch a glassblowing demonstration. This was the first time I'd ever witnessed the glassblowing process and I have to say, it's quite fascinating! When the glassblowers were done working their magic, the most colorful freckled glass cup was placed on a shelf to set. If that cup hadn't have been over 40 euros, I would've snatched it up! Murano glass is NOT CHEAP, y'all! I did manage to find myself a cute 10 euro glass gondolier ornament to commemorate my time there...along with about 6 dozen photos of this quiet little glass making town. While I don't think this island has quite as much charm as Burano, it is worth a short trip, if only to see the handmade glass gifts and glassblowing demonstration.

Up next from our Italian blate...VENICE! Ciao!

Italian Blate: Colorful Burano

Remember that little Italian blate I went on like 7 months ago? Yeah. Shame on me for just now showing you all the beautiful photos from my 5 fabulous days there! My dear blog friend, fellow military wife and expat, Jessica, from Jessica Lynn Writes, and I had been trying to plan a blate for quite some time. After months of swapping dates, our schedules finally lined up and BOOM! I was on a flight to Italy one sunny October afternoon! Jess was such a gracious host, allowing me invade her sweet Italian life and playing tour guide for me during my visit. We ate tons of gelato & pizza, laughed for hours, and toured around some of the most beautiful towns in Italy during my short time there. One of those cute towns being the island of Burano, just a 30-minute boat ride from Venice! This vibrant canal-laden town was my absolute favorite stop on our day in the Venice area. I'd heard it was quaint and isolated, with no cars allowed on the island, but I had no idea how colorful and rich with character this floating town would be! Back in the day, families here used to paint their homes bright colors to designate where one family's quarters ended and another's began. The colors also helped fisherman find their homes late at night after a long day at sea. The painting tradition has since stuck and become one of the most defining characteristics of this charming sea town.

With all the colorful homes and laundry-filled alleyways, Burano is a true amateur photographers dream. Our cameras never left our hands the whole day! Burano was also a pretty fun place to shop. It's widely known for having some of the most beautiful and intricate handmade lace in the world, so of course, I had to snag myself a few lace souvenirs. One of them being a gorgeous lace Christening dress for my little niece, who was baptized in it a few short months later! Such a special keepsake for her, when she's old enough to know the significance. :)

If you ever find yourself planning a trip to Venice, make sure to spend at least half a day on the whimsical fisherman's island of Burano. It's a true Italian gem!