71 Bridges Later...

In our 2-night stay in Venice, Italy we managed to cross over 71 bridges! Yes, we counted. This city was beautiful, and there are literally canals everywhere you look.  Since there were canals everywhere connecting the 118 islands, there are bridges everywhere as well.  It is said that the city of Venice has the most bridges in the world. It was pretty amazing. Another little fact is there are zero vehicles on the roads of Venice due to all the canals.  All the transportation is done via boats.  They have water taxis, large public transportation boats, shipping boats, gondolas, and even the postal service!

You can see how many little (and big) canals run through the island(s). 

Now, let's see...we got in fairly late to Venice, so we decided to get a good night's rest and wake up early to explore the city.  We woke up and had breakfast at our hotel on one of the larger canals. It was neat watching all of the different types of boats pass by and enjoying our breakfast.  We then started our walk along the bridges to get to the  Teatro la Fenice (Opera House).  We were able to get free audio guides during our time in the theatre to learn a little more about the histroy.  The main stage area was my favorite as it was impressive to see all of the box seats.  We even sat in the royalty section for a while. 

One side of the theatre's box seats.  

The view from the royal section. 

We traveled to Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square) to see the area and then visit St. Mark's Basilica.  It was amazing how much flooding was everywhere.  The entrance of the basilica was flooded, so they had to put risers up so we could walk over the water.  The risers were actually spread out around the city in areas that tend to flood more often.  Jeff and I were sad to see so much water inside the church entrance, as we know it will eventually ruin the marble floors.  After visiting inside (no pictures), we came out and the street where we stood in line was completely under water now (ankle deep).  People had their shoes off, and were cooling off in the water.  Not sure where it was coming from, as we were not near a canal at that point.  

If you look closely, you can see the flooding.  We were standing in this area 30 minutes before the whole area was under water. 

Before we found a spot for lunch, we visited Doge's Palace.  We were unsure about our visit, as they were a little pricey...but we were glad we did as the palace was great.  Jeff and I enjoyed seeing a Palace outside of the UK.  It has a different feel, and obviously different history.  It was a lot larger than expected, and the rooms were massive.  We were even allowed to travel down into the prisons which was really interesting to see.  

 On the palace grounds

There were two large old globes inside the palace. 

 The picture doesn't do the size of this room justice.  This large room was beautiful. 

In the prison cell

We went off to enjoy our first (of many) pizzas in Italy.  There are pretty large in size, and we both ate them all! We traveled over a few more bridges to get to the Basilica of Santa Maria. We traveled around the seaside to enjoy the lovely weather.  We grabbed some yummy gelato, and  enjoyed the city.  Jeff and I watched part of the sunset, and went on our gondola ride.

Basilica of Santa Maria

 

Canal leading to the sea at sunset. Pretty amazing!

Jeff's great photography skills in action. 

Our ride was 30 minutes long, and we traveled out on some of the larger canals, as well as the small intimate ones as well.  Our gondola guide didn't sing, although he was very knowledgeable about the city.  We also learned that you have to have a license and take a course to become a guide.  He had done the job for 30 years, but admitted he no longer lived in the city because housing has become too expensive.  It was interesting to hear those types of things about the city, rather than just the tourist type things. We grabbed dinner, and headed back to the hotel.  We had to take a couple trains to get to our next destination....Sorry you'll have to wait for the next post to find out where! 

 On the ride!

 Not the best picture, but we were struggling with the flash and wanted to get a picture of our gondola "driver"

One of my favorite things we did in Italy, and so glad I checked it off my bucket list!

Onto the next adventure...   

The Queen Invited Us Over!

Since Paris we had just been hanging around Nottingham.  I had to do some coursework for my Ball State courses, so Mom and Dad went and explored the city alone.  They stopped by the castle again and then walked around the city centre.  By the time they got back, I was finished with my assignments and we got ready for dinner at our favorite restaurant, Brown's. They have great drinks and food, and we found out that they have amazing desserts as well. We each got something different, and I don't think anyone's choice was a bad one.

