Dubrovnik, Croatia (Game of Thrones Anyone?!)

I know that everyone is getting sick and tired of winter (especially our friends and readers in America! What a wild winter you have all had!), so summer 2014 holiday plans are hastily being made. 

While Regensburg, Germany has been experiencing a relatively mild winter (knock on wood. There's still time for a blizzard or an ice storm to hit.), Chris and I are already dreaming about lazy summer afternoons spent by the sea. We've been trying to get our travel plans straightened out, and sadly, we've realized that budget flights are not as accessible (or cheap) as they had been in Brussels, Belgium. We're having to get creative with our travel plans. In any case, in an effort to inspire myself, I started looking through photo albums from last summer. We've visited Croatia two summers in a row, and we think we may go back again this year! We just cannot get enough of the incredible beaches, warm locals, fresh seafood, and affordable accommodation. If you're considering a trip to Croatia, this is the year to go! They just received their European Union status, so prices have not had too much time to skyrocket! Croatia is a hidden gem that hopefully stays unspoiled and mysterious. 

Chris and I have documented our Croatia trips to Krk, Hvar, and Plitvica Lakes, and this post contains a few pictures from our time in the walled city of Dubrovnik. If there are any Game of Thrones fans reading this, then you already know that Dubrovnik is the set for King's Landing. We rented kayaks on the beach that Game of Thrones also films on. Chris was totally geeking out. I guess I was too. The city is ancient and perfectly preserved, and no visit is complete without an hour (plus) walk around the thick city walls which were constructed between the 12th and 17th centuries to protect the city. If you have time, a kayak adventure will allow you to explore some of the hidden coves surrounding the city. Or rent a little boat and explore that way!

Food Tip: We had an authentic Balkan meal (made us really miss Serbia) at a little place called Dalmatino Knoba. They found out that we could speak a little bit of their language, and they completed our meal with a shot of complementary cherry rakija.  

This is making me want to get back to Dubrovnik! 

When Change is Exciting and Terrifying all at the Same Time

July 2013 - Oh, you sneaky little month, you! I had no idea how drastically our lives would change when you rolled around! 

After a year in Belgium, Chris and I felt 'normal,' and settled, and maybe even a little bit 'local'. We had a great group of friends in Roeselare and in Bruges, we spoke enough Dutch to understand what was happening around us (and when people were talking about us), I had two jobs, and we were celebrating 4 blissful years of marriage by departing on a whirlwind tour through the Mediterranean. For the first time in a long time, I was ready to "be," (I know shocker, eh, Mom?!) and simply enjoy the life that we had worked so hard to establish.

Stay Still - Relax - Enjoy the Season - Rest - Dig Deeper - Invest More - Plant Roots . . .

Who am I kidding?! We signed up for an adventure, and we have gotten more than we could have ever anticipated! It's been a beautiful and terrifying journey that has stretched us and pushed us closer together as a couple. We have learned to rely on each other for just about everything (he is great with directions, and I am not afraid to make linguistic mistakes so I am the mouthpiece when we travel), and through the joy and the tears, we would never rewrite any part of our story. The journey has not been what we expected, but we have been blessed every step of the way. 

Two and a half years ago, we moved to Subotica, Serbia and expected to stay rooted there for three years. We dug in, we made life-long friends, we experienced the beautiful Serbian culture, and we simply fell in love with the country. A year later, Chris' company moved us to Roeselare, Belgium, and while we were excited, we mourned leaving our beautiful Serbian family. Ghhhaa! Moving can be such a wild mix of emotions! Luckily, we loved our new city; I was almost immediately befriended by Niekie, the owner of a darling cafe called the MokkaBar, and Chris met the man of the town, PJ. Niekie and PJ invited us into their lives and introduced us to their friends. We can never express what a difference they made in our experience. I believe that it takes about a year to truly feel comfortable in a new culture. By July 2013, we had lived in Belgium for a year, so naturally, we had gone too long without a major change. 

{Sneak Peek Istanbul}

Hagia Sophia at night

I turned 30! 

