Venice, Days Day Three

On Sunday we took a boat to the Venetian islands of Murano and Burano. The weather was lovely. White-Anna worried about burning but she did well with the sunscreen.

Our first stop was Murano, which is known for its glass. Because the Venetian government feared fires in Venice they moved all glass work to the island in brick buildings. We watched a glass blowing demo and walked around looking for something for my collection jars. I asked for broken glass but they told me it was illegal to sell Murano. 

The next stop was Burano which is famous for its lace work and brightly colored buildings. The colours of the houses follow a specific system, originating from the golden age of its development. If someone wishes to paint their home, one must send a request to the government, who will respond by making notice of the certain colours permitted for that lot. The island is considered among the ten most colorful places in the world.

We also visited a lace museum. It is just amazing all the time that goes into a piece. Along with glassmaking, it is a dying art. 

We returned to Venice and had a late lunch followed by a siesta. Later I had drinks with a woman, April, I know from work who is from the states but living in Vienna. It is crazy the two of us were in Venice at the same time! 

Venice, Italy

Anna and I flew to Venice on her 22nd birthday. My girls grew up hearing about my wedding to their father in Venice and she wanted to see it. 

 

Our 07:00 flight got us to the city earlier than we could check into our Airbnb so we stopped for lunch. After a couple bottles of wine, pizza, and pasta we were in vacation mode. 

That is me with the restaurant wine in my backpack while devouring a Reese’s Peanut Butter thing Anna brought from home. Love. After a three hour siesta (thank you, Colin for calling to wake us up) we walked to the Rialto bridge and went on a gondola ride. 

It was fun telling Anna, again, all the stories about our wedding. It is a good one. The building below Anna in the photo below is where we got married, right by the Rialto Bridge. 

We ended the evening with a little walk and dinner. 

Day two Anna slept in while I walked around the city. We started at the jewelry store on the Rialto Bridge where Scott and I bought our wedding rings. The girls had heard a million times about how we bought our rings from ‘a special box’ that all jewelers had in their stores. After I told the owner that I had bought my wedding ring from the store 29 years earlier, he told me it was from his father and mother and shared with us the wedding ring ‘box’ they have today. 

Next we went to St. Mark’s Basilica where we were turned away because our dresses were too short (or they didn’t like Anna’s blue hair since our dresses were the same length of others that got in). 

Oh well, not everyone is accepting of everyone so we moved on to the Palazzo Ducale, or Doge’s Palace, which was the government state of Venice. The artwork is just amazing! 

We walked across the Bridge of Sighs which is what those sentenced in the building would walk across to get their last view of Venice through that gorgeous window before going to prison. 

Anna returned for a little siesta (I will not post the photo of her wearing my compression stockings) and then we went to dinner where Scott and I went on our wedding night. Our home always had the menu hanging in our kitchen so it was a must do. It was a fabulous evening. 

Malaga: Final

On Saturday, Anna slept in while I went to the beach. The city of Malaga does not have a huge beach but a beach is a beach and I was excited to be in my happy place.

That evening we went out for dinner and drinks.

Sunday we took the bus to a large flea market and did some shopping. It was a pretty mellow day.

Monday we had an early flight back home. It was a great trip. I will definitely return to Malaga. May is a perfect time. Good weather. Reasonable crowds. 

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Malaga Day Five

On Friday Anna and I were tourists. The night prior we went through our list and made a plan. I love lists. I love plans. I like to think I am a chill traveler but having a framework for your day and making adjustments as you navigate the day works for me. 

We started by climbing 25 flights of stairs (per my watch) up to the Castillo de Gibralfaro. Ya, it was fucking tough. But we got some great views along the way and laughed a lot at one another’s lack of passion for exercise. Full disclosure: We only walked it because the bus was full.

We walked back down and had a nice lunch before visiting the Teatro Romano de Malaga, an ancient Roman theatre. We also walked to the top of the Alcazaba de Malaga, a Moorish fortress. 

We returned to the Airbnb where we rested and showered before going out for dinner. The two of us laughed the evening away. I am happy. The only thing that would make it better is to have Paradis but only 46 more days!