Venice Day 9

As we left our wonderful hotel, we saw Francesco, the hotel owner, and he wished us farewell to Venice. The train station was just a short walk away and we quickly found the 3 1/2 hour train headed to our final destination, Venice.

We bought 2nd class tickets, so of course, we see a 2 on the side of the train and assume this is where we should be sitting. We get on board only to realize 20 minutes into our ride that we are indeed sitting in first class. Not wanting to get fined or penalized by the police on board, we sat patiently annoyed the remained of the trip in the diner. Why did we sit in the diner? Oh, that's because all of the 2nd class seating was taken. Here's a picture of JT sneakishly watching as the police walked by.

Once we arrived in Venice, we took a water taxi (So fun!) down the canal and headed toward St. Mark's Square to find a hotel. That's right, spur of the moment planning for us. Who needs to book hotels in advance?! As we walk down the alley with tons of seafood, we got hungry and decided to find a place for lunch.

Jack was thirsty and he also loves beer.

We took an afternoon stroll around St. Mark's square, which is home to St. Mark's Basilica, pigeons, cafe's and couples getting engaged (we actually saw a proposal!). And as usual, we listened to our audio tour by Rick Steves! St. Mark's Basilica is famous for is elaborate decorations which were made possible by all the booty brought back from wars. The most famous being the four bronze horses on the top (look close and you can see them).

Venice is by far one of the most beautiful cities I've been to. I love watching the boats on the water and look at all of the pretty architecture.

That evening, my love and I had the evening to ourselves. First, we went on a Gondola ride and then we had a romantic dinner right by the Rialto bridge, one of the most famous bridges in Venice. We had a fabulous dinner and enjoyed our last evening together in Italy. Of course, dinner was Lasagna for me and Spaghetti for JT. We had our usual side of bread, olive oil, and the best balsamic you've ever tasted. And what meal in Italy would be complete without some red wine! It was a fabulous dinner with even better company. I love him so much!

After dinner, we met up with Jack at St. Mark's Square. Each of the three main cafe's in the square have their own 6-7 piece orchestra that play well into the night. We found a side table, listened to the fabulous music, and talked for about 3 hours. I didn't get in pictures while we were there, but it was an evening I'll never forget. It was by far my favorite evening on the whole trip. I love traveling with these two men!

Tomorrow we have a morning left of sightseeing and then it's off to the airport!