Sunday 30 October 2011

Venezia (Part 1)

We really didn't have any plans for the first day since we arrived in the evening and so we just wandered around aimlessly, peering through window shops and enjoying the cool night air. It was fun getting lost in the little Venetian alleyways.

1) Venice in the evenings
2) Though quiet in most parts, the main streets still bustle with activity
Like I mentioned in my previous post, Venice is beautiful, but at night, it's gorgeous! It's so quiet and if you walk along the canals, you can hear the soothing sounds of water gently lapping against the sides. However, some of the bigger streets still have plenty of vendors around trying to sell their merchandise to the last dwelling tourist.

3) Pasta in an assortment of colours and shapes
Very soon, we were hungry for our first authentic Italian meal. I know some of you guys like looking at food pics, so I made it a point to photograph our main meals. Oh by the way, we had tiramisĂș nearly every night, but they don't seem to photograph very well, so I'll only post those that looked decent.

4) Parma ham
5) Gnocchi in bolognese sauce
6) Raviolli
7) Quiet alleyways

The next day, we woke up bright and early to explore some islands. Our first stop was Murano, a series of islands famous for glass-making. To get there, we had to catch a vaporetto (waterbus). In Venice, there are no cars and the main mode of transport are boats via the waterways. So the cars, taxis and buses here are all in the form of boats. One evening, while we sat at the docks to chill after a day of walking, we saw many men looking smart in office attire returning home on a motorboat. Pretty cool, eyh?

8) Murano
So in Murano, we saw plenty of glassware. Some so detailed, they were truly works of art. It was unfortunate that we didn't get to see any glassblowers at work as most of the place was shut. I noticed that the Venetians take their lunchtime very seriously. They completely shut for a good hour or even two and as there's usually only one person manning the shop, they can't take shifts.

9) Glassworks
10) Lampworks
11) Murano canal
12) Gelato on a hot summer's day
13) Tiny masks on sale everywhere
Then, we caught a vaparetto to the next cluster of islands, Burano. These little islands are famous for their colourful houses. Each house is actually painted a different colour! Imagine how pretty the place is with such bright, happy colours everywhere.

Before I show you all the happy clappy houses, let me show you these quirky drinking fountains found everywhere in Venice.

14) Drinking fountains
These taps were a lifesaver. The water was so cooling and it's great just to wipe some on my neck to cool down. It was absolutely boiling the week we were in Italy!




15) Colourful houses in Burano
16) Bridges that link the little islands together
17) The boyfriend and I
18) Duff Beer


How random is it that we saw Duff beer being sold in shops?

19) Bought this little souvenir in Murano
20) My Diana Mini accompanied me on this trip
21) Burano's leaning tower in the background
22) Sunset

As the sun was setting, we caught the last vaporetto back to the main Venice islands. We had a beautiful view of the sun setting, though it was hard to capture on camera. When we arrived, the sky was already dark and again, we just wandered around to take in the night view.

23) Bridge of Sighs (under repair works)
It's a very short bridge linking the Doge's Palace to the adjacent prisons. Apparently, it was so named because prisoners often sighed on this bridge as they had their last glimpses of both the sky and the sea.

24) Eerily quiet
Dinner was a very satisfying meal. The seafood was so sweet and fresh! Yummeh! I'm missing my frutti di mare already.

25) Pasta con il Nero di Seppia (Spaghetti in squid ink)
26) Spaghetti frutti di mare (seafood)

Most photos were taken by my boyfriend as I was busy with my Diana Mini, so credit goes to him

28 comments:

  1. Great shots! Looks like you had a lot of fun... Venezia is such a beautiful place! x

    http://rosalindatj.blogspot.com

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  2. omgggg amazing photos!!! venice looks so beautiful. and omg the food! the food!!! i love squid ink pasta but it's not ever sold in the US, prob freaks out ppl lol 

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  3. The duff beer! :)) Hahaha. Didn't know it really existed.

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  4. ure having such a great time travelling! gorgeous pics!!!!

    check out this giveaway on my blog... some fabulous calf leather shoes as prize! Petit Heels Giveawayxoxo jenna

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  5. yumm, the food looks so scrumptious! and how amazing are those coloured houses? love all the bubblegum colours, they go well after the masks you just posted! xD
    also, you and your boyfriend = cute :)

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  6. *droool* the parma ham brings back memories, did you have it with honeydew melon? I would def recommend it, so amazing!!

