FunderfulWorld

<p class="wp-caption-text"> In the streets of Venice </p> <p class="wp-caption-text"> In the streets of Venice </p> <p class="wp-caption-text"> In the (NARROW) streets of Venice </p> <p class="wp-caption-text"> Little bridge, Venice </p> <p class="wp-caption-text"> The winged lion, Piazzetta San Marco, Venice </p> <p class="wp-caption-text"> St. Theodore, Piazzetta San Marco, Venice </p> <p class="wp-caption-text"> Spot of sunshine? Venice </p> <p class="wp-caption-text"> Grey clouds and the blue skies beyond.

<p class="wp-caption-text"> Colors! Along the Canal Grande, Venice. </p> </div> <p class="wp-caption-text"> Splash-splash! Along the Canal Grande, Venice </p> </div> <p class="wp-caption-text"> Along the Canal Grande, Venice. </p> </div> <p class="wp-caption-text"> Museum of Natural History. Along the Canal Grande, Venice. </p> </div> <p class="wp-caption-text"> Beautiful churches abound. Along the Canal Grande, Venice </p> <p class="wp-caption-text"> The unmissable Rialto Bridge. Along the Canal Grande, Venice </p> <p class="wp-caption-text"> Where are all the pigeons?

We joined a friend’s family on a short trip to Venice (Venezia) in early spring this year. It rained during the entire trip (well, almost!). Dampener? Absolutely not! On the contrary, it was as magical as ever! 🙂 This was our second visit to Venice (the Queen of the Adriatic had been on our travel itinerary a few years ago), the first time with Junior. A 2-hour morning ride on a FrecciaBiancafast train transported us from Milano in the Lombardia region to the romantic city of Venezia in the Veneto region of Italy.

The Monday after Easter Sunday, known as Pasquetta, is typically spent outdoors – in the countryside with friends, a picnic in a garden… And so, although the weather was barely showing signs of spring, we decided to visit one of the public parks in Milan, the Giardini Pubblici Indro Montanelli. We had already seen the civic aquariumand the Museum of Natural History that are located in the same garden. This time, we were ready to enjoy the outdoors.

A piazza all to yourself? Well, you can get that and much more! At the charming town of Vigevano, a short train ride away from Milan (~30 minutes). Hop on to a train from Porta Genova, and you will be transported across green fields and beautiful countryside to the quaint town of Vigevano. A short walk from the Vigevano train station through cobbled streets took us to the beautiful Piazza Ducale.

I gazed and admired and stared and marveled and wondered and gazed again… We rode the metro to the ‘Duomo’ stop, took the exit towards the Piazza del Duomo, ascended the stairs, and… I simply couldn’t take my eyes off the Duomo, located in the heart of Milan. I had viewed many pictures of this centerpiece of Milan earlier. Yet, when I saw the actual marble structure in all its grandeur (there is absolutely nothing that is simple about it), I was almost speechless.

Another very cold and grey weekend morning. The unanimous choice was to spend at least a couple of hours riding the ‘passante’ trains in Milan (with 2 ardent train lovers in the family, even if I hadn’t voted FOR, it would’ve been the majority choice! :)) We marched out in the ‘grey’ outdoors for a short walk to the Porta Garibaldi Railway Station. And VOILA! What a colorful feast for the eyes!

A winter weekend in Milan. Freezing temperatures outdoors. A three-and-a-half year old bundle of energy waiting to head out on a weekend morning. Parents in deep thought. How about the Milan Aquarium? It turned out to be a great decision on our part. A short ride in one of our favorite modes of transport, the tram, took us to one end of Parco Sempione, where the Milan Aquariumis located. This small aquarium, which offers free entry to all visitors, was a welcome respite from the bitter cold outside.

After unpacking, shopping for essentials, recovering from a wee bit of jet lag, and settling down in our little apartment, we looked forward to a relaxed weekend in Milan. Someone had mentioned that a street market took place on Tuesdays and Saturdays in our area. Well, I’d heard a great deal about the open-air markets in several European cities and I wondered what Saturday had in store for us. At about 6 am, we heard voices and the sound of vehicles outside.