Things to Do - Cherish This Day & Random Links

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!! The pics above are our from our impromptu family photo shoot in Venice. One of Venice's tiny back streets had the most beautiful light ever (really, ever), so warm and even. Even though everyone was sweating like crazy, I talked the kids and Dan into stopping for some portraits and everyone but T acquiesced.

Seriously, isn't the light so so pretty? I wish I could take photos there all the time. Does anyone want a photo shoot in Venice? Anyone? Anyone?

Have a great weekend and don't forget to check out this week's amazing over at Cherish This Day.

RANDOM LINKS:

* The magic of winning a National Geographic Photo Contest. I LOVE THIS STORY, as well as the idea that one photograph could unite and bond a group of strangers.

* DIY leaf catchall. This looks like an awesome project with kids. Especially if you paint them.

* Hobo dinners - we should try to make some next time we camp.

* DIY instant noodle cups, sounds like a perfect lunch.

* Viva las vegas, such cool photos.

* "The world in a zip code" - this is where we live!

* I want to go to Dismaland. As in, really really want to go!

Places to Go (Vacation) - VENICE (Day 5) - Dragging Our Kids Through Europe, Part IV

As I mentioned on Friday, we rode an overnight train from Paris to Venice. Up until this point, we'd had incredible luck in terms of weather, Paris remained in the mid-80s for our entire visit - not too hot, not too cold. So Venice's heat hit us pretty hard (high 90s); by 10 in the morning we were caked in sweat.

Luckily, the city's small streets provided plenty of shade, thus while we visited some of the larger tourist attractions (i.e. St. Mark's square), we spent most of the day (purposefully) losing ourselves in twisted back lanes full of empty squares with gorgeous old water fountains. Despite our overall exhaustion, the magic of Venice really carried the day, as nobody can stay cranky for long in a city that looks as if it is floating in front of your eyes.



Our first pizza in Italy. Italian restaurants rarely let customers order tap water for the table, rather you have to pay for bottled, which drove Dan crazy. T fell asleep at the restaurant right after I snapped this photo. Traveling is exhausting.




P spent hours (literally hours) trying to decide which mask magnet to buy her best friend. I thought they all looked the same (cheap and made in China), but she disagreed. So we stopped in souvenir shop after souvenir shop.







In the afternoon, we checked into our apartment (another wonderful airbnb rental, click here to see the listing), which had children's toys and air conditioning, as well as a much-needed washing machine. Unfortunately, we still had to walk back to the train station to retrieve our bags and even though Venice looks small, there aren't many bridges, so this took longer than anticipated. For the return trip, we rode the vaporetto/public bus system and then wondered why we hadn't utilized it earlier.



Clean laundry = awesomeness.






Due to the heat, we promised the kids a gondola ride in the evening, figuring we'd enjoy it more then. But after seeing the boats glide through canals all day, we were over them by the time night began to fall, so we opted instead for dinner outside and a sunset walk next to the water.

HAPPY MONDAY EVERYONE!! If you have a chance, don't forget to check out our new post on This Untamed Life!