    The city looks so romantic!! I love Italy! I love the food, you just can't find anywhere that does spaghetti like Italy in London, it doesn't taste the same!! I envy you with your gelato!! The masks are so pretty and unique, they too give off a romantic feel.

    Lol the street with the colourful buildings reminded me of "balamory"?! I'm so immature...

    You look like you had great fun, thanks for sharing a your lovely memories with us! xX

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  7. I'd love to go there. Your pictures will satisfy me for now, though. Everything looks great, from the food to the architecture. 

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  8. omg you are absolutely making my mouth water!! the colors of the buildings are so fun and colorful -- just love that! and the river transportation just looks sooo romantic! you and ur bf look so cute together! and he's so tall! 

    btw, I totally fainted when I saw the red lipstick you bought. I was hoping to see pics of you wearing them though! Oh, and if you are ever really desperate to have a lipstick 'match' ur skintone, you can always use a more yellow or pink makeup base and/or foundation more suitable for the lipstick ^^

    your trip looks absolutely awesome~!

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  9. (Heh, more comments/spamming/spazzing from me. ^^)
    Lovely pictures. The Venezia night is breathtakingly beautiful as the waters start to calm after a day's excitement. :] Ooh, squid ink? That sounds...interesting...lol. How was it?

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  10. Amazing, love those shots on the water!


    Shasie of Live
    Life in Style

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  11. Ah, all that pasta looks amazing and is making me hungry Joey! I am also so jealous of your travels! Everything looks wonderful and I adore that colorful pasta.

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  12. So many places, so little time.

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  13. aaah, all those food photos make me so hungry! Lovely photos! :D btw; you and your bf are a cute couple ^^! Pasta con il Nero di Seppia looks a kinda weird haha!

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  14. Wow, your pictures are beautiful and the food looks oh so good, I don't know about the squid ink though. Italy is definitely a next destination for me. Thanks for sharing you lovely trip.

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  15. Omg, so many interesting pictures I don't know which one to start with! Venice looks so pretty, I've only been to fake-Venice at Las Vegas lol. The colourful house are just awesome, how cool would it be to live in a house, in my favourite colour?! :D

    Did you get to try the Duff beer? Curious to know how it's different haha. And your souvenir is adorable!!

    Oh, and the ink sauce spaghetti reminds me on jajangmyun noodles lol. Is there a taste to the ink sauce? O.o looks messy to eat

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  16. lol at the duff beer xD did you get on a boat? it looks so pretty ='D !! 

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  17. stunning pictures and the food looks scrumptious (:

    CMPang x
    http://maisecrets.blogspot.com/

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  18. oh my goodness what a beautiful beautiful place ! :D i feel the romance already just by looking at the photos. it is very historic and im envious of how you strolled round their streets :) www.lovingsunshine.com following you now! would love to read up more on your adventures.

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  19. Beautiful photos. I love Venice too! It really is worth the trip and I only have great memories of the place...

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  20. wah I don't know where to start on this comment. the pictures are breathtaking!!!  yummy food and cute souvenir. your bf definitely did a great job with the pictures.

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  21. Wow the little fish is so cute! 

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  22. Tell the bf that he took some gorgeous photos.... you guys did a great job of capturing the spirit of Venice!

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  23. OMG! amazing photos! love the souvenir you bought (^^) Gold fishy!!! and the two kitties are so adorable!!!

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  24. Such a charming place. Ooh... I must go Italy one day and explore all the lovely cities there. I tot Duff beer is fictitious beer from Simpsons! And and... I tot that the focus for photo 21 were the cats. They are so beautiful for strays. I can imagine the quirky sight of people in business suits riding on motor boats. I would love to see them myself!

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  25. I love these photos.

    I love everything except for the spaghetti in squid ink. That looks really gross.

    xx{ish.},
    Mae Lu @ thereafterish.!

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  26. These pictures are super duper gorgeous!!!  Wish I wasn't tied down to UNI, I would definitely love to take a vacation to Venice!

    http://houseofblackcrows.blogspot.com/

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  27. It's six in the morning and it just made me crave for some pasta! Oh boy!!

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  28. parma ham..my fav. yum yum. how does the squid ink pasta taste like? i was just searching about duff beer the other night. apparently they're mostly sold in south america and europe. can't find them in US. mr. adventure would so want to get them if he sees them. lol.

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