Say cheese! Aw come on...even the waiter is.

Saturday morning we woke up and drove down to London.  We started our day riding the underground to get to Oxford Street and Regent Street, two popular streets with lots of shopping.  We popped in a few shops and headed to lunch afterwards.  We walked towards Buckingham Palace where we had scheduled a tour.  Before that we walked in St. James's Park and Hyde Park (The Central Park of London). 

St. James's Park

Hyde Park 

Yet again...Hyde Park 

 The Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk

We made it back in time for our no-pictures-allowed tour at Buckingham Palace.  The inside was amazing, and each room is still a functioning room. I especially liked the room filled with all of the childhood toys and memorabilia. The toys not only belonged to Prince Harry and William, but even the Queen when she was younger.  Very impressive toys...even a little camper made for children.  And then we had afternoon tea with the Queen and Princess Kate.  That's when Princess Kate personally told us the news about the 2nd royal baby on the way.  Okay, I joke...but not about the next royal baby! 

Buckingham Palace. 

The only proof that we went inside...the backside of the palace. 

After our hour-long tour, we headed towards the Parliament building where the Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) is located and Westminster Abbey is across the street. Once again, we didn't make it in time to visit inside Westminster, but we were able to get a few photographs.  Hopefully one day we will make it there on time! Next we headed towards the River Thames, saw the London Eye, and walked alongside the river.  

Beautifully decorated pub and Westminster Abbey

 Some more shots in front of the Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) and Parliament 

We grabbed some dinner at Pizza Express and took a load off of our feet.  Our last destination was the Tower Bridge, which is one of my favorite spots in London.  After enjoying out time riverside, we hopped on the underground to head back to our car. 

I think every one of my London posts has this tower in it. Guess you could say I like it?  ha!

We got home around 11:00 PM, and the last few days together were pretty low-key.  As you can tell by my posts, we were on the go a lot, so I planned for our last few days together to be pretty quiet.  Sunday, my mom and I went shopping around Nottingham.  We bought some things for our wardrobes as well as for friends and family at home.  On Monday, we headed to Derby to visit Jeff.  We walked around Derby, stopped in some antique shops, the mall, etc. then Jeff picked us up.  Jeff and my dad played squash  for a few hours while my mom and I had some 1-1 time.  Jeff plays squash with a few local friends a couple times a week, so he was happy to be able to play with my dad as well! 

Later that night we took my parents out for Mexican food, BarBurrito! Our favorite Mexican food over here is similar to Chipotle or Qdoba.  Not many options for that type of cuisine, but great food nonetheless. And better yet, FREE REFILLS! If I haven't mentioned before, when you order soda/pop/coke (whatever you may call it) you pay by the glass and do not get free refills like you do in the states.

Their last full day here we walked around Nottingham one last time, even took them to some areas I've never been in the city before.  That night I made chicken tikka masala for them.  I think they liked it as they had never eaten it before.  Indian food in Indianapolis is pretty scarce, so you can imagine living in a smaller city than Indy...there are zero options. 

Overall, we had a great visit with my parents and according to my mom's Fitbit we walked approximately 90 miles during their 2-week visit. I wish they were able to stay longer or come visit more often.  I woke up on Thursday to a very quiet house with no one to drink coffee with, so they were definitely missed right away. Mom & Dad, thank you so much for coming. We treasured every minute you were here.  We cannot wait to see you again soon! 

Onto the next adventure...

Rain or Shine...Paris in 36 Hours

Tuesday morning, my mom, dad, and I (Jeff stayed home and worked) grabbed some lunch and hopped on a train to London.  We got to London and then jumped on the Eurostar and traveled to Paris.  We were able to go in the Chunnel (a tunnel going under the Channel) to get to Paris within 3 hours.  It was a really enjoyable ride and went very quickly.  We got into Paris, walked to our hotel, and got ready to go hit the town.

