The Finale, Venice.

It's time to wrap up my ultra inspiring vacation recap. Our last stop on our Italian vacation was for 2 nights in Venice. It took a 12 hour train ride, instead of 5 to get there from Cinque Terre because the train union was on strike. We were stranded in Cinque Terre for 4 hours, but there are worse places to be stuck. This was our view from the train platform.

Here are some snap shots of Venice from the water taxi ride to our hotel:

The marble in St. Marks was unbelievable. It looked like woven fabric. The gold mosaic ceiling was beyond impressive. I wish I could be there when these structures were being built.
We had to take a break from the crowds, so we crossed the grand canal and visited the church, San Giorgio Maggiore, with a bell tower view of the main island.

We saw a hedge maze being planted.

And that concludes our trip. We were so grateful to be able to go and spend this time together, being captivated by the beauty of Italy. Italy will hold a magical place in our marriage. I would recommend saving your pennies to go, travel anywhere. If you have questions about our trip please don't hesitate to email me. If you have recommendations, please don't hold out on me either! I hope you enjoyed the recap.
Ciao!

La Mala.

In Vernazza, Cinque Terre, we stayed in a 4 room hotel called La Mala. Let it roll off your tongue, La Mahhhh Laaaaahhh!

Whenever I will need to think of "a happy place" I will put myself back here.

It was very simple in design. All white walls, ceilings, sheer linen treatments, marble bathroom with a large shower. The big feature was the location and the view. We stayed in room 31, slept with the windows open and inhaled the fresh mountain air. I know we were over the sea, but somehow it smelled like the North Carolina mountains more than salt.





Our morning cappuccinos came with art, which was a delightful way to start the day:

Here's a view of the hotel from the water- just like we were floating in the air.