Showing posts with label Venice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Venice. Show all posts

10/29/2021

Venice, Italy | Floating in her Beautiful Shabbiness


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Venice, Italy, the Queen of the Adriatic; notably the most beautiful and unique city in the world- a jewel of European culture.

We arrived in Venice where it connects to the mainland by the road causeway, Ponte Della Liberta, Bridge of Freedom, traveling from Croatia, Slovenia, and the Gulf of Trieste, Italy.  It’s good to be back in Venice after a few years away. What better way to end this month of travel than spending our birthdays and wedding anniversary in this romantic city?

This extraordinary city floats in her beautiful shabbiness and embraces you with her incredible beauty; beckoning you forward to discover its hidden nuances, curlicue alleyways, and winding canals.  It’s a magical atmosphere and a perfect postcard treasure that will linger in your memory forever.


Rialto bridge was built to provide access to the Rialto market and connect the San Marco and San Polo sestieri (districts), the Rialto is the oldest bridge across the Grand Canal  image@pixabay

It was a pleasure to reorient ourselves with the most famous and touristy St. Marco Square, St. Mark’s Basilica, Doge’s Palace, and the ornate Rialto Bridge, the most photographed spot in the world. We took a quiet break to explore a few other neighborhoods in Venice. Where each sestieri has its distinct personality and allure; taking a slow walk to catch our breath and relax.  We strolled the behind-the-scenes areas to enjoy the authentic beauty of Venice, exploring the labyrinth of back streets, rambling passageways, on foot, far away from the charming chaos. Yes, there are romantic gondolas rides and vaporettos to take you around this treasured city; but exploring the off-the-beaten-path, laid-back, lived-in, neighborhoods on foot for an up-close and personal experience of everyday life in Venice is memorable.

 

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10/13/2021

Trieste, Italy | A City by the Sea


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We are enjoying our slow travel through Central Europe, where we are weaving back-and-forth, crisscrossing the final borders in Slovenia, Croatia, and Italy; and we hope you are too.  On this trek, we have discovered a melting pot of cultures, dialects, and Art Nouveau elegance, and all in one stop, as we arrive at the heart-

Here we discover yet another sad historic legend, one that reveals the story of the castle owners, Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, the Commander-in-Chief of the Austrian Imperial Navy based in Trieste, then a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and his wife Charlotte of Belgium. They built Miramare Castle as a family sanctuary, all decorated with treasures from his seafaring life to the exotic Far East, and the Mexican Empire, where he was Emperor.  But their love story ends tragically with Maximilian’s execution in 1864, driving Charlotte to complete madness.  The ancient fable discloses how Empress Charlotte is said to be wandering the property calling for Maximilian to this day. Every country and city we have visited in Central Europe revealed many curious legends, fables, and magical folklore just waiting to be exposed.

Sadly, we didn’t get to spend enough time in Trieste, but we could see it’s a fabulous vacation destination. It’s small but not overrun with tourists, mostly European holidaymakers on summer vacation.  It’s a great escape from the crowds of tourists of Venice and easily accessible by rail, road, and summertime ferries. Its offerings are plentiful, beautiful beaches and resorts, fresh seafood, white truffles, wild asparagus, olive oils, and delectable wines all produced by the perfect Mediterranean climate.

Central Europe has been an ideal travel and educational experience filled with beautiful sights, breathtaking moments, and postcard-perfect destinations.  

Continue your armchair travels with us we arrive in Venice, Italy, and laugh at how our luggage went mysteriously missing for five hours.

*2018 travels

Visiting Trieste

Visiting Istria

How to order coffee only In Trieste

Transportation Trieste to Venice

J. Christina is the author and owner of Scribbles and Smiles. Through our blog, we share stories of the wonderful discoveries we have made on our European travels. Christina (Christie) is married to John, a.k.a. Mr. Christie. Where Mr. Christie is right on board with their travel jaunts around the world sharing in their blogging endeavor - hence, their bespoke pen name, J. Christina.