We went on a fairly lengthy walk to see the Eiffel Tower at night.  We stopped and ate a great dinner where we tried the local pints, wines, and crepes.  We got to the Eiffel Tower, and I really enjoyed seeing my parents reaction to how large and beautiful the tower is, especially at night.  We were able to get a few photos, watch the light show that happens every hour for a few hours, and then walk back to the hotel.  We had a late night, and didn't get back until around 1:00. We were tired, sore, and ready for bed.

Despite our lack of sleep, we got up early to head straight to the Louve.  Although the weather was not cooperating at all.  After being completely soaked, we hopped on the packed metro to ride to the Louve. Funny story, because the metro was so packed, I got on and the doors closed...my parents didn't make it on with me.  Luckily, we communicated our next stop well, and they just met me there on the next available metro.  We finally made it to the Louve, hopped in line for a few minutes and explored the museum.  We were able to see the majority of the museum, and even places I had not been when Jeff and I went there in May.  I think we all enjoyed the museum, and I was amazed at how much more packed it was in August than in May.  We went and grabbed a quiet lunch and then headed to the Love Lock Bridge in hopes to find Jeff and I's lock.  You may or may not have heard, but in June part of the Love Lock Bridge broke and fell into the river.  They took extreme caution as they boarded the majority of the bridge up.  Needless to say, we did not find Jeff and I's lock.  After the bridge, we headed to the Eiffel Tower.  We stood in line for quite a while, but it was nice to just stand in line and talk. The three of us traveled to the top level and back down again.

 All the buildings surrounding the pyramid are part of the museum. It is huge!

 Mom & Dad

Some of my favorite pieces from the Louve.  

 

Pretty sad to see all the beautiful locks covered up. 

 Hold on tight...we're up on the highest level of the Eiffel Tower!

Beautiful city! 

After a few more pictures with the Eiffel Tower in the background, we walked to the Arc de Triomphe, which my dad taught me that it was the final location of the Tour de France.  That made the arch much more memorable than the first time we saw it.  The arch was at the top of the street of some great (and expensive) shopping. My mom and I went into a few stores to look around, dream about buying something, and then leave.  Not very eventful, right? We stopped by a bakery to grab a few chocolate macaroons, and to bring a few home to Jeff.  We slowly finished our day by finding an even fancier shopping street.  You know the guards at the doors, guarding the five items they have on display to sell.  On our walk towards our hotel we found a spot for dinner.  We found a fantastic place and definitely enjoyed one another's company.  We sat for a long time talking about our day's adventures.  We made it back to the hotel to rest up for another day of traveling...back to England.

Great shot of the Eiffel Tower in the background. One of the best spots to take a picture with it. 

We were able to see a lot in our short amount of time in Paris, although there are some things we didn't have time for. I'm glad my parents were able to experience a city that did not speak our same language.  They did a great job adjusting to that and the culture.  We got back at a reasonable time on Thursday, and were able to eat dinner with Jeff to tell him all our stories.

Onto the next adventure...

Living the Royal Lifestyle

After our great visits to both Glasgow and Stirling we headed off to Edinburgh.  Not a new place for Jeff as he had visited here for work before.  I was super excited to check another Scottish city off my "To Visit" list.  Not sure if I mentioned this in a previous post, but my parents planned their trip partially around the fact that Jeff had Monday off for a bank holiday over here.  They were able to spend some more quality time with him, and we were able to get a bigger trip out of the weekend since we had 3 full days! Which meant...2 full days in Edinburgh.

We got in Edinburgh late and enjoyed the Fringe Festival that was going on during our couple days in Edinburgh.  It was just by luck that this huge comedy and street performer festival was going on the same time we were there.  We were wondering why it was so hard to find a reasonable hotel in the city centre. We were able to see quite a few performers and give them a few pounds.  Jeff and I have a rule that if you watch a street performer for more than a minute, you should give them money because they provided you with some sort of entertainment and they deserve to be paid.  So needless to say, we coughed up a few more pounds than we normally do because we were enjoying the acts so much.

