Floating above Venice

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March 2016 : Friday Mar 2016 : Friday

See More Photos of: 30 Days 2016, Italy, Rome, Venice

Italy Recap

Okay, so then we left Qatar and flew to Italy. It was a fun flight for the family because they used points to upgrade to business class. I sat back in Economy (which I certainly don’t mind), but they had a ball up there! The flight attendant, at least, felt sorry for me and said she would bring back some of the “good” wine. Well, that was pretty exciting but then she never brought me any at all, which made it even worse, somehow.

Anyway, we got to Rome and the kids were able to see the last stage of the trip. It was actually kind of cool, introducing the kids to four huge religions. We started with Buddhism in Thailand, then Hinduism in India, then Islam in Oman and Qatar, then finally Christianity in Italy!

We actually started the tour in Vatican City and Saint Peter’s Basilica. I guess technically that’s a different country! But it was incredible…

In Rome, we stayed in the Boscolo Exedra, a place I mega-recommend. It’s centrally located and the whole family was very comfortable and happy there. The kids were getting QUITE spoiled by this point… week #4 in a row of lavish breakfast buffets!

After Rome, we took a train to Venice for a final few days of fun. We went to another Boscolo hotel there the Boscolo Venezia, Autograph Collection, which was also fabulous. You can see it in the below as well.

Well, WHAT a 30-day family trip. I hardly know how to express how grateful I was to spend so much time adventuring around with the family. I think it was a little Extreme for everyone, but I’m just getting them warmed up for next year! 🙂

italy Video Recap

And here’s all the videos from Italy!

Italy Photos Recap

One day we leased a few Fiat 500s to roam around the Roman countryside.

And here’s one of those country roads we drove down. This is not too far from the Appian Way, the very first road ever!

Inside the Vatican…

Here’s the kids with one foot in two different countries, Vatican City and Italy.

Scarlett drinks from an ancient aqueduct-fed fountain. Here’s a little secret: If you plug up the bottom, there is often a little extra hole where the water spurts out the top to make it easier to drink!

And finally we got to Venice where of course we took a gondola ride. Scarlett simply HAD to be in the front.

And we had a visit to the Doge’s palace to see this enormous painting by Tintoretto.

And there is our Boscolo Hotel there on the left. It was in a wonderful, quiet area of the city where mostly just locals live. It was great to be away from the touristy area for long, quiet, peaceful nights.

Daily Photo – Floating above Venice

I’ll tell you something embarrassing about this photo! But once I tell you, you’ll definitely be able to see it. Having said that, it’s a happy accident because I really like this photo! Anyway, this was a new quadcopter that I got after the other one crashed in India. So, I realized after I took this shot that I forgot to take off that little clear sticker that goes over the camera… yeah, you can see it now, can’t ya? But still, a cool effect it had! 🙂