Venice was…. Magical. Dreamy. Surreal. 

We were actually only there for a day… and it might have been our favorite day trip yet. 

We started in Ferrara, Italy, a smaller town north of Bologna where Pat was for 2 weeks TDY with Army work. We found the cheapest, best flights for us girls to come join him for a few days. 

So on Tuesday night we flew to Bologna. We spent two days in Ferrara exploring the town, playing at parks, looking at castles, and wandering the old streets. 

On Friday we picked Pat up from work at the Italian Air Force station, and drove to Bologna. We had plans for things to do and see- like a little kids Amusement park, a tourist train that takes you to San Luca with a view of the city… but when we got there… we just wanted to explore. So explore we did. We wandered and “bar hopped.” 

We found Neptune’s Statue, The Basilica of San Petronio which is the 10th largest cathedral in the world, found an old English pub for a Guinness, an Italian cafe for a spritz and cannolis, and then a diner on a busy alley for traditional Bologna pasta. 

The foodie scene in Bologna was so cool. Everywhere was filled with cool restaurants, fun drinks, people walking and and laughing everywhere. It was unlike other Italian cities we’ve been where things shut down for rest time in the middle of the day. It was 3pm and it was packed! 

After stuffing our faces with the best Italian food we’ve had yet since living here, we went back to Ferrara for the night.

Now, on Saturday we woke up and after breakfast took the train for the first time to Venice. It was only about an hour train ride. It was fun and exciting for everyone. The first view after you get out of the train station is just… glorious!

The girls walked over 6.5 miles this day. We walked and walked over the 150+ canals and bridges. We sat and had a way too expensive lunch in front of the famous Rialto bridge. We took a gondola ride with a little history lesson from our driver. We walked more until we got to the famous St. Mark’s Square and had gelato and wine while people watching. Then we walked back to the train station! We found postcards and items for our box for you, our penpalz, and got some Murano glass necklaces for souvenirs for ourselves, too.

One day in Venice was plenty for the girls. It’s such a romantic city, but for little kids there wasn’t a ton more that we wanted to do. So our little day trip was just perfect! I’ve heard from friends who spend more than 2 days there with kids say it was too long… so just a heads up if you ever go with kids!