From Niagara Falls to Venice, Italy

While we do love Niagara Falls, we also like to vacation in other parts of the world. We will be doing a small series of our escapades, near and far.

First we’d like to start with Jennifer’s capers in Europe.

Years ago in High School, I met a girl from Germany. We hit it off, and have remained great friends ever since. Every so often, we will exchange visits, and December was my turn. We met in Munich, and then flew directly into Venice for 3 days. In the off season, there are some great deals on flights and hotels!

We stayed at the Hotel Aquavita, http://en.acquavita.it/ which is a 400 year old building, turned into a boutique hotel. When we compared this building to some of the others that we saw, it actually seemed relatively new.

Like every good tourist, we took a ride on the Gondola. No matter how cliche, it really is a must do. In the month of December 2013, the price was 80.00 Euro for the trip. Keep in mind, that price is divided between the number of people taking the ride. There is a rigorous test that the Gondoliers have to go through to achieve that position, so the ones that actually do really enjoy their job!

If you are interested in the history of the main Venetian mode of transportation, the gondola, there is a wonderful workshop, and it’s one of the few left in the city. http://www.reidsitaly.com/destinations/veneto/venice/sights/squero_san_trovaso.html It’s easily accessable, and they offer tours.

San Marco Square is also a must-see, and it’s true what they say about the pigeons. Everything they say about the pigeons.

And watch out for the man that wants to give you corn to feed the pigeons… out of the kindness of his heart… because really, he just wants your money. And he won’t take the corn back. and he wants to charge you much more than the corn is worth. But, I digress.

On a more serious note, we also visited the Jewish Ghetto, which is like turning the pages of history. http://www.ghetto.it/ghetto/en/index.asp In fact, they still have the barbed wire on the walls. This was a quiet respite from the touristy areas of Venice, and a nice place to reflect and think. It’s hard to imagine how people were actually imprisoned here in a corner of this spectacular city.

But we must not forget.

Now, this wouldn’t be a 2chicks2go blog post without the food. So here is the obligatory meal. Behold and feast with your eyes. This spread was found in the Jewish quarter, and it was delectable. This included humus, roasted carrots, felafel, egg salad, eggplant, and more. It was a wonderful sampler of a unique cuisine.

And here are some more photos of the trip. Enjoy!

These photos and other photos of our blog are available at the following address: http://sherrie-robins.fineartamerica.com/

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