After a (too) leisurely lunch in Florence on Thursday, where we ate tableside affogato made with liquid nitrogen, we rushed to Firenze Santa Maria Novella for our train to Venice – made it!

Venice is beautiful, and although we’re rained out of our boat tour, we enjoy exploring the narrow alleyways and canals. When we settle into the Airbnb, we realize Vivi had unpacked some of the kids clothes back home! So we set out to buy some essentials, which helps us discover the city. The kids love seeing all the gondolas, water taxis, and working boats – we even see a trash boat! The architecture is something else; it’s incredible that they built this city on water in the 800s. We can’t imagine growing up here; despite the vast ocean opening up from the city’s edge, it feels claustrophobic. The kids did great climbing up and down the wet marble step bridges, resisting the temptation to walk into the blue-green canals, and chasing pigeons in Piazza San Marco.

It was a lovely vacation week, filled with great food and lots of activities! We’re grateful to have the extra hands and support with the kids while touring around. What an incredible experience for the kids, exploring Italy with their grandparents.

Guille’s favorite part of Venice: riding the water taxi
Vivi’s favorite part of Venice: riding the boats with Grammy & Abuelo