After many years of intrepid travel, we thoughtfully opened our treasure-trove of European travelogues, artfully sharing with a worldwide audience. Intentionally sharing the joie de vivre through our words and images, so others can travel vicariously. 

You can sign-up to receive email updates via her blog, and you can also find Scribbles and Smiles on social media. 
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4/30/2020

Undiscovered Gem: Croatia


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What an amazing month-long journey discovering Europe’s unpolished gem, Croatia. Traveling the crossroads of central and southeast Europe, along the Adriatic Sea, exploring and hearing amazing stories of this once war-torn country.  Zigzagging through six great nations plus a very unexpected micro-stop along a tiny sliver of Bosnia and Herzegovina was an unforgettable experience.  As this adventure unfolded, many of you traveled vicariously, enjoying this grand journey right alongside us, sending messages and comments as you perused our postcard images on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.  Thank you for joining this grand journey! 

 This journey began slowing in Amsterdam while revisiting world renowned art museums, touring hidden, off-the-beaten-path museums and gardens, cruising the historic canals and catching trains out of the city.   Then it was time to hopscotch down to Croatia’s Adriatic Coast.  It began in the deep southern tip of Dubrovnik, then migrated northward, logging over 1400 miles, while navigating the most spectacular stretch of coastline in the world, the Dalmatian Coast.  Playing hide-n-seek with the sea on one side and catching a glimpse of the coastal Balkan Mountains soaring in the distance.   

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3/30/2020

Discovering Croatia's Dalmatian Coast

Welcome!  Join our journey to postcard -perfect destinations. 

All blog posts are based on our personal travels around Europe, penned by J. Christina. 

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And we're off! Join our 2018 bespoke journey across six nations, kicking off in handsome Amsterdam, affectionally referred to as the Venice of the North, where we will step into the world of Vincent van Gogh's art and cruise on 400-year-old historical canals, once again.


Amsterdam 2017

Travel along with J.Christina by plane, tram, on foot, by private transport, and European river cruise ship, all-the-while discovering postcard perfect destinations that will linger in your memory forever.

As our adventures unfold, wing on with us, as we hopscotch down to Croatia's Dalmatian Coast, including stops in Montenegro and Slovenia where we will explore the length of this majestic Adriatic Sea coastline. 

 

Old Town Dubrovnik

Following the mid-segment of this sojourn as we overland along the Pearl of the Adriatic, traveling south to north, where we will cross the finish line into Venice, Italy.  It's a quick stop to regroup, reminisce about Croatia's sights and sounds, while admiring the glories of Venetian architecture while strolling along the Grand Canal.  Sadly, we will say arrivederci to Venice all too soon - pushing-on, making our segue on to Bordeaux, France. 

 Join the finale! Come on along and explore with J.Christina in  Bordeaux, France, a city with a 2000-year-old history, often referred to as the "Port of the Moon."  We will celebrate our birthdays and toast our 25th wedding anniversary, while plying the waters of the Dordogne and Garonne rivers, onboard a European river ship.

Arm-in-arm let's complete this final bookend of our month-long journey immersing ourselves in southwest France - one ancient wine village at-a-time. Here we will stroll through picturesque hamlets, admire beautiful medieval villages, taste the terroir, and lunch in historic châteaux. Come on along, travel vicariously  from the luxury of your armchair to places some only glimpse on a postcard.   

Together we will create, capture and record countless shareable moments to last a lifetime. 

J.Christina is the author and owner of Scribbles and Smiles. Through our blog, we share stories of the wonderful discoveries we have made on our European travels. Christina (Christie) is married to John, a.k.a. Mr. Christie. Where Mr. Christie is right on board with their travel jaunts around the world sharing in their blogging endeavor - hence, their bespoke pen name, J. Christina.

 You can read their most recent dispatches from aboard an elegant European river ship, sharing the allure of Europe’s great rivers and their capital cities. Or, follow them through serendipitous discoveries in the Cote d’Azur, where J. Christina captures the essence of a  perched medieval village. J. Christina’s work has been featured on France Today, Bonjour Paris, The Good Life France, and Perfectly Provence.

 

 

 





 



































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