In the summer of 2015, La Familia Wharton (Rob, Kate, Aiden (10), Ethan (8), and Declan (6) set out on a crazy 49 Night Tour of Europe…starting in Venice.

The family who favors the  “no plan – plan” ….had a plan and it was EPIC….9 countries………via plane (1), trains (13), ferries (4), and one hire car through Ireland and the UK.

All train travel had to be pre-booked so we could ensure our seats together.  We bought inter rail passes, and synced our hotel stays with our train schedule. Damn! We had never been so organized.

We opted for Starwood properties (SPG Hotels), and spent 47 nights in their various properties racking up gazillions of points.

I kept a journal and a Facebook Page….this will be the first time I’ve put it all together. Hope you enjoy the trip.

Venice

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Sitting on an Italian train from Milan to Venice. The Train is comfy, and the espresso  strong….

An hour from Venice. Scenery has moved from vineyards with mountain backdrops to flat fields of green. Pounding back another espresso. So good. The dude serving drinks looks like Super Mario.

Venice is magic. Walking out of St. Lucia Station is like stepping into a time warp.

Chuck all preconceived notions of Venice out the door.

This amazing city is an open air museum of splendor. 

The “City of Bridges” continues to blow my mind. I just can’t get my head around this magical city built on water. It’s absolutely littered with exquisite Renaissance architecture and layers of history.

The streets are bustling (jammed really) with massive amounts of tourists eking their way through the narrow alleys and tiny bridges. Everyone frantically trying to imprint Venice in their memories.

One turn leads to either a glass, lace or paper shop. Another turn finds you among  bistros, pizzerias, gellaterias, and beautiful Italian leather vendors.

I could loose myself in these alleys and spend a small fortune.

Murano and Burano

We hired a beautiful water taxi yesterday.

Note: Water taxis come in two varieties:

Standard – modern boats which are made of fiberglass or resin.

Premium – traditional wood made boats (teak or mahogany) with luxury finishings.

O.K…..three  – if you count the gondolas. However, best local tip: Stay out of the gondolas. They are low-lying to dirty and sometimes rough water. Most don’t have any shade and Venice is HOT in the summer. If you’re keen to do it. Wait till night-time.

We splashed out for the day, and had our guy take us on a detailed tour. Worth every dollar.

Had a lovely seafood lunch in Burano.

Burano is famous for lace. A sweet little Island spot with brightly painted homes.

The Island of Burano is famous for glass blowing. Also charming but I preferred Murano.

Tired from our full and very cool day bombing around the Venetian Islands, we had a late dinner and walked the dark and eerie streets.

Venice at night is nothing short of haunting. A gondola ride would have been enchanting in a creepy way….probably good to save something for next time.