Venice, Italy

Another day in Venice!

This is the view outside our bedroom window. Jay was awoken to our neighbor singing in Italian.

Croissant delivery...

just kidding! 

Jay ran out for espresso and croissants while I got the girls up and ready for the day. 

We're staying in Airbnbs most of our trip. Aside from an agriturismo, which has much larger rooms to rent, an Airbnb is our next best option. Hotel rooms in Europe are typically very small and we'd need to rent two rooms for our family of six. 

When renting an Airbnb, we have access to a kitchen, living room and almost always a washing machine. We each packed a week's worth of clothes for a three week long trip. 

As you can imagine, we have laundry piling up. We've been able to wash our clothes in Italy but have to hang them to dry. I feel very domesticated!

Yesterday, after breakfast, we set out for our second day in the city. 

We stopped for lunch and I finally tried a spritz. It seems to be the popular drink here in Venice.

We made plans to meet a tour guide to take us into Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale) and Saint Mark's Basilica. She also planned a scavenger hunt! It was adults versus kids and the kids were victorious. 

This is our tour guide, Sarah, leading the girls into a room in the Palace. 

The largest oil painting on canvas in the world!

Sarah was an amazing guide! She was born and raised here in Venice and has a PhD in Art History. At one point Mallory asked her how she knew SO much.

We don't typically use tour guides while traveling but we're so happy we did. Had we gone without Sarah, we most likely would have breezed right through. We also would have missed out on the many ancient Venetian stories and tidbits she shared with us!

After our daily siesta, we went out for dinner and gelato. 

It was an early bedtime for us...the heat is tiring!

Sarah told us that yesterday was the hottest day of the year so far and it looks like the next two days won't be much cooler!

Today we are going to explore the city some more!