Tammy and I are celebrating our 21st Anniversary today in Italy. Our marriage is now old enough to drink! 🍻 With the help of the kids we recreated one of the photos from our wedding reception 21 years ago! What an amazing adventure that I’m so lucky to have such a wonderful partner in! 🥰
We have arrived in Florence! 🇮🇹
Doorbell or Robot Face? 🤖 In Campo Drio la Chiesa in Venice.
Bulldog waiting patiently for its person to return in Campo Sant’Anzolo in Venice.
Switzerland & Italy Log - Day 13
Weather: Warm and sunny, cool evening
- Underwhelming breakfast at combo hotel
- Walk to Lagoon Excursion: Murano Glass, Burano and Wine
- Took boat to Burano with Christiano, Aubrey, and Ozzie on the special local route
- Admire Burano lace and watch one of the last 7 remaining lacemakers at work
- Rainbow of colorful houses
- Enjoy a ton of unique Venetian cookies: chocolate chip, coconut, apricot, and Nutella
- Sample tomato, basil, and cream cheese chicchetti as a pre-wine appetizer
- Walk around Vinezza vineyard and learn about the struggles of the high ground and low ground grapes
- Sample Venuza and Veniza wines
- Boat to neighboring Murano island
- Glass blowing and sculpting demonstration
- Explore the many various glass shops/factories in Murano
- Boat back to Venice and say goodbye to Christiano
- Walk to a pizza/ panini hole in the wall spot recommended by Christiano
- Meander back to hotel and stop at Time bakery for some Doja bread and cream puffs
- Pit stop at hotel: Jamie stays behind to update YNAB while Tammy, Mazie, and Tyler venture out to explore hundreds of secret alleys in the city
- Tyler buys Real Madrid jersey at soccer shop
- Meet up at Birraria La Corte for dinner
- Delicious bread, pizza, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, tiramisu, biscuit and marscapone cream basket, and panna cotta
- Walk back to Hotel
- Chill
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Gondoliers awaiting their tourists.
Sweet delights in shop window in Venice.
The colorful houses of Burano, Italy were amazing to see this morning.
We visited Venissa to see the beautiful vineyard and taste the unique native wine of Venice. I decided to bring a bottle of this special wine home.
Stop at Art Café to rest, get shade, and have a cappuccino in Murano.
Switzerland & Italy Log - Day 12
Weather: Cool and cloudy in morning. Warm and sunny in afternoon. Overall nice day.
- Underwhelming breakfast at Combo hotel.
- Walk to Venice in a Day experience start.
- Walking tour of many of Venice sights.
- Gondola ride through canals.
- Started raining, duck into Ristorante Chianti just outside of Saint Marco Plazq for a delicious lunch. Tammy orders a bottle of Moscato d’Asti to go with lunch
- Meet back with our group to see the Church of Saint Marco.
- Detailed tour of Doge Palace and introduction to the Venetian government system pre-Napoleon.
- explore to find gelato. Took a bit and found “a really cute place” that Mazie found.
- Walk back to Combo hotel.
- Tammy and Jamie both fall asleep.
- Wake up just in time to walk to Pastry Tour.
- Fast walk to train station to meet Maria, Pastry Tour guide. Jamie’s injured left leg hurt a lot.
- Explore 5 different places.
- Get 3 meatballs at restaurant recommended by Maria.
- Walk back to hotel.
- 😴
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Family photo on the Grand Canal of Venice at sunset.
Switzerland & Italy Log - Day 11
Weather: Started warm in the morning. Thunderstorms in Milan in afternoon. Warm in Venice.
- Great breakfast at iQ Hotel. Impressive spread.
- Check out of hotel.
- M3 train to Duomo
- Explore Galleria Vitoria Emanuele
- Get coffee at ???
- Take full tour of Duomo. Incredible! Rooftop views are impressive.
- Tammy and Tyler run to get take home gift for his friends. Jamie and Mazie take pictures in Duomo plaza while thunderstorm approaches.
- Duck into Metro just as storm arrives and take M3 back to Central FS.
- Train 9735 from Milan to Venice
- Arrived in Venice
- Take water bus 4.2 to hotel
- Checkin at Combo
- Poor choice and decide to have a fairly simple and non-Italian dinner at the hotel
- Walk around Venice for an hour and see the city. Amazing golden hour photo opportunities.
- Return to Combo hotel.
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We have arrived in Venice! 🤩
We went back to Mad Machines and completed the Time Machine room. This room is ranked 39th in the world and had incredible effects and awesome puzzles as well. Incredible job to the designers at Mad Machines!
We also escaped the Birth Machine room! Full list of escape rooms.
Switzerland & Italy Log - Day 10
Weather: Hot and hot
- Amazing breakfast at iQ Motel
- Catch express train 8803 from Milan to Modena for Ferrari Day!
- Walk out of train station wrong way because of cute train mural on walls
- Walk to Enzo Ferrari Museam
- Briefly explore the smaller side of museam
- Shuttle to Maranello
- See the museam- Jamie shed some tears at the F1 racing display
- Photo shoot in yellow Ferrari
- Lunch at Museam Cafe (much better than the equivalent in the US and cheaper)
- Panaramic factory tour- short naps for all
- Shuttle back to Modena
- Racing simulation for Mazie and Tyler
- See larger section of the Rnzo Ferrari museam
- Macarons, coffee, and chocolate crumble at museam cafe
- Walk back to train station and wait for delayed train
- Train back to Milan- seating troubles
- Train 40 mins late, so have to take a White Taxi to Mad Machines
- Taxi driver hauls it like we’re on the Amazing Race, but we are still 5 mins late
- Time Machine: another amazing escape room with so many rooms and creative challenges
- Tram to Pizzeria Fabrico
- Delicious pizza, pasta, and tiramisu
- Metro back to hotel
- 😴
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Tyler and I were having fun watching the max speed of our train back to Milan. Hit 245 km/h or 152 miles/h. Felt fast! 🚄
The Museo Ferrari Maranello exhibit for the various Formula 1 winners over the years was an incredible experience. Standing amongst such legendary winners was amazing.
