Super Short Update, Venice to Rome!

Hello! I'm stuck in another train from Rome to Florence. This train is less than 2 hours long, therefore this post will definitely be shorter than the previous one I wrote, enroute to Rome.

There is only one word for Venice - romantic! The canals, the piazzas, the arts... I can't exactly pinpoint what exactly it is, but it is breathtakingly beautiful. Everyone travels either by walking or by boats; water taxis, water buses, gondolas, speedboats etc.

A gondola ride is not cheap. But if you've already spent a bomb flying to Italy, you might as well spend a bomb on a gondola ride too. Gondoliers have to be licensed and prices start at €80 for half hour - a round trip from the Grand Canal through a smaller canal and then back. We decided to 'upgrade' our ride to a package that went through smaller, quieter canals... And it was incredibly romantic. It was so quiet, the only sound you could hear was the gondola oars passing through the water. *sigh* Oh, and our gondolier sang too!

Other than that, Venice is interesting to explore as well. Hubby is a great navigator hence we threw the map away and simply walked around. There was always an interesting shop or two on each street turn we made. Our feet ached like mad every night, but we found so many great souvenirs along the way that made it all worth it. We also made a special morning trip to the Rialto market plus we had our first Italian gelato and aglio olio too!

Rome on the other hand, is all about the rich history. We took a guided walking tour to the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. It was certainly worth every penny! Our guide was very enthusiastic and had a wealth of knowledge about the Roman Empire. Using visuals from books and even her iPad, she helped us visualize how the original structures used to look like. Frankly, without her, the ruins would be, well... to put it mildly, just a pile of rocks!

The Trevi Fountain was extremely impressive to my eyes. I've seen the Trevi Fountain in the Lizzie McGuire movie - but I never expected the fountain to be that ginormous! As soon as I saw it, I was speechless in awe. The view at night was especially stunning and simply magnificent.

That's all for now. Can't wait to explore Florence. Looking forward to some shopping at The Mall too. Outlet shopping for Prada, Dior, Ferragamo and Bottega... It's like a shopaholic's dream come true! Wish me luck with the shopping!

Till next time, Ciao!

With love from Rome,
XOXO