When Brad and I first starting considered honeymoon trips, a front-runner was a week in Italy. As we looked at that, we realized that we could see so many other places on the same trip and it just kept getting bigger and bigger. So, Italy was a big portion of our trip that I had been looking forward to. Today was an exciting day because we would finally arrive there! Of our 18 day tour, a week of that time would be spent in this country and I couldn't wait.
Before we crossed into Italy, we stopped for a "comfort stop" in Lugano. This is a beautiful resort city in Switzerland. We strolled around and stretched our legs.
 |
| Self portrait! |
 |
| Then one of our fellow tourmates passed by and took a proper picture for us! |
We were hungry so we stopped inside Burger King for a snack. Lugano is close enough to Italy that their primary language is Italian and we soon found that meant little to no English. Ordering our food proved to be quite a challenge. And it was PRICEY!! We spent 8 Euros on a large drink and fries!
We got back in the bus and made our way across the border and into Italy. After a quick lunch stop, we headed to Verona. This is the famous home of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and the location of Juliet's Balcony. Sounds super romantic, doesn't it? Well, not so fast. We soon found out that the house has no connection to Juliet and the balcony was added in the 1930's and CALLED Juliet's Balcony... so, it is simply a tourist attraction. Despite this, it is a very popular stop.
 |
| The balcony... |
One of the amazing things here was all the graffiti. The walls and doors leading into the courtyard for the balcony are COVERED. In the spirit of the love of Romeo and Juliet, people have written love messages and their names everywhere.
I admit... if I had a Sharpie with me, I might have added an "A+B". :o)
With our remaining free time, we strolled around this beautiful town.
 |
| City center. |
 |
| People pay thousands to have this kind of floor in their homes. Here it is just the common walkway. It was beautiful! |
We had been told that The Arena was worth seeing but it was quite a walk and we were short on time. Brad can move MUCH faster than me. So, I stayed in the town square and enjoyed some gelato.
We loaded back on the bus and headed to our hotel for the next two nights which was located just outside of Venice! After getting settled, we headed out for an night in Venice. We boarded a boat to the island of Venice and the beauty of the city at sunset unfolded in front of us.
We walked around the city and explored with our group. It is a very interesting city... built on top of wood piles. I never knew that!! In fact, it is slowly sinking! Everything must be brought in by boat and then either hand carried to its destination or put on a Gondola and delivered via a canal. Since motorized vehicles aren't permitted, the streets are narrow and packed with people. Venice is made up of a complicated web of tiny streets and alley ways.
 |
| Gondoliers taking a break. |
 | |
| St. Mark's Basilica |
Our group went into the restaurant that would host our dinner. I have no ideas how we got there and probably couldn't ever get back there! Later that night I asked Bogi how she walked right to it without a map. She told me that maps on Venice are useless... she just learned the way. :o)
After dinner we boarded our boat back to mainland Italy. Venice at night was just a beautiful...
For now, it was off to bed. We would return the next morning for a FULL day in Venice!
No comments:
Post a Comment