Michelle and Shannon take on Venice {My 6th time going, but 1st time without any children}

On Tuesday of Michelle's 8 day visit, I made sure to put the little kids in the hourly care at the post day care from 8:00am-4:00pm...this care in addition to Bubba and Pooks being in school (and on the school bus) from 7:15-3:30pm allowed us a kid-free day in Venice. This was a first for me and let me tell you, it was loooong overdue. Obviously I love my children but anyone with children can attest that going somewhere with them takes 4 times longer to do even the most basic tasks. So being able to hop in the van, drive straight to Venice, park and then explore was amazing. No baby carrier, no stroller, no whining, no 5 million potty breaks. Once on the Rialto bridge, I actually got to go into stores. Jewelry stores, glass stores, souvenir shops....I could do it all because I didn't have to worry about 8 little hands touching/breaking. It was amazing! I could stop at take photos, we could stop and get gelato, we could eat at Hard Rock Cafe and not worry about how long it would take. I was able to enjoy an adult beverage...totally new experiences in Venice this time!

We started out near the train station (as we park the van where you would park if you were boarding a cruise ship) and walked to St. Mark's Square. We took our time, we weaved down little side streets. We took photos, we stopped for a cappuccino and a brioche.

This was the first time I had ever approached the Rialto from this side, I liked the view with the gondala's right in front.

 We arrived at St. Mark's square just about lunchtime....

 Because we had eaten Italian food all weekend, because we were kid-free, we decided to eat lunch at Hard Rock Cafe and enjoy a drink as well as some good ol' 'American' food. I use the quotes since Michelle had nachos.

Bonus: we got to keep our souvenir glasses...I'm not really into collecting Hard Rock memorabilia but it is neat to have a glass that reads ''Venice''. 

It really is a truly wonderful city. I was kind of ''over'' it for awhile but going without any children was a new experience. I don't mean to bash my kids, they are very well behaved children and I love them to pieces but not worrying that someone was too close to the water, not having to make sure everyone was holding someone's hand through the crowds. Not worrying about who was closest to the edge on the Vaparetto...it was much more a relaxing day.

We made it home just in time to pick up the kids. Tuesday evening the boys had t-ball practice so we had a relaxing evening at home.