Actually, I hit the big 3-0 at the end of September, but this season in our lives has been a whirlwind that seems to finally be calming down. Sort of. It is just starting to sink in that I've hit that age when most women freak out about wrinkles, job security, settling down and babies. I have the wrinkles, but the other things are so far from my mind these days! Chris and I had been planning a birthday trip to Istanbul with two of our dear friends from Belgium since sometime in June. All of a sudden, we were thrown a curve ball when the opportunity to move to Regensburg, Germany popped up. It was not an easy decision, and we talked it over and over together. After a couple weeks of weighing the pros and the cons, Chris accepted and started the new job a week before our scheduled trip. Needless to say, instead of spending my time researching restaurants and scenic look-out spots in Istanbul, I was frantically packing, and cleaning, and turning off utilities and breaking the apartment lease. 

There never is a dull moment for this little expat family!

Doesn't Mallorca Sound Wonderful About Now?

Towards the end of May, we booked a spur of the moment (stupid cheap) Ryan Air flight to Mallorca, Spain. I told Chris that it would be a delayed present for his 28th birthday; but let's be honest, it was more of an excuse to escape a miserably long Belgian cold spell. Spain had also claimed a special place in our hearts and a prominent spot on our travel calendar after a trip to Barcelona (If you're interested, find some of our Barcelona info here, and here). 

I think there was still snow on the ground as we boarded a flight bound for Spain's largest island. I had heard about the neighboring party island (Ibiza), but the only reason we chose Mallorca was because there was a direct flight from Brussels to Mallorca for less than an Italian dinner for two (Italian is about the cheapest sit down dinner option you'll find in Europe). My type A-must-research-every-detail-of-a-trip-to-a-new-city-personality sort of took a vacation, and I threw planning out the window! I mean, how hard could it be for us to get down to a beach, lay out our towels, and relax on the warm sand?!

I learned my lesson (again), because what we wanted and what we walked into were so completely far off from each other!

 At the airport, we caught the local bus #21, and within ten minutes we were walking into the lobby of Java Hotel. Our accommodation was right in the middle of Playa de Palma, and while the hotel itself was newly remodeled and reasonably priced, the long stretch of beach outside of the hotel was less than relaxing! What we had wanted was a slow couple of days sprawled out on the sand followed by seafood dinners at beach front restaurants. What we actually got was this:

Antwerp(en), Belgium

Antwerpen has the prettiest train station that I think I have seen in Europe!

We always get asked what our favorite cities are in Belgium, and the answer always starts out the same. First and foremost, we are in love with Bruges. The preserved medieval city seems almost too beautiful to be real life; it feels more like a movie set than a place people actually call "home." As soon as I saw Her, I knew that I wanted to live close to Bruges (check out Bruges here, here, and here). So, yeah, Bruges would be our #1 place to visit in Belgium, but then of course there are other fantastic cities like Ghent and Antwerp that cannot be missed when visiting the land of strong beer and rich chocolate. 

Antwerp (English) - Antwerpen (Dutch) - Anvers (French)

When visiting Antwerp, it's not uncommon to see the city spelled all three different ways, but the most often used version is the Dutch one. According to legend, Antwerpen got Her name after the mighty giant who used to demand a toll for passage into the port city. Those who refused to cough up the money would pay by having their hand cut off and thrown into the river. Eventually the money-hungry giant was killed and his own giant hand cut off and thrown into the river, thus giving the city the name "hand-werpen" ("to throw" in Old English). Eventually that evolved into the modern day name of Antwerpen. You'll see hand statues and hand illustrations all around the city if you keep your eyes open for them.

Chris and I enjoyed a lovely weekend in Antwerpen checking out a few local restaurants, meandering through annual fall festivals, sipping sangria at the city "beach," and getting acquainted with Belgium's second largest city. While Antwerpen is not as visually stunning as Bruges and Ghent, it does have an artistic vibe that invites one to stop, relax, and stay a while. 

Planning a trip to Antwerpen? Here are some of our city notes:

{Park Guell - Barcelona, Spain}

After a hectic month full of House Hunter's International filming and ridiculously cold Belgian spring weather, Chris and I decided to book a quick weekend getaway to sunny Barcelona, Spain. At least we were crossing our fingers and praying for a tad bit of sun! I think we would have been happy with anything other than the average spring temperatures of 6 Celsius/43 Farenheit! (Of course, the year we move, Belgium has the coldest spring in 44 years! Thanks Belgium!) Well thankfully, Barcelona did not disappoint! We basked in the warmth of the sun every afternoon we were in town.

We met up with our great friend, Reece, and the three of us booked an apartment at Bed and Beach Barcelona Guesthouse. The Guesthouse is about 15-minutes (by public transport) from the center of Barcelona; but as the name suggests, it's right on the beach. The owners were incredibly helpful, the apartment was clean and remodeled, and the price was super reasonable. It's a place we will absolutely book again!

