{A few weeks ago, I went looking for pictures from a past adventure to Venice, a trip Zan and I took what seems like a lifetime ago. For years I thought these pictures were only able to be viewed as thumbnails or actual prints, and was pleasantly surprised when I was able to download them in their full size, which prompted me to write this post. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed putting it together.}
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When my sister went abroad to London in 2006, my family and I visited her for a week over Thanksgiving (another post for another time!). Zan was there, too, living and working in London. It was really perfect actually. We had a wonderful time on our trip to the UK, and I even stayed an extra week… touring and playing with my sister and her college friends. And that’s when Zanner and I decided to take a little weekend trip to Venice. Because when you’re already abroad… why not?
We flew for $15 dollars or something crazy like that. It’s like that over there— they have the CHEAPEST flights. And it’s the best.
There is so much to say about this trip, but it’s hard for me to find the words to say it all. Also, time has blurred my memory a little, which is inevitable, but makes me a little sad. I have bits and pieces in my mind. About getting lost plenty of times, wandering the alleys and walking over bridges and streets along the canal. We found little wine bars, ate pasta and seafood, and gelato. We went to the islands of Burano (where they make lace) and Murano (where they make glass). We loved visiting the markets with meats and fish and jewelry and clothes. One of my favorite places in all of Venice was the Grand Piazza San Marco. It’s a beautiful open space and St. Mark’s Basillica can be found in the public square (along with hundreds and hundreds of pigeons). We walked and walked and took in the views. We had the most amazing time. When I look through these photos my heart aches for travel. I hope I appreciated all of this beauty while I was there. I still remember it as being the best vacation of my life, so I’m pretty sure I didn’t take a single step for granted.
Anyways, I hardly want to clog this post with words, because I think the pictures speak quite perfectly for themselves….
Sigh.
I could cry it’s so crazy beautiful.
I would give just about anything to go back.
Someday we WILL go back. We’ve been dreaming a lot about traveling to Europe lately.
But until then, I’ll just be thankful that I went.
And that I have these pictures and memories in my heart to prove it.
Wow! These pictures are so pretty! I love the coloring of them too! Did you edit them to be washed like that? Amazing trip!
I did edit them! They were pretty dark before, so I used Lightroom to lighten them up a bit + put some presets on them.
And it was an amazing trip. THE BEST!
amazing. it was not in the cards for us to go to venice when we were in italy a few years ago. next time, next time.
this looks like it was great.
Next time is right! I get stressed sometimes that there is so much to see and I will never get to it all. Le sigh.
that’s the thing about memories for me…I love them more than ANY item I will ever buy or own, but they seem to fade too quickly. I find that my memory is poor and I often need my significant other to share the memories and enhance them when my mind tends to fade. That makes me sad when my mind fades.
BUT I’ll never forget the places I went. I’ll never forget the feeling I get when I’m traveling because, for me, it’s really the best. It makes me immeasurably happy when I revisit my pics from our trip to Europe (which reminds me I need to take a peek back at the photo book I made of the trip). While I know we’ll go back, it’s sort of sad that no trip could likely ever be THAT GOOD. But lucky for us, in this digital age, we’ll {hopefully always} have the pictures to supplement our precious and wonderful memories.
Ehhhh…I’m getting a little too cheesy here. But seriously. I feel the same way when I look back at my Europe pictures. I love that place too much.
Loved this comment, Kristin! Traveling is amazing– and you’re right! Far better than any item we can buy! I want to go everywhere! I just wish it wasn’t to expensive!!
(and cheesy is good. I like cheesy!)
Wow what a trip! Your photos are beautiful! so much color and life!! You look adorable in all of these pics, and I never knew you and Zan had been together so long. Love it.
My husband and I recently decided that 2014 is our year for a big trip to Europe, so we are pinching our pennies and trying to narrow down where we really want to go. This post SO made me want to visit Venice!! It looks just incredible!
You should go to Venice! It’s the most romantic ever!!!! And so excited for your planning and traveling. It really is one of the best part’s of life!
