And so begins the McCutcheon family vacation to Italy. Mark and I took two different itineraries to get to Venice, but we both had early flights out of the airport in Tirana, so we left our apartment around 2:30AM. In true us fashion we were running around the night before getting ready for our trip so we didn't sleep at all 😴 That's what the flights are for, right? I arrived in Venice first and waited for Mark at the airport. He arrived about 45 minutes later. My family's flight was delayed so Mark and I took the ferry from the airport. The small boat was crammed with people and the water was really choppy. Our captain hit more than just the waves (twice!) but our boat didn't capsize and we made it safely to shore.
Mark and I sat at a cafe along the river and enjoyed some bruschetta and sunshine.
We then walked to a nearby park where we napped on a bench until our airbnb was ready.
Mark and I checked in first and waited for my family. Seeing mom, dad, Candace and Jimmy for the first time in 7 months was great! We chatted for a bit and then walked to dinner at a small restaurant called Osteria al Portego. The chalkboard menu on the wall was written in Italian but we had a great waitress who explained to us what each dish was in English. She gave us some great recommendations regarding food and wine. Dad had pasta with donkey (that's right folks, donkey!), while mom had swordfish. Jimmy, Candace, Mark and I shared roast beef, seafood pasta and 3 different styles of cod. We enjoyed red and white wine (like true italians!) for our first meal in Italy. After dinner, we wandered the windy streets of Venice. We walked. And walked. And walked. We didn't mind that we had gotten lost because the sun had already gone down and the alleyways were unique and inviting. While wandering we made it our mission to find gelato "without mountains" because apparently that's the most authentic kind. It was a great first day spent with family in Venice.
No comments:
Post a Comment