Since we were literally staying right on the beach, the boys were hesitant to leave their sandy retreats for city sightseeing. I decided to leave them one afternoon and take a bus up to Park Guell. I am so happy that I made the trek! In my opinion, Park Guell is a must see when visiting Barcelona. The boys would disagree with me since they were content playing frisbee and sunbathing on the beach, but I spent a good three hours at the park and I could go back and do it all over again. 

Salzburg, Austria {Gondola Ride}

All the boys crammed into the Gondola in Salzburg, Austria. 

This post is a continuation of that one time I crashed "guy's weekend." 

{and . . . It may not be the last time because I had a blast}

After we broke the rules at Neuschwanstein Castle, our big group piled into the borrowed "mom-van" and headed for Salzburg. Now, that is one stunning city! Unfortunately, the weather wasn't exactly cooperating on our first morning in town, so Reece decided we should try to get above the clouds by visiting Untersberg, the highest mountain next to the city. 

About 15 minutes after leaving Salzburg, we pulled into the Untersberg gondola parking lot. The Alps loomed all around us, but heavy clouds interrupted our upward views. We paid 20 Euros per person, pushed ourselves onto a crowded gondola, and silently prayed that the angry clouds would disappear once we reached the summit. A dense white fog obstructed our view for most of the 10-minute gondola ride, but just as we summited, the sun appeared and the sky was the most magnificent shade of blue! Suddenly we felt a burst of energy and a lightness of spirit. It's amazing what a little sunshine can do for  you, eh?!

Neuschwanstein Castle

Be jealous - I spent three days with these handsome fellows. 

Chris and I booked a pair of spendy tickets to Munich, and met up with Reece on the other end.  The three of us have seen quite a lot of Europe together this past year: Krk, Croatia – Vienna, Austria  - Cologne, Germany – Weltenburg Monk Brewery, Germany – Various German beer festivals – and Venice, Italy, just to hit a few highlights. I typically book a suite or a room with a roll away bed for Reece, but this trip was an entirely new way of traveling for me! I threw my controlling tendencies to the wind and didn't plan a thing (and it was one of the best trips), and as you can tell from the picture above, rather than a travel group of three, we were a, won’t-all-fit-into-one-car, pack of six!

Five guys + one girl = I totally crashed guy’s weekend, and subsequently stayed in my first European hostel! Guy’s weekend was awesome. . . . the hostel . . . well, I guess it was everything I had expected. I had not expected very much. I will leave the details up to your imagination. 

Chris and Reece graduated from the University of Kentucky and three of their (awesome) classmates flew out to Europe for a week of city blitzing (seeing as many sights as possible in a very short period of time).  We effortlessly picked Stu, Kirk and Ben up at the Munich airport, piled into a borrowed “mom-van,” told the guys they could drink in the car (as long as they weren’t driving - sorry Reece), and set out to see the first sight on their blitz: Neuschwanstein Castle. 

Amsterdam in the Snow

Lucky for us, Chris and I did quite a lot of pre-trip planning before our wintry weekend in Amsterdam. Last year, I learned my lesson when my dreamy Prague trip turned into more of a frustrating nightmare (for lack of planning on my part). 

Feel free to read about that lesson learned, but now, onto our successful Amsterdam trip. 

After an easy drive from Belgium, we parked our car at the Sloterdijk Park and Ride, and took a five minute train ride into Amsterdam Central Station. Just a little trip-planning note: it is super expensive to park your car in Amsterdam (our hosts said you could expect to pay around 100 Euros a day), so the most economical option is to find one of the several Park and Ride locations on the perimeter of the city. We parked our car for a day and a half and received free train transfer into the city center all for a whopping 10 Euros!

Bruges in Autumn Hues.

Me and Jesse taking in the beauty of Autumn in Bruges. 

This is my amazing, encouraging, consistent and beautiful friend, Jesse! She came to Belgium! Jesse really came to see us in Belgium!! Yippie! 

Jesse and I met (almost) ten years ago in the small college town of Wilmore, KY. It was in that small, Kentucky town that five impressionable, freshman girls - from very different places and very different stories - found in each other a family away from home. To this day, they are still my best friends; as a group, we've gone through ups and down, great joy and deep sorrow, boyfriend interviews and wedding proposals, bachelorette parties and bridesmaid dresses, new careers and huge life changes. Each of them have impacted my story. Jesse is one of those girls, and she showed me that it is far better to invest in a few deep friendships rather than spread yourself thin trying to "know" everyone. She is one of the most loyal friends that I have, and for that reason, I figured Jesse wasn't paying me lip service when she mentioned she wanted to hop on over to Europe.