So, so lovely. There is something about traveling in Europe (and later reminiscing via photos) that is just MAGICAL. I’ve always regretted that I didn’t study abroad for a semester in college, and keep thinking in the back of my mind that I’d love to take a one-year vaca from life to live and work abroad!
You better believe this post has got me digging through all my Paris photos now..!
Reminiscing is ALMOST as amazing as going. It kind of makes me sad (to know it’s over), but more than anything makes me feel LUCKY. Like, I actually did that? Walked there? Saw that? It’s incredible.
And yes, I really wish I had studied abroad, too. That’s one of the one things I would change about my past if I could.
Absolutely stunning – love the photo of you and Zan at a bar – love the sunset on the water and LOVE THE MAN ON THE LADDER WITH THE TEAL HOUSE. CAN I BUY IT.
Actually, yes! You can! Next week!
I’m adding Venice to the shop collection! And also offering up any pictures from my blog– if people want them, I will offer them.
Isn’t that picture amazing? I kept telling Zan that one was my favorite, too. Captures the life over there so perfectly!
these are such gorgeous photos! i remember flying around europe on the very scary ryanair for about 20 euro roundtrip.
you and zan are such an adorable couple!
We went on Ryanair, too! So sketchy, but SO CHEAP!! And sketchy as it ism I wish they had something like that over here in the states!
this is so special. i traveled soooo much before i started snapping “real” photos. i look back and would love to write more, but the photos are just so bad. it makes me want to go back and experience now with a newfound perspective!
i love all the pigeons! too fun. and what a romantic/fun getaway for you & zan. love this!!!
I feel so lucky to have these photos! And I didn’t even consider myself a serious photo lover back then! But still, I would love to get back there to shoot some more. It’s just so breathtakingly beautiful!
Absolutely breathtaking. I spent 10 days in Venice when I was studying art history abroad, and now I’m so inspired to dig up my old photos and do some new editing on them. It was certainly my favorite city in all of Europe. Such a special trip for you two!
I hope you do! Some quick edits can do wonders! And these pic were taken with a point and shoot! (kind of makes me wonder why I paid an arm and a leg for my DSLR).
These are so lovely! Kurt and I went on an Italian adventure a few years ago too. We also made it to Venice and ate lots of pasta and got lost a lot and blissfully wandered for hours. I have some mixed feelings about the city itself but you really can’t dispute that it is one of the most gorgeous places ever.
Ah….travelling is the best. I’m staring at this blizzard out the window right now and want nothing more than to pack up and get out of town!
It is! One of the most gorgeous places ever!
Where else did you and Kurt go in Italy? I just want to go back so so bad and go EVERYWHERE.
Kurt and I went to a wedding outside of Milan, so we tooled around there for a little bit and did Venice. We also did quick stops in Switzerland, Slovenia, and Croatia on that trip. It was INCREDIBLE. During college, I studied abroad in Rome (my one true Italian love). I have to say one of my favorite places I visited during that time abroad was Cinque Terre. If you return to Italy, you absolutely MUST go there!
Zan wants to go to Croatia! It’s one of the top places on his list!
I will have to mark all of your suggestions. Especially Cinque Terre. I have been told about that place and now it seems as if I MUST go!
Your pictures are breathtaking. Congratulations on your etsy shop! When we took a family trip to Italy in 2007 to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, we stayed in Rome, but took two fabulous (and too short) day trips – to Florence, and to Capri. You must go to both when you go back. I am reading a book set in Rome, and your post, and pictures, have me longing for another Italian adventure…
Thank you, Marcia!
Florence and Capri will be added to the list!!! (And yes, I WANT TO GO NOW!)
This is lovely. Oh I love Italy so much! Honestly Venice was my least favorite city when I spent a month in Italy in college, I have been known to say that if I was to return, I would skip Venice altogether, but your picture have me thinking I might not have seen her in her best light. The Venice of this post looks nothing like to cold, gray place I visited. I guess the only thing to do will be to visit in the spring or summer and reassess (man, hard work)!
