Venice, Italy May 2010

We saved the best for last...Venice. Again, that is so hard to say because every single leg of our journey was my "favorite" at the time. But Venice is such a romantic, old, worn-out, sinking city on dirty canals with a variety of bridges in every direction...and I love it. The signage is a bit confusing at times. But if you wander far and long enough, you will eventually arrive where you intended to go.

Many of the buildings have chipped paint, no paint or just plain worn-off paint. The city has such character--especially if you love old architecture--which I do. (John says he is glad I love antiques because he is more likely to be kept around as he ages!)

The gondolas are covered with tarps/coverings when not in use. Sharon discovered these steps....they went nowhere...except directly into the water. Most likely they are used to board a gondola ride.

Yes, the water can be dirty, but when you look past that one little issue, you find such charm in this magical, unique city. Every street, canal, bridge, building is a picturesque moment and we took advantage of every photo op. Again, only a fraction of the pictures taken appear in the blog.

Shops in Venice sell so many hand-crafted leather products, but these gloves were one of the most unusual colorful items found. The quaint shops are also filled with leather handbags and shoes, dress shops, mask shops, bakeries and gelato shops also market their wares.

Flower baskets are abundant throughout the Venetian neighborhoods. The colorful flowers cascade over the rails adding a splash of color in unexpected areas.

The sweet, soft, calm side-canals were my favorite places to capture on film. It seem like no one else was around when we found this restful area. The water shimmered from the remnants of afternoon sun. I want to live on this block in this neighborhood. Did I mention that I LOVE Venice?

On our first night in town, I dragged Sharon throughout the city. We dined here on the Grand Canal near a Gondola Station..their personal gondola prepared and waiting for the next paying customer.

Again, John says I'm happiest when I'm traveling and I happen to agree. I couldn't stop smiling during our visit. I'm just so giddy when visiting Venice.

The only way I could be any happier would be if someone asked me to live in their home for a year...or two...but three would absolutely be my max! Unless of course, someone offered more! Venice doesn't get any better than this.

My favorite all time photo! Fresh Italian underwear drying in the sun.

Fresh food markets are scattered throughout Venice proper. We rounded many a corner to find fresh produce stands with Italian families greeting us--begging us to buy, bright red peppers, green peppers, dried tomatoes, asparagus, cheeses, and the fresh fish of the day. Squid (Calamari) is one of my favorites...but Sharon avoids this sea creature and could barely look at it while on display.

Sharon's turning "50" in 2010...October "15" to be exact. But we celebrated early in Venice. Upon arrival to our hotel, a bottle of chilled champagne was waiting for us to enjoy during the visit. Paul--the owner--was so excited to present Sharon with his gift, we didn't have the heart to tell him that her "real" birthday was not until fall. So we climbed the stairs to the roof terrace, opened the champagne, and had our very own birthday party. Cheers, Sharon! You don't look a day over 29!

We purchased a water bus pass and rode the ferries in the evening to enjoy the city light.s on the bridges and town. The Rialto bridge is in the picture above. During the day we traveled to both the lace island-Burano, and the glass blowing island -Murano, to make several purchases.

As we drifted through the canals on foot and/or ferry, we discovered charming churches, unique buildings, and this gondola making shop. Several gondola's were in varying degrees of creation so we snapped pictures to capture the moment.

It is more common to see a building in disrepair in Venice than perfectly coiffed. For me, that is part of the charm. I want to lasso these buildings and take this look back home to Oregon. I know it isn't possible, but I would love our town to be surrounded by such intense history as found in Venice.

Busy and beautiful, the Grand Canal has a great deal of activity day and night.

Left, this grandmother impressed her family in St. Marks Square by holding multiple pigeons.

The bakeries are tucked everywhere in Venice: side streets, main streets, alleyways, doorways....you can smell the aroma before you actually find the culprit. And they look so tasty. You have to try at least one....of each. Venice is a dangerous place!

Ca Dogaressa http://www.cadogaressa.com/was our home away from home in Venice and we couldn't have selected a better place to stay. The staff was lovely, most spoke some English. They offered a computer to use in our room to check email. Breakfast was served on the working canal, entertaining us while we dined. The food was plentiful--a wide variety offered and served until we had to say..."enough...no more food." This property is off the touristy area and requires walking to see and explore the Venice island. Boats loaded down with supplies brought boxes and crates of fresh food in every day. It is a way of live for Venetians, but definitely a more difficult one because only so much weight can be placed on the boats. Trip after trip each morning keeps the boat masters busy with scheduled deliveries.

We were surrounded by such old beauty in Venice. I must go back. Once, twice....is not enough time for this outstanding, unique beautiful city. Get lost...get really, really lost in Venice....and find your secret special place. Take notes...because you will likely never, ever find that same sweet location again.