Baska Beach - Krk, Croatia

Sipping local Croatian wine near the port in Baska, Croatia. 

All I needed to hear was "great local wine," and my oversized (and unnecessarily overstuffed) suitcase was packed and ready for the Croatian coast. To be fair, I was excited for more than just wine, but sipping a chilled glass of Zlahtina by the beach seemed incredibly enticing. Serbia and Croatia are neighbors, and while the 7-hour drive to Krk, Croatia seemed easy enough, we had to wait for the weather to turn from spring to summer before planning a beach escape. It is good that we waited until early June because we soon discovered that most of Croatia's tourist spots don't even "open" until the beginning of June. 

The first two hours of the drive from Subotica, Serbia to the northern island of Krk, Croatia took us through winding back roads that were littered with slow moving farm equipment, surprise pot-holes, and oblivious, bike riding baba's and deda's. We rolled up to the Serbian-Croatian border and assumed we had missed a turn. The "border" leading into Croatia is nothing more than a small, rusty one-man shack, and we were the only car seeking passage. I wanted to take a picture, but then Chris reminded me that picture-taking at a border crossing could land me without a camera. I decided against a picture. We sat at the border for about ten minutes as the officers curiously thumbed through each of our passports. They asked all sorts of questions simply because an American is a rare site to see at that rural border crossing. They bid us farewell and a pleasant trip (srecan put), and we felt like we were finally on our way to the beach!

First glimpse of Baska beach in Krk, Croatia. 

We were lucky to find a great deal at The Atrium Residence Baska Hotel right in the center of all the action. The Atrium Hotel is one of the newest hotels on Baska so their listed rates are fairly high, but thanks to hotels.com, we were able to enjoy our beach vacation in style and still have a few dollars left to spend. Chris and I had never before heard of Baska, or the island of Krk for that matter, but apparently Baska is one of the most desirable beach destinations on the Adriatic seaboard. There are not many sandy beaches in Croatia but the small white pebble beaches mean that the aqua-green water is unimaginably clear. We quickly realized that most of the tourists are either Austrian or German; the location is not marketed to Americans so we hardly heard any American English. The picture above is the beach in front of our hotel and it was our first peek of the ocean. 

We met up with our friend Reece and the three of us spent a few days soaking up the rays, enjoying local cuisine, meeting new friends, hiking, and avoiding the FKK (free body movement) or "nude-only-beaches."

Enjoy some pictures from our trip!

No editing here! The water is so clear you can see straight through it! Amazing!

Complimentary shots of Rakija on our first night. 

Met an Austrian painter named "Picasso," he painted me this. . . er . . .  "picture."

Baska Beach Krk, Croatia at dusk. 

This is how the boys spent their afternoons on the beach. 

Great little place called Bistro Francesca on Baska. 

On our second evening, we had dinner at a little place called Bistro Francesca. The restaurant is a little bit off the main drag and away from the water, but the intimate courtyard is so quaint and romantic. We were dining with a party of five so we had a bit of a wait, but it just gave us more time to get to know our new friends. While I was waiting in the hotel breakfast line earlier that morning, I heard a girl speaking English with an American accent. I asked her where she was from and turns out, her and her husband live an hour or so away from where we are from in Kentucky! Instant friends! Tim and Shellie are just awesome! They live and work in the States, but they often satisfy their need to travel and see the world. I half expect to see them again while we're living in Europe! You two know you always have a place to stay wherever Chris and I happen to be!

Tim and Shellie at Bistro Francesca. 

Bisto Francesca is owned by a local family that lives above the restaurant in the summer. All of their ingredients are fresh and the owner proudly makes and serves his homemade brandy to each table. The setting is warm and cozy and we hardly realized that three hours lazily slipped by as we were enjoying each others company. Finally, we were the last table on the patio. The server and owner took one last shot of brandy with us before we bid them farewell and goodnight. 

There is something so romantic about boats in a harbor. 

Hiking in Baska on Krk, Croatia. 

