Pictures of Venice (for my mum!)

I took a blogging break late last year while I travelled with my daughter to Europe. We spent a few days and nights in Venice, Italy, which was fantastic.

My parents are heading to Venice next month, from where they'll be cruising around the Greek Isles and a few other European ports. So, for mum, here are lots more pictures from our days in Venice last year plus a few notes! And for everyone else, a warning, LOTS of pictures ;)

 Sienna and I bought some special masks here, and had a lovely time and conversation with the shop assistant there. It's called La Bauta, they have three stores. The one nearest the Rialto and San Marco is the one we went to, it is at Sotoportego de le Acque, near a bridge and around the corner under a dark walkway.

 The view of the mask store, looking back. You turn right at the end and there is a bridge to cross the little canal there. All part of our wandering near our hotel in the Castello sestieri.

 Mood swings can happen at any time, even in the most beautiful places ;)

Twilight view of the Grand Canal from the Ponte dell Accademia with Santa Maria della Salute visible in the distance.

Once Sienna had bought her Venetian gumboots, she was determined to wade through water at every opportunity! While the Acqua Alta was record breaking the morning we arrived, it was not as bad for the next few days, which she found deeply disappointing ;)

 Sienna loved the pigeons. She much preferred stopping to feed them than actually walking / exploring.

A store window on the Rialto Bridge, one of the higher quality places, I bought a small book here as a gift for a friend. I also bought a silver-leaf feather pen, but that was from a slightly cheaper shop nearby!

 A lovely jewellery store in Campo Manin, a small square not far from Piazza San Marco. I  bought a few gifts here.

 San Marco Basilica

This restaurant was my favourite food discovery during our entire trip, but we only had a chance to go one time, as we tried it the day before we left. The tables full of gondoliers on their lunch break were my first clue ;) Antico Calice on Calle degli Stagneri 5228 (not far from the Rialto bridge).

 I had this gorgeous spaghetti with mixed seafood - clams, mussels, prawns.

Sienna took these shots from the Vaporetto on the trip back to Ferrovia station stop from our hotel near the Rialto stop.

Our view sitting on the steps of station Santa Maria Lucia on our last day, waiting until it was time to catch the train to Firenze.