A Day in Venice

One of the most amazing parts about living in Italy has been being able to take a short train ride for a day in Venice. We love it and still find it as magical as the first time we visited this floating city, though we get lost a lot less frequently these days. This weekend my family decided to take such a day for ourselves to enjoy each other's company while in one of the most amazing places on the planet.  Here are a few snapshots from our latest visit to Venice.The Chiesa San Simeon Piccolo is the first building you see when exiting the Santa Lucia train station in Venice. It's one of the "must get" photographs when touring the city, especially if you come in through the train station.There is so much to see. We've visited Venice so much, and each time, even if it's something I've seen before, I fall a little bit more in love with the city.My favorite time of year to visit Venice is in the Fall and Winter when there are less tourists. As you meander through the many canals and little alley ways you can get a sense of how quiet the city can be with out the hustle and bustle of cars, and horns and such.I've visited Venice on hot sunny summer days, in the rain, and the cold. There's always something new to see and experience.My husband and I feel so blessed to have been able to live this Italian life these last four years, and for the experience this has offered our sons.This time we wanted to wander deeper into the city, away from the major touristy areas like Saint Mark's Square, and such. It was so nice. We had lunch in this little restaurant, and took our time stopping to take it all in whenever we could. I guess we're beginning to realize these trips taken whenever we have the whim to do so will be coming to an end soon and we wanted to savor these simple parts.My son Evan loves to do this. It drives me nuts, but it's a great image of some of the narrow alleyways in Venice.Prepare to walk. A day in Venice could easily rack up lots of steps and stair cases if you like to track those sort of things.There's so much antiquity and age. I love it. The Italians can be so blasé about their old things, I love that too.As in pretty much all of Italy art is everywhere.This trip we made it a point to peak into a few churches to light a candle and say a prayer.SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave

Libreria Acqua Alta: Quirky Venice, Italy Bookshop

Living in Italy certainly has its perks... A short train ride to Venice is unquestionably one. Last week, while meandering over canals and waxing poetic, I remembered this book shop I'd read about when I knew I'd be moving to Italy. Prior to researching the area we were to live in, or anything of significant importance, I Googled, "bookstores in Italy" or something equivalent because visiting every single "must see" bookstore or library in Europe is on my bucket list. Yes, friends, I know where my priorities are.On previous excursions to Venice, my husband and I had no plan, except to "get lost". In the excitement of being in Venice, I forgot about this shop. I don't know if it was the just bloomed wisteria which dappled balconies, the murky turquoise water sparkling in the afternoon sun, the memory of a novel that took me to Venice long before I set foot on its cobbled streets; which contributed to my remembering. Or my desire to walk into a bookshop and find a treasure... Preferably in English, because despite my six-year study of the Italian language, when I read in Italian, it is slow going.A not-so-quick Google + map search provided me the address to la "Libreria Acqua Alta"  which means "Library of High Water", and my husband a mission: to get me to this book shop. A few hours and ninety percent of my iPhone's battery life later, I was there.The Liberia Aqua Alta, calls itself the "most beautiful bookshop in the world". I wouldn't vote it "most beautiful", but it is a welcoming, eccentric, dusty store which makes it's guests feel as though they've stumbled into a place that could only be found in a story. Upon entering, visitors are cocooned in a cacophony of books, welcomed by feline guards who are remarkably tame and take no notice of all the store's patrons. You will find a motley crew of genres ranging from new publications to old second-hand books. I like to imagine how the books came to be at La Libreria "Acqua Alta" were they left behind by tourists in gondolas, found underneath hotel room beds, or left by distracted café goers? Oh, the stories they could tell...You will find books in many languages, mostly in Italian of course, but don't let that stop you. A book from this shop is a perfect memento of your visit to Venice. Pick a book that speaks to you and take it home as a special treasure. I discovered two books. The first was The Allegory of Love by C.S. Lewis. It is a yellowed, 1958 copy, with notes by a former owner who was called Brigitte Rü-something. I can't really read her handwriting, but she wrote Friuli, 1961 on the inside title page. The second treasure I took home was Henry James' The Portrait of a Lady, published by Penguin in 1074. It too is delightfully yellowed but in otherwise excellent condition. I couldn't help but wonder where these books have been, or how long they sat piled on the shelf waiting for me to find it.There are books on Venice, stacked high front and center in a gondola that takes up much of the floor in the center of the shop Yes. You read and see correct. Who needs a shelf when you can store your books in waterproof bins like a bathtub or gondola?On each side of the gondola that monopolizes much of the main room's floor space, are narrow aisles. You'll have to squeeze by other bibliophiles in rapture to get to the back of the store where you'll discover a staircase made of old encyclopedias.You know the ones rendered useless by the Internet... They've been given a new purpose. I can think of far worse walls and much sadder ends to a book's life than that of delighting people from all over the world. It is exciting climbing the steps, wondering what you'll discover...Which as it turns out is just a canal. But it is a canal in Venice.Magic.If bookshops and libraries are on your "must see" list when traveling, you can find La Libreria "Acqua Alta" on Calle Longa S.M. Formosa 5176, Castello 30122.