There are 16 mapped hiking trails originating in Baska, and any tourist office or hotel reception can give you a map of the routes. We had heard tales of the FKK (or nudist beaches) on Baska, so we scouted out a route that would AVOID those areas. Unfortunately the route we decided to follow took us on the outskirts of a nudist beach and camping area. A flimsy barbed-wire fence was all that stood between hikers and aging nudists. We quickly learned that "nudists" are never the people you really want to see nude. It was not a pretty site and just slightly uncomfortable with my husband and another guy trailing behind me. Luckily, we found a few hidden coves, escaped the nudists and jumped from jagged rocks into the icy cold water below. We forgot about the nudists and discovered paradise by swimming through Croatia's crystal clear water.

Ohhh so in love!

Amazing fresh seafood plate!

Seafood feast!

Farewell Baska! We hope to visit again!

Croatia: Know Before You Go:

- Tourist season starts at the beginning of June, and the busy months are July and August. 

- Pack shoes for the rocky beaches. Those white pebbles are pretty but they hurt bare feet!

- It is illegal to drive while talking on a cell phone in Croatia. 

- The main tourist routes have updated roads, but that means hefty tolls. We paid about $100 in tolls on our ten day trip. From the Serbian border to Baska, we paid about $30. 

- Make sure you have a good GPS for travel in Croatia. We use Navigon Europe
 for the ipad. 

- If you rent a car with a GPS in Croatia, the country may be listed at Hrvatska or Republika Hrvatska (not Croatia).

- Some places only accept cash (Croatian Kuna). We found that big restaurants, hotels, stores and toll booths took credit cards, but excursions, guest houses, and cafes expect you to pay in the local currency. 

- About 70% of the wine from Croatia is white, but they are known for their reds as well. Usually the house wine is wonderful everywhere you go. Drink up!

- There are a lot of nude beaches in Croatia and they are usually marked as "FKK" or Naturist beach/camping site. Most of the other beaches are clothing optional, and that basically just means a few ladies will have their tops off. 

- Bring a lot of sunscreen because the sun is intense! 

- This goes without saying, but eat as much seafood as you can possibly manage! Most of it is fresh and everything we tried was amazing! A server told us that calamari is only fresh in the winter in Croatia, and in the summer they are flown in. 

Hvar on Dwellable

Trieste, Italy

After Venice, we stopped for one evening in the port city of Trieste, Italy. Since it was Easter Sunday, not too much was open so we really only got a brief view of the city. It is a very pretty part of Italy with a lot of history. It was super windy and cold on Easter Sunday, so that's why we look like we are freezing in most of these pictures!

Fratelli La Bufala Trieste, Italy

We stopped at Fratelli la bufala, the first restaurant we saw that was open on Easter Sunday. It was a cutely decorated Italian eatery that served a lot of dishes with . . . buffalo. Sort of random, but the food was awesome - and then again, maybe we were just starving!

Out of the pier in Trieste, Italy. Historically, Trieste was a very prosperous Mediterranean port, and under the Austro-Hungarian Empire, she became the fourth largest city after Vienna, Budapest and Prague. Today, the region encompassing Trieste is the wealthiest in all of Italy.

Cold and windy!

Main square in Trieste, Italy

In Trieste, we rode one of the only remaining European trolleys. 

A view of Trieste, Italy after a trolley ride up the steep mountain. 

Reece got some great shots of Trieste. Cannot wait to see them. 

I hope to get back to Trieste in the summer months. Since nothing was open on Easter, we did not really get to experience the vibe of the city. Apparently, some of the best Italian shopping is in Trieste. If nothing else, I can justify a trip back just for that!

Cao Italy!

Venice Doesn't Have to Break the Bank

Breathtaking and romantic canal scenes everywhere you look in Venice, Italy. 

"White swan of cities slumbering in thy nest . . . White phantom city, whose untrodden streets Are rivers, and whose pavements are the shifting Shadows of the palaces and strips of sky." --Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "Venice"

My best friend and her husband are planning a trip to Italy this summer, and I told her that they should plan Venice into their itinerary. I did extensive research before our trip, so I am going to write this blog as a way of wrapping up all of my prior research and personal experience of "one of Europe's most romantic cities." - New York Times Online

Venice, Italy - so often the setting of romantic and mysterious films; a city where famous writers, painters, and musicians flourished and found inspiration. She is a unique tapestry made up of 117 little islands connected by 409 bridges; where winding alleys suddenly dead end into the canal and every bridge is overrun with tourists fighting for that perfect picture. Once you step foot in Venice, you cannot help but try to capture every little detail in the lens of your own camera.

