Venice... the city of canals, bridges, and romance. For me, it is one of the most fascinating cities in the world. It is so neat that the whole city is built on water. I try to imagine what it is like for those who grow up here... not ever seeing cars or dirt unless they venture outside the city!
When we finally found our hotel, we were so excited to see that we had a canal view!
After quickly freshening up, we headed out to explore the city. Nate and I once stayed at The Venetian hotel in Vegas, which we thought at the time was a nice imitation of Venice, but the real thing is a million times better!
The ever-famous gondolas:
I fell in love with just about every little canal I saw!
The Grand Canal
Another view of the Grand Canal with the Rialto Bridge
Nate on the Rialto
After a tasty Italian dinner, we went to St. Mark's Square to listen to classical music and watch the tourists look silly while they dance.
Okay, okay... we decided to join in the fun and dance too!
Our hotel breakfast was nothing to write home about, but the canal view was beautiful and the coffee was as good as Starbucks!
Another view from our room. We could see St. Mark's bell tower!
The canal alongside our hotel (the dark red building) was very popular for gondola rides. There are seven in this picture! It was so peaceful to hear them go by when we were in our room and sometime they would sing beautifully!
St. Mark's Bell Tower & Basilica
The inside of the Basilica was absolutely beautiful. The decorations on the ceiling and all around us were made from the tiniest mosaics I'd ever seen. The 12 disciples at Pentecost are depicted here in the dome. 
When most people think of St. Mark's square, they think of pigeons. We weren't planning on feeding them, but it looked like a lot of fun, so we thought, why not? You're probably thinking... gross... but don't worry, we washed our hands immediately! The second Nate got out some crackers, the birds came flying in.
Nate, getting attacked! When the pigeons started flapping their wings, they were hitting him in the face.. it was hilarious!
The pigeons were so nice to me at first...
But then they tried to attack me too! It was too late though... I didn't have anymore food, so they figured it out, but it took them awhile. I don't think they're the brightest animal.
The rest of the day, Nate and I continued to wander around Venice and danced in the square at night again. It was so relaxing not to have to rush around and see the sights. Just sitting and dangling our feet over a canal was a good "sight" for us. Here are two more pretty and peaceful canals...
Farewell Venice... next and last destination: the coast of Cinque Terre... coming very soon!
Our hotel had a little terrace with stunning views. We came here to relax every chance we could!
After having a good seafood dinner, we sat on the beach to watch the sunset. This might possibly be the best sunset we've ever seen. It was really this beautiful... I didn't edit it at all!
The next morning, we woke up to great weather for our Cinque Terre hike. Nate just loves to fit in hikes on any vacation we take :)
But before hiking, I got to sit on the terrace for a little bit...
The never-ending stairs at the beginning of the hike...
But just about instant gratification with this view of Vernazza:
Looking back... you can see how far we've come
We can see the next town!
The water was really beautiful... but a little too cold to swim in!
Once we reached the next town, it was the last of the 5 towns, so we took a boat to the other end to hike back from there. The boat ride was so much fun because we could see the towns from a different angle.
Hiking along more dramatic cliffs... these hikes weren't near as difficult as the first one
This is the last village we saw before going back to ours. Absolutely beautiful...
Now, THIS is a vacation: 
Vernazza at night
Our last sunset in Italy... we hope you enjoyed sharing in our Italy experience!
