Venezia

So we discovered a possible reason why our flight from Rome to Venice was so incredibly cheap...being an early morning flight, the local transit wouldn't get us there in time for the flight so we had to fork over the money and pay for a car to the airport. It was still cheaper to fly with extra cost than it was to take the train, and of course it's only a 50 minute flight, so it def added time in Venice for us.
When we arrived in Venice we were able to get right on the taxi which is actually a water boat and landed in at St. Mark's square before 10 in the morning. It did take an hour though to get from the airport to the square.
It is just so cool to land in the airport and take off on a boat. It's hard to comprehend that there are no cars and walking or taking the boat is the navigation choice.
We had heard alot about how Venice stinks, but perhaps because we were there in the winter when it is cooler, we didn't find it smelled at all.
So we're on a roll with Italian hotels...apparently our hotel didn't have hot water, so they moved all the guests to another hotel of similar caliber and it was beautiful!
The only downside was our canal side room was set back in and we couldn't actually see the water...anyway after our usual form of travel rooms, we have no complaints for the huge beautiful spacious hotels! :)
We had the most fantastic time getting lost in Venice, stopping for espressos and taking it all in.

I now understand why all the reviews on Gondola rides are so mixed. We did the Venice thing and went for our "romantic" Gondola ride...it is the one thing that didn't surpass my imaginations...although it was fantastic, I would not consider this to be romantic...first off unless you pay huge amounts of money for a private one, you will be pretty much guaranteed to have others in your boat...which is actually fine when you understand this is not really a romance event. The Gondoliers are all talking shouting to one another through the canals, checking their email etc...so it's really neat to explore and see the city sitting from a Gondola, but not as heavy on the romance side of it. All in all it was awesome, and I'd def say completely worth it!
It rained pretty heavy our second day there which was pretty cool in that we could experience the elevated side walks...the St. Mark's church was all flooded as was the square back up into the maze of streets...but out come the elevated side walks and by late afternoon all as back to normal.
Since our train didn't leave until noon, we thought a couple of hours would be lots of time to get over to the train station....normally this would work...this time there were high tides and a strike on the boats!! WE did manage to get on the last running boat, but there was def a few stress moments in there...worse case scenario we could have paid the money for a water taxi as there was no way we felt confident to navigate through the streets on a short time frame to get to the train.
As a side note the train station ends at the Grand Canal, so either way flying in or taking the train is very cool. Certainly the train gives you that "wow" feeling when you walk through the doors and the water is coming up the "steps". Venice...certainly the coolest city ever!!!
We had a fantastic train ride through Italy back to nice and after some late night Gelato and great sleep, we're looking forward to exploring a medieval town, the small country of Monaco and then us girls are off shopping while the boys chill at a football game here!

Roma

So French is def easier than Italian...although since it is close to Spanish, we at least understand some.
Rome is quite unattractive coming in on the train from the airport and a bit of a shock to the senses after the beauty of the Mediterranean, but it isnt very long until one can see the attraction to Rome!
Our hotel was nice, but a blip on the radar...apparently they overbooked the rooms, so sent us to another hotel where we were upgraded and treated like royalty. It was in the residential political area, so safe and actually much nicer area than our original booking.
Went to Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps and finished with a traditional home made pasta night...YUM!!!

Our only full day in Rome started at the Colloseum. Amazing it is still standing as it is 1930 years old!!! Is far more amazing than any picture can depict. The Romans are def the great builders of the world.
A jaunt over to the Vatican city where we discovered the Basilica and went through the Museums. Although it is all gaudy and tacky looking, one cant help appreciate the incredible artistic talent and effort it took to create it all. We are still blown away by the architecture of it all. Canada is such a new country we are literally unable to comprehend how much history we are walking through over here.
The whole town is an archaeological site!
Andrew has been drinking 4-5 espressos a day here...so we are def on a high! haha
We are enjoying wandering around eating gelato and then espresso while getting lost in all the winding streets of Rome...looking forward to Romantic Venice in the am!