2013 A Review in Pictures Flipagram

In 2013 I welcomed my husband home after 751 days. Eight months later I kissed him goodbye for what should be 190 days. I kissed him... A lot. Said good bye to family and friends in Miami, fulfilled a life long dream of living in Europe. In Italy I've made some good friends who feel like family, climbed a mountain (sort of), read a ton of books. Wrote some stuff, including a letter to Juliette (and felt her up). I became a soccer mom, sent my baby to Kindergarten, drank a bunch of wine, and even more coffee and tea, and ate way too much gelato. My Gram gives the best hugs and slobbery kisses and I miss them. Oh and I still heart Mr. Darcy!I made this using the Flipagram app and the song is "Sway" by Blue October

Venice in the rain...

Last weekend we planned on going to Venice. We awoke early and just kept getting delayed. The biggest delay coming from our youngest son who got car sick a block away from the train station. We returned home of course and cleaned him up. We then had some lunch and meandered around our TLF for a bit. Around three o'clock we ventured out again. We drove around familiarizing ourselves with the area some more, we visited a local grocery store (our first time) where I found the most delicious cookies, and then got back into our rental car and just drove around some more. When we found ourselves in the exact spot where Evan had thrown up all over the place-thus halting our trip. My husband turned to me and said, "You're gonna see Venice today." He then turned his head and said, "Boys, I promised your mom I'd take her to Venice, and we're going."

I was less than compliant because it was already so late in the day nearly five by then and the forecast called for rain in Venice that evening. Not to mention my "maybe all of these hiccups today mean we're not supposed to go" argument.  But my protests fell on deaf ears and before I knew it we were all aboard a train to Venice. The city I'd dreamed of. The city I longed to see for so very long.

We arrived at twilight as a light rain began to fall.My husband snapped as many photos as he could before night fall.I was simply trying to soak it all in. Even as the rain began it's more persistent fall that would last through out the night.We walked around for a few hours and when the kids began to complain a little too loudly we stopped in a cafe for pizza. After which we ventured out into the wet cold night, which in a city like Venice, made it much more ethereal to me despite the bustling of people. We ventured into the maze of buildings, following the echoing of church bells, found our way out and treated our boys to gelato.We all ended up with soaking wet shoes save for my husband who'd worn his waterproof hiking boots. We were cold and chilled to the bone, but still we were in Venice and knew she would be but a train ride away.Love & Seeing Venice in the Rain,nicoleSave

Venice Dreamlike

Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go. ~Truman Capote

I've always been intrigued by Venice. As a little girl I would dream about sitting on a terrace overlooking a canal, and all the mysteries that floated on it's watery streets.

A few weeks ago I dreamed I was moving to Italy.

I dream very rarely-a side effect of insomnia. When I do dream, I take notice, because in the past my dreams have been prophetic.

hint. hint. hint.

love & gondolas,

nicōle

Photo: www.flickr.com/photos/mbell1975/