We made it to Venice after a very long train ride on Friday. The train broke down near the French/Italian border for 3 – 4 hours, but it actually ended up being pretty nice as we were right at the base of the Alps and had a chance to journey into the town to grab some breakfast. So after our 17 hour train ride, we arrived in Venice and hopped on a water bus for the hotel. Little did we know that the stop we wanted was closed, so we ended up going 1/2 a mile further then we wanted and had to carry our very heavy backpacks through some very narrow streets.
When we finally arrived at the Locanda Sturion (our hotel) it was nice to find that reserving a room overlooking the grand canal meant that you were in a pretty large Suite! Definitely the nicest place we’ve stayed at yet! After settling in Jenny & Aaron came over (who you might recognize as I shot their wedding in Olympia/Tacoma, Washington last year and their wedding is featured on the website), and after catching up a little we went out to a very nice restaurant that was recommended to me before we went on a very short gondola ride and then scouted out a place to see the fireworks! I will post some pictures of the fireworks soon, but needless to say they were pretty amazing! We grabbed a few bottles of wine/champagne and sat overlooking the bay/canal where they lasted for about 45 minutes!
Originally Jenny & Aaron were only supposed to stay that one night, but thankfully they decided to stay and the next day we all went to Murano and Burano (two of the islands near Venice) which is known for their glass work, intricate lace, and amazing scenery! Below are some pictures Burano where you will find some very colorful buildings! After a long day of sightseeing we said a tearful goodbye to Jenny and Aaron. 
The next day was all Venice: museums, a church, a palace, a prison, many gondolas, and many pictures! Although, through it all I still wanted a little more, so this morning I woke up at 5:20 to catch the sunrise and got some amazing pictures of Venice in the morning without all of the tourists (the last two photos)! It was very peaceful and completely different than you will see during the day. I highly recommend that anyone who visits Venice to take at least one morning and enjoy the sunrise over the Canals!
Now we’re off to Rome, the last city on our trip! Can’t wait!