Nice - South of France

There is nothing like seeing great friends standing on a train platform in a beautiful city to welcome you!
It stills feel surreal to realize we are here and actually visiting some of the worlds greatest people...Scott and Shawna of course!
Their adorable french apartment is romantic and lovely. What a view they have and we are seriously convinced they are living the dream life over here. After showing us around Nice we had steamed milk, cappucinos and brie cheese and honey on open sandwich...delish!
Fromage is incredibly cheap here and we are loving it!
Sunday was an early day and off to Marseille to visit our friend Lydia. What a breath of fresh air...after wandering around Marseille we stopped off at Cannes on the way home and were again blown away by the beauty of the Mediterranean...the sun came out and the green sea made us feel like we perhaps found home for the first time. haha

Since it was V-day...we had a romantic dinner at Scott and Shawnas where we dined on cheese, salad, bread and fresh raviolli purchased in old town by the niceoise expert!
Late night visiting, laughing and enjoying the moments...off to Rome...

Paris

We arrived in Paris after bingeing on Starbucks to stay awake in order to get our internal clocks onto Paris time.
After 5 hours of a small child kicking me in the back, and an upclose and personal look at my buried temper, I realized some sleep was in order and nothing like a quaint hotel in an artsy village of Montmartre to forget all the annoyances of coach travelling!
Montmartre is not for everyone, but we have to say it was right up our alley. Built on the hill in Paris, it was fantastic. We checked in and went for a walk on the cobblestone streets and had a feast of Crepes! Welcome to Paris!
It is so amazing to look around and be in awe of every building!
We had a great sleep in our "large" hotel room. Everything is small and condensed here, so we felt lucky to have some room to walk around our bed and we actually had our own bathroom!
So cool to look out our balcony and see the lights of Paris! Fantastic.
Started our first day in Paris with a visit out to the Versaille Palace where Louis the 14 lived. Completely over the top and incredibly beautiful.
Next was a stop off at the famed Eiffel Tower and yes it is worth it and yes it is cooler than you think! It was incredibly cold and snowy, so we could only go to the first level unfortunately, so an excuse to come back!
We finished out the evening with the viewing of the Arc de Triomphe and some high class shopping on Champs de Elysses where Mcdonalds is not MCDonalds but McCafe!

Day 2 found us at the Sacre Coeur up where we stayed in Montmartre and as we got to the top of the steps, a man was playing our wedding song on a harp...couldnàt get more romantic if Andrew planned it himself!
Next we were off to the Notre Dame Cathedrale...we of course do not have the vocabulary to describe it all, and we are just blown away by the architechture of Europe...it is truly far more stunning than we ever imagined. Pictures just do not do justice to it all.
As a side note, this is by far one of the most stress free vacations we have had, with transit being so easy to use and completely efficient.
Since our train to Nice was not leaving until late, we spent the rest of the day wandering through latin quarter, exploring districts, eating croissants, drinking espresso in cafes, hitting the shopping districts and ending the evening at the Louvre. Since we are not the most cultured folk around, we have to admit we were far more impressed with the actual building itself than the art it contained...all the same a fantastic evening spent before we headed off to the train!

Vive La France!

I have to start with a huge Thank you to Scott and Shawna for moving to France in order that our little mini trip could take place 20 years ahead of plan! There is nothing like the possibility of visiting good friends to expediate a getaway.
So tomorrow is the big departure date and we have been patiently waiting for it since the fall through planning and dozens of emails to Shawna. It seemed so far away and now it is right here!
Cheese, croissants, chocolate, crepes...old castles, ruins, shopping...So pumped to explore an ancient world new to us!
Our plan is to start with a couple of days in the city of lights, head to seaside of Nice to hang with Scott & Shawna for 2 days, off to italy for 5 and then back to Nice for the weekend. So as you can well imagine it is not nearly long enough, but we are always of the mindset to take whatever days we can and enjoy every moment we have while we're there!
With so much to see, we're seriously pumped about not just enjoying it together, but getting to expereince it for a short time through the eyes of our now "local" friends!

Vive La France!