 Comedy and street performers

We grabbed a quick dinner in the place with the least amount of wait time due to the large crowds.  We attempted to walk near the Edinburgh Castle to see it close up at night, but we were unable to due to a performance happening nearby.  We made it back to the hotel (well, actually we rented a small apartment) and rested before we had yet another long day of touristic attractions!

Since Jeff had visited Edinburgh before, he had already visited the castle, so he didn't feel the need to visit it again.  My mom, dad, and I walked to the castle and spent about three and a half hours exploring and enjoying the castle grounds. We really enjoyed the different rooms, reading facts about the castle, and spending time with one another.  I think my dad could have spent a whole day in the castle as he was loving all of the history.  Who knew he was such a history buff? I think one of our favorite things, or at least one of my favorite things was the view from the castle.  We were able to see the coast, islands, and of course the town of Edinburgh.

 Edinburgh Castle

 I really liked this part of the castle. Very sweet!

 The castle offered a lot of different exhibits and had some interesting rooms. The second picture had a variety of weapons hanging on the walls.  

 This was one of my favorite sections of the castle: Prisoners of War 

 Some snapshots of the view!

 

 The rations of food prisoners received. Note the Americans were thought of as pirates and did not receive as much food as the others. 

After the POW area, we went to jail...

We met up with Jeff after our castle visit, and grabbed a bite to eat at a local pub.  We all explored the menu, and then headed down the Royal Mile to the Holyrood Palace.  I think when we all think of castles, we think of what a palace looks like. Gold, finest finishings, and beautiful portraits on the wall.  I think "HollyWOOD" helped us believe that.  It was nice for my parents to see the difference that castles here were really used for war and safety whereas palaces are the fancy decorated places where royalty lives. Least that is my take on it.  Anyways, we were unable to take pictures inside the palace, but each room was decorated beautifully.  We each had a free audio guide, so we were able to learn more about the uses of each of the rooms where the Queen of Scotland lived.

At No. 1 pub. 

 The palace up close.  Look for the picture from King Arthur's Seat where you can see the bird's eye view. 

 A photo in front!

 The courtyard inside the palace.

An former cathedral stood here attached to the palace. 

Outside the palace grounds, you can see King Arthur's Seat (hillside in the background)

Afterwards we walked around the city, grabbed a milkshake, and headed back to take naps...well the boys took naps.  We grabbed dinner together, and then Jeff and I went out exploring solo.  We walked around the city, snapped some photos of the buildings lit up at night, and stopped in a whiskey bar called...Whiski Bar to have a pint and Jeff had a glass of whiskey.  There was a local band playing, and they were pretty good.

Edinburgh at night

The next morning we woke up with our walking shoes on and heading up King Arthur's Seat to see the beautiful views of Edinburgh.  Dad, Jeff, and I trailed up the hillside to get to a smaller peak. My mom sat this one out as she had hurt her knee in a minor walking accident.  No worries...she was just sore. Walking up the hillside only took about an hour or so.  We didn't make it the the largest peak as I didn't have the right shoes on. Hmmm...yet another pattern here. Fashion over comfort. 

 You can see how much of a drop it was!

 The Holyrood Palace

 We made it!

 Great shot of my dad

 The walk down is always harder than the walk up...

Jeff's "Living on the edge" 

We had a great walk up to the top, and headed back down to get on the motorway to head home.  Normally the drive would be about 5 hours, but we hit a lot of construction and it took about 6.5 hours.  We were all ready to get out of the car, but definitely enjoyed the views of the coast.  We even stopped to snap a few pictures.  My parents were amazed at the fact that nothing was built along the coast as it was all farming fields and undeveloped land.  It was just a shock, as in the states you can't find a spot on the beach where there aren't restaurants, shopping, or rows of housing.  All in all, a great first weekend traveling.  We accomplished so much in a short amount of time.

Onto the next adventure...