April 5, 2019
To be in Venice and ride a gondola while an old Italian man in a striped shirt serenaded me with Italian folk songs was always on my travel bucket list. But my trip to Venice was even better than I ever imagined. I was fascinated by how the canals are the super highways of this small historic city, and most buildings on the island have entrances that lead right out into the water. The stone walkways twisted in winding paths and you would think you’re close to a bridge only to find a dead end with an immediate drop to the water in front of you.
The gondola ride was the highlight of my time in Venice, as I suspected. The actual boat was black and gold laquered with red velvet seats. We ended up taking the last boat of the night at 10 pm, so the canals and streets were empty and quiet. And as we glided through the dimly lit waterways, our gondola driver actually started singing to us in Italian! It was a surreal moment to be in Italy and feel like I was fulfilling my longest standing bucket list item.
The second highlight was probably grabbing late night snacks and wine at a hip local spot called Hosteria Vite Rossa. When we arrived, there groups for young Italians chatting in the streets while holding glasses of wine. We had so many scrumptious tapas style morsels (Stuffed mushrooms, crab cakes, pork stuffed Italian peppers, etc) and a glass each of full bodied red wine all for 4 euros! I couldn’t have asked for a better way to close out our trip to Venice.
Adventuring Gracefully 