Every time we passed this canal, a new artist was capturing its beauty. 

What to expect in each Venetian season:


High season in Venice is spring and late summer, and Easter weekend is no exception as tourists flood the city to take in the holiday celebrations. Carnival takes place in late February or early March, and that is an exciting and busy season! We spent April 8th - 10th, 2012 in Venice, and the weather was absolutely perfect - neither cold nor hot! We packed jeans, comfy shoes, umbrellas (just in case), and light jackets. If you're planning a trip during high season, plan ahead to get a good deal on a hotel and perhaps pre-book your excursions and museum visits to avoid huge lines.


It is very hot in July and August, so if you plan on visiting then, pack accordingly. Of course there will still be a lot of tourism during these months, but not the same influx experienced during high season. The summer festival Festa Del Redentore occurs on the the third weekend in July so expect the city to be a little more booked on that weekend.


In late November through February the city occasionally floods (check out these pictures!), so pack your own waders if you plan on visiting during these months. I read that when the city floods, shop owners are notorious for selling waders and rain boots for upwards of 100 Euros to desperate tourists.

A gondola driver soaking up the afternoon rays - Venice 

Is this gondola-follow-the-leader-business romantic? 

To Gondola or Not to Gondola?

I have to say, there is something romantic and elitist about gliding down the waterways of Venice. If what they say is true, Venice may not exist in the future, and if it does indeed sink, how cool to be one of the people who actually paid the high price to enjoy the gondola experience. 

I love haggling, so I was certain that I could get a good rate on a gondola ride if I really wanted to - that is, until I started researching. I found that prices for gondola rides are standard and set officially. The city states that each 40-minute gondola ride must start at 80 Euros ($100ish), but of course each gondola operator can raise that base price as much as he likes. You can ride with up to six people and split the price evenly if you are a budget traveler with your heart set on a gondola ride.

Once we walked through the canal lined city and realized that none of the gondola operators actually sang and that all of the gondolas sort of just followed each other in a line, we decided it was not all that romantic. It seemed like more of a unique tourist trap that surely traps a lot of people. Another factor was that I was traveling with two guys, and that would just be more funny and awkward than romantic. 

Since gondolas are so very "Venice," I looked into a company that teaches you to be the gondola operator. Unfortunately Row Venice was completely booked on the weekend we visited, but it looks like an adventurous alternative to sitting in an expensive black boat for 40 minutes. 

If you want to get the Venice experience without the huge gondola price, consider taking a Traghetto across the Grand Canal for less than 3 Euros.

It's difficult not to snap a photo of every little canal!

Since there are 409 bridges in Venice, it is easy to get lost and turned around. A lot of the little streets dead end into water, but that is part of the charm of the city. We had an ipad and iphone with GPS capability, but we still got lost. Cruise ships daily dump thousands of tourists into the city and it is easy to spot them because they are frantically running around trying to see as much as possible in the allotted time. Spend a couple days in Venice so that getting lost seems more like an adventure than a point of stress. 

 Getting lost in Venice is part of Her charm. 

A great little hole-in-the-wall pizza place - Antico Forno. 

Eating in Venice

Food is very expensive in Venice, but if you plan and research, you don't have to break the bank on a $50 pizza for one. Of course the restaurant with the best view will cost you the most. Read every menu (especially the back page) before you sit down and commit your time and money. Avoid places where employees beg you to come in and enjoy "the only Italian food in Venice." If a place is really good, they won't have to employ someone to incentivize you to dine there. Most places in Venice do charge a 1-2 Euro service charge, and that's just hard to get around, but you can avoid such things as napkin charges, glassware charges, or double charge for sitting outside by thoroughly reading menus, asking lots of questions and researching. 

Note that it is normal to pay 6-12 Euros to sit outside and enjoy a cappuccino in St. Mark's Square. You will pay less if you take your coffee to go rather than SIT to enjoy it. If you want to watch the crazy tourists feeding flocks of dirty pigeons, then perhaps 12 Euros is worth it for an Italian coffee. Check out Trip Advisor reviews before choosing a fancy restaurant simply for the view. 

These tourists are probably paying a pretty penny to sit by the Grand Canal - Venice

Where we ate in Venice:

(We found great and reasonably places around the San Polo Quarter and Dorsoduro district.) 