It’s funny, both you and Melissa said that about Venice– about mixed feelings/it not being your favorite. I guess maybe we got lucky on our visit. The sky was almost always the bluest of blues– and the temp wasn’t too bad either (It was late November/early December). My sister went to Venice, too, earlier in the fall and she remembers the same blue skies. Now whenever we see a blue that brilliant color we call it “Venice blue”. I hope you get a chance to go back someday and I hope your experience is more lovely than the first– because that’s exactly what it is! LOVELY!
Why oh WHY can’t every place on earth be this beautiful?!?! You said it perfectly…so beautiful it makes you want to cry.
I know? At least we are lucky enough to live in a place with a lot of beauty (although, in my opinion, not as much as Europe). Some places have NO beauty– so I am thankful!!
Wow, Venice looks so colorful! It seems beautiful, and so romantic. I haven’t been to Italy yet, but my husband and I are planning to go there for our 10th anniversary. Only 4 more years to go :)
It IS colorful, and beautiful, and romantic and basically it is EVERYTHING.
Excited for you and your trip! Even if it is in 4 more years!
Oh MAN. I thought I had a travel bug before! Now I have to go to Venice!
I like your philosophy about travel- I need to sit back sometimes and remember how lucky I am to have gone to the places I’ve gone. To know that I’ll go to more places, but just be content with how many adventures I’ve already had! Thanks for the reminder.
Seriously! We are lucky to have gone anywhere! There are some littles in my class who’ve never even been to Boston (which blows my mind), so I think even getting out of Massachusetts is something to be thankful for!
(Even though, yes, I have the serious travel bug, too. Always.)
LOVED that trip down memory lane friend!! I remember when you decided to take that trip! Feels like forever ago….I don’t think I ever got to see the pics so it was like a brand new experience for me! Thanks for sharing! As i write this, I literally have another tab open looking up flights to Europe. I want to go there SO bad! Love you, mean it. xx
We should meet halfway someday.
UM, I AM A GENIUS.
(also, we still always talk about making a trip to NZ. It WILL happen! On the life-long bucket list!!)
Love you, friend.
Dreaming of a trip to Venice…so these put me into a dream state!
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing Anna!
Can’t wait for you to go again and INSTAGRAM!
I know! How different travel has become since instagram, I am sure!
oh gosh i knoew that feeling well. those really good trips that, when you look back at pictures you ache so hard it seems that with just one really determined heartbeat you could be back there. these pictures are gorgeous. and, if that green scarf is from h&m, i had the same one :)
“when you look back at pictures you ache so hard it seems that with just one really determined heartbeat you could be back there.”
LOVE THAT. It is the truest.
And I think the scarf was actually from a street vendor in London. 5 scarves for 5 pounds or something. My mom and I went crazy, literally buying pashminas in EVERY COLOR under the sun.
These pictures are beautiful! It’s exactly as I imagine it to be – colorful buildings, flowers in the windows, pigeons–beauty everywhere! Reminiscing about world travels is almost my favorite thing to do. I’d rather be making more memories around the world but at this stage in our life there’s more reminiscing happening!
Oh, it is beyond beautiful. Almost to the point where you have to pinch yourself to prove it’s real! But also, we are doing more reminiscing over here lately, too (which is why I felt so inclined to put these pictures up– a little vaca without taking a vaca if ya know what I mean). Even just a trip to a different state is meaningful, though. And I plan on doing quite a bit of that this year, so at least there’s that!
I think you did brilliantly in capturing Venice’s color palette. It’s exactly the way I would’ve imagined it would look, only so much better, of course! I have said the same thing about New York since my trip in July. I didn’t get anywhere close to enough of it, and I’m itching to go back. The UK and Italy have always been at the top of my list of international places to visit, especially Rome, Venice, and most importantly, Tuscany in Italy, which was prompted by one of my favorite movies, Under the Tuscan Sun. :)
Oh, Rome. I SO want to go to Rome.
LE sigh.