Earlier this year, I traveled to Venice, Florence, Rome, Barcelona, Granada, and Madrid. In this series of posts I will write about my experience in each of these cities and the shopping, culinary, and museums that I visited.

Venice
Our first stop was Venice, Italy on March 27, 2015. We stayed in wonderful Hotel Londra Palace; great service, comfortable rooms, and wonderful staff. The hotel includes breakfast with the stay and it had a very sufficient breakfast with smoked salmon, pastries, cereal, yogurt, fruit, and other breakfast food. They offered fresh squeezed blood orange juice and it was amazing! You could always order a coffee, cappuccino, café latte, and tea. Everything was of the highest quality.

The rooms had a more Venetian feel, not the modern sleek look, but more of staying in richly decorated chambers. The cleanliness in the rooms was spot on. Everything was cleaned in a timely fashion, no stains, nothing to make you feel that someone was in the room before you. When I visit Venice again Hotel Londra Palace will be my pick.

The hotel is located near Saint Mark’s Basilica, Doge Palace, and many other points of interest. It stands facing the canal, which is a very important point, because you get off your transport, and the hotel is right there, no major traveling over bridges (where you will need to lift all of your luggage, because you can get a fine if it slams into the Venetian bridges) or any other uncomfortable situations. Luxury shopping is in close proximity, but just beyond St. Mark’s square.

The Venetian Chanel was where my dreams of a classic Chanel flap came true. I came in looking for a Le Boy Chanel, but this was right before the increase, the only Boys they had was a Yellow medium, some models made from denim material, or a gorgeous python small Le Boy. Even though I was very tempted to get the gorgeous small Le Boy, it was to be my first Chanel bag and I did not want to settle for a smaller size. So I declined all the Boys, and asked to see the wallet on a chain (WOC), again they did not have any that interested me. All seasonal items and no Boy WOC. So I was very disappointed and disheartened at this point and I asked one last ditch effort question: Do you have any classic medium bag? I was in luck. My wonderful SA (I did not get her card and regret it to this day), asked me to come up to the second floor of the boutique. She brought out 1 classic medium, I did not like it and asked to see another. She brought another, but
it was dull caviar and again I rejected (it was to be my first Chanel bag and it had to be perfect). I asked to see a jumbo, and she even had one of those, but when I tried it on it looked huge on me and everyone with me shot it down. So I asked to see another m/l classic and she brought out a third one. It was perfect! Love at first sight. I was so excited that I grinned from ear to ear through the entire check out. Overall the boutique is small and not very well stocked, but it does have hidden gems if you get the right SA.

We visited all the sights, happened upon an antiques outdoor market, got lost in the streets of Venice, and had lots of pizza (we wanted other food, but luck was not with us). Many (more then half) of the restaurants in Venice are tourist traps. We got caught in a tourist trap by a very pushy host and the food was not good. The rule to choosing a place to eat in Italy is if you see only Italians and the host barley or not at all speaks English.

Gallerie dell’Accademia is definitely worth the visit. It has some of the most amazing works of art, also you must pay attention to the ceilings as the last one has a plaster, gold leaf and other precious materials. Work that portrays God (the father), Jesus (the son), and the Holy Ghost with the representing animals of the 4 main founders of Christianity on the 4 corners.

Doge’s Palace is a very nice visit. From the beautiful rooms, to the armory, to the prison cells crossing the canal.

We visited St. Mark’s Basilica, it was overcrowded with a line outside, and a line all through the church. In St. Mark’s you have to pay to see anything of any importance separately, it was not even a onetime fee, but a fee for everything of significance separately.

Basilica dei Frari is worth a visit, with many works by Titian (or Tiziano in Italian), and his tomb is here as well. Other works of art are displayed by Bellini, Donatello, Vivarini among others. The outside of the church is very very plan and there is a small fee to enter, but is completely worth the visit.

Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute is beautiful on the outside but fairly plan on the inside.

Rialto Bridge is always worth the visit with the surrounding area having reasonable shopping. It is worth the visit during the day and at night (not or but at both instances the pictures are wonderful, but it is always crowded).

In Venice be prepared to walk and walk a lot, there is no convenient transport as in other cities. Water taxis or buses can be used, but not for everything.

Small tip, stop by churches that you see on the way, they can have a masterpiece or two. Venice is worth the visit not only that it is a gorgeous sinking city, but the sheer beauty of the city and its bridges.

Ciao, till next post.

Italy and Spain: Chapter 2 Florence

Italy and Spain: Chapter 3 Rome

Italy and Spain: Chapter 4 Barcelona

Italy and Spain: Chapter 5 Madrid

Italy and Spain: Chapter 6 Granada