Hi Guys!
Hope you've all had a lovely week! I'm actually back blogging!
This week I'm just putting up some of the pictures that I took from my trip to Venice in February.
It was my first trip away with my boyfriend David, we decided instead of buying expensive gifts for each other at Christmas, we would just get little things and put some money away to go away for a few days. And I think it was such a lovely idea, because usually Christmas is so stressful and you spend so much money on everything and everyone else, worrying about what to buy people. So it was really nice to just buy each other small things and then use that extra money to go away with each other and just spend time together. I just think it's a really nice thing to do, because I'm so lucky and get so many amazing things for Christmas from my family and friends, so it's nice to just do something a bit different.
It was my first trip away with my boyfriend David, we decided instead of buying expensive gifts for each other at Christmas, we would just get little things and put some money away to go away for a few days. And I think it was such a lovely idea, because usually Christmas is so stressful and you spend so much money on everything and everyone else, worrying about what to buy people. So it was really nice to just buy each other small things and then use that extra money to go away with each other and just spend time together. I just think it's a really nice thing to do, because I'm so lucky and get so many amazing things for Christmas from my family and friends, so it's nice to just do something a bit different.
Venice was amazing!
We were so lucky and got an amazing deal on a 5* Hotel called Ca'Sagredo, which was honestly unbelievable! The hotel was like a museum in itself and the staff were all super friendly, you were just made to feel so welcome.
We didn't really have much planned to do, we really just wanted to spend some time together and anything else we got to do was a bonus. We went mid-February, and I think it is honestly the best time to go. I have been to Venice in the summer, and although it is still really beautiful, it's very busy and very warm! Whereas, in February it is still sunny but it's a nice temperature, pretty mild. It is also very quiet in comparison to the summer time!
Our first day the weather was slightly overcast, which was perfect as this was the day that we had decided to go do all things touristy and sightsee. We went to Piazza San Marco and looked around the shops and then we went to the St Mark's Basilica, which was incredible!
After that we went to the Doge's Palace, which is unreal!
The artwork in that building is so beautiful! We were hardcore tourists and got the audio guided tour, but if you go somewhere like that I think it's really helpful! You learn so much about the different artwork and different rooms of the palace, things you wouldn't learn from just walking around on your own!
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| David, the super tourist! |
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| This is the "Golden Staircase" inside the Doge's Palace |
I'm a little bit obsessed with this clock in the Doge's palace. I don't remember who made it, but it moves with the different star signs instead of hours or days. I think it's so cool and I'm a little bit in love with it, so I thought I'd add it to the post. I couldn't get a great picture of it, but I still love it!
When you walk through the Doge's palace, you actually get to walk over the Bridge of Sighs, which is pretty cool. I'm quite confident that if we had been there in summer, that view would be a lot more crowded.
I would really recommend the Doge's Palace if you are in Venice, I thought it was incredible! They were doing some work in it, so some areas were shut off to the public, I guess because it was a quieter time of year they probably can upset less people by closing parts of the palace off. But there is still so much to see there that you don't feel like you're missing out!
Our second day there, which was actually Valentine's Day, we decided to go to Murano.
Murano is about an hour away from Venice on the Vaporetto(which is like the big water buses in Venice), and it's a little island where the famous Murano Glass is made. The idea is that you go to Murano and you can visit the factories where the glass is made, and watch some glass blowing and different glassware being made. Unfortunately for us, it wasn't the greatest experience in the world. I think in the summertime that it would probably be a completely different experience, but because Venice in general was so quiet, there was hardly anybody visiting Murano. This meant that there wasn't many places open, so there wasn't much for us to do. But the place itself was like a mini-Venice, so I'm sure if there were cafes and bar open it would be lovely to just sit and chill, but for us it wasn't the greatest.
Luckily, we managed to salvage the day by going back the Piazza San Marco and going to Caffe Florian, which is the oldest cafe in the world. And it was so beautiful, I got a hot chocolate and David got an Espresso and we got some scones. And it was so sweet and chilled out. We were sat next to two elderly Italian couples, who were so lovely and very nice to us. It was actually very nice and romantic to be cuddled up in tis beautiful old Italian cafe on Valentine's Day in Venice.
Then we had the most amazing dinner, it was our last night, so we went for it and had the best seafood pasta in the world, amazing wine and finished off the night with some great ice cream! So as much as the day perhaps didn't get off the a great start, it ended perfectly! And not many couples can say that they spent their first Valentine's together in Venice!
The next day was our last day in Venice, so we decided to go for a Gondola ride, and it was the perfect day to go. The weather was amazing!
I think there is a standard price for all Gondola rides, it's 80€ for a standard one, which we chose and then I think it may go up 20€ per for another 30 mins, but we didn't really have time to go for any longer than the standard time. I know some people may think that is very expensive, but I think going on a gondola ride is just one of those experiences you need to have when you go to Venice, we had kept money aside for it! It's so much fun and I think you just need to do it if you ever go. And normally I'm not one for soppy romantic things, but it really was very romantic!
After that, we walked to the Rialto bridge to get our last tourist photographs out of the way before we headed to the airport.
We honestly had the most amazing time away, we did A LOT of walking about, we got lost A LOT and we at A LOT of food! And it was all worth every single second... Especially the food! It was just a chilled out, beautiful, relaxing holiday. One which I wouldn't have wanted to spend with anyone else. It was the perfect little trip!
The fact that you can just be walking down the street and jump in somewhere for a giant slice of the most amazing pizza made me a very happy person! The food was so incredible!
I hope you enjoyed this post! I would definitely recommend Venice to anyone! I think it's one of the most beautiful places in the world, I'd go back in a heartbeat!
Let me know if you've ever been and what were your favourite things about Venice! And if you have any other places you think I should visit! I would love to hear any suggestions!
Love,
Kayleigh Rose
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