Antico Forno (Sestiere San Polo, 970, 30125) - Go here for the best reviewed pizza on Trip Advisor. This was the first place we stopped for food, and as you can see from the pictures, it is nothing more than a hole-in-the-wall with standing room only. The pizza-maker-man described the pizzas and we each ordered a thick slice for less than 3 Euros. When we were about done with our slices, the pizza-maker-man offered us four free slices of fresh peperoni pizza he had just pulled out of the oven. Needless to say, we had a great first impression of Venice. Don't expect anything fancy, but do expect a great slice of pizza and a warm Venetian welcome. 

Chris and Reece ready for a slice of pizza at Antico Forno - Venice

Lebanese food at Frary's - Venice

Charming local Da Mamo restaurant - Venice

Da Mamo (Calle dei Stagner 5251, 30124) - A great local restaurant in a central location but hidden along a mysterious alley. This place is always hopping and you absolutely need a reservation (info@damamo.it) to get in as there are only 10-12 tables. The seafood pizza is well priced and it is huge. I ordered the seafood pasta and it was fairly small, but it tasted wonderful. The house wine (pictured above) is very nice and at 16 Euros a bottle you can justify buying a few bottles for dinner. We did not notice any surprise charges on our bill at Da Mamo. I would suggest this place if you're a money conscious traveler or just hate the idea of paying 50 -100 Euro per person for an Italian meal. 

You have to fight the crowd to get a good view of the Grand Canal from Rialto Bridge. 

Looks like Reece is kicking Chris out of the picture! 

One day we will put all of our jumping shots in a memory album - Venice. 

Chris and Reece at the awesome wine "bar" called Bacareto De Lele in Venice

One of the highlights of our Venice trip was stumbling upon this small, local wine bar called Bacareto De Lele (Campo Dei Tolentini, Santa Croce 183). Bacareto De Lela is a fabulous bar that is unassuming enough to be in an amazing location but still retain its local flair. I put this small bar on my "must try" list, but we sort of just stumbled upon it while exploring the winding streets of Venice. From the outside, it looks like a "dive-bar" and maybe it is Venice's version of one, but you cannot deny that this is a local gathering spot. We heard nothing but Italian being spoken, so for a moment I forget that I was in one of the most touristy cities in Italy. 

Walk into this small bar, order shadows (small glasses) of wine and enjoy sipping by the quiet canal outside. The best part is that the wine is poured out of ancient glass bottles that suggest the wine is made close by, and each small glass costs half a Euro! 

On my way inside to order round two, I was approached by a 70+ year old Italian man. He waved his hands at me, smiled and loudly said something in Italian. Of course I had no idea what he tried to tell me, but a young girl translated: "he asked how old you are." "Well, I am 28," I awkwardly answered. She translated his answer to me, "Ohhh, he thought you looked about 17, and he wants to buy you a drink." I just had to laugh and accept his kind gesture. I look young, and I used to hate it when people pointed it out; now I am sort of proud of the fact. He handed me my .50 cent glass of wine, we clinked glasses, I said thank you and returned to the boys with four small glasses rather than three. 

There is so much to love about Italy and I was so happy to find this little place. I will absolutely go back next time I visit Venice!

Italy is known for wine, so when you're in Venice, stick to local wines. You won't be disappointed!

Famous carnival masks can be found just about everywhere in Venice. 

Santa Maria Della Salute - Venice

You cannot miss the lovely domed cathedral Santa Maria Della Salute. It is free to enter, but beware of the beggar woman who tries to demand money for entrance. We saw several tourists, who did not see the "free entrance" sign, blindly pay whatever the old woman demanded.

It is as good as it looks!

Lido Island about 15 minutes south of Venice. 

On Saturday afternoon, we took a 15 minute Vaporetto ride to the Island of Lido. This place gets supper busy in the hot months of July and August, but while we were there we felt strangely isolated on an island so close to Venice. It is a lot more reasonable to book a hotel on Lido and take a Vaporetto back and forth to Venice. We chose to stay in the middle of Venice, but Lido would be a quieter and cheaper way to see the city.

The view of Venice from the Island of Lido

I tried the famous Venetian spritzer drink, and I hated it. 

Venice at night - it will mystify and mesmerize you!

A great wine bar called Un Mondo Di Vino - Venice

Easter Mass at St. Mark's - go to Mass to avoid the miserably long lines of tourists - Venice

I hope you enjoyed our pictures and suggestions! Venice is so unique that no other city can compare to Her beauty and mystery. If you get a chance, you really should make a trip to see Venice!