Vivid Venice & A Lucky Winner

Hello dear friends.  I hope that you had a good week.  All is well around here.  I attended another Supper With The Authors, which is always a delightful way to spend an evening. 

Can you guess which one is the before picture?

The biggest news around here is that Chili got groomed!  It's been five months due to her surgeries, and no one is happier than her Mama.  We celebrated by buying her a new hoodie with the words I Love Dad painted on the back.  
It never hurts to advertise your sponsor.
Stay classy, Chili.

***** 

A few days ago I was deleting some pics from my phone and realized that I never wrote about the last stop on our cruise that we took last Summer.  My camera went on the fritz, so I had to use my phone, and that's how I missed including it in my 2018 Cruise posts.  

We docked in Venice, and the Mister and I stayed a couple of days there.  If you would like to read the other posts, you can find them here, here, and here.

It was hard to say goodbye to our home away from home.

I spotted this suave guy the minute I hit land.  I told the Mister that we needed to hit the closest Men's store ASAP for some new threads for him.  Vineyard Vines and bowties were not going to cut it in Venice.

Move over, George and Amal...

the Clooneys are in town!

Our hotel was located in a quiet, residential area.  There were plenty of restaurants that we could walk to, but very little shopping.

All the chandeliers in the hotel were made out of Murano glass.  

Which one is the concierge and which one is the American tourist?

We found a great restaurant near our next stop.

Goodbye Uber!

Hello Gondola!
Can you tell how jealous the gondolier is of the Mister?

The next day we hired a guide who took us to the three famous islands of the Venetian Lagoon.
Our first stop was Murano which is the most commercialized of the islands.  It is famous for glasswork.  We visited the Murano Glass factory and showhouse.  

One of the glass blowers showed us the steps that went into his craft.

I couldn't help but wonder how many tourists came home with a picture of this gent on their phones.  

We also visited the store.  I had a salesman on my back with every step I took.  I couldn't look at anything without the guy telling me that he would give me a deal on it.  

Ugh... I finally pointed out the Mister and told him to go tell my Dad about all the great buys.  He had money that was burning a hole in his pocket.

As soon as he approached the Mister, we were out of there.

Our next stop was the colorful island of Burano.

Burano is famous for its lace.

I bet the kids on the island have no problem remembering which house is theirs.

By the way, our guide was wonderful.  It fascinated me that the only way to get around was to walk or to take a boat.  I asked our guide if anyone has cars.  He said that a lot of families share cars. 

He told me that he used his shared car twice last year.

Our last stop was the island of Torcello.  Unlike the other islands, very few people live here.  It is the home of a beautiful Catholic church and a charming restaurant called Locanda Cipriani.

We got there early and by the time we left this place was hopping.

The food and service was nothing less than superb.

In the lobby, there were autographed pictures of all their famous guests.

I hope they make room for a snapshot of the Mister and me.

Our last evening we walked to Algiubagio. I took this pic from their website.  We were lucky enough to sit at this table.

I highly recommend this restaurant as well.  It was the perfect place to bid ciao to lovely Venice.

And last but not least...

Our winner is...

Peggy Mae
who mentioned the book
The Secrets of the Bastide Blanche

Congrats, Peggy Mae.  
Please e-mail me your address.

Until next time...

Tinkerbell the Dog


Linked up with:
Friday Favorites
Friday Feature
Friday at the Fire Station
Friendship Friday
High Five For Friday
Sweet Inspiration
Metamorphisis Monday

Helloooooo Corfu!

Hello, dear friends.  I hope that you had a good week.  I am skipping the Christmas festival in Boston today because the weather is miserable.  However, I am meeting my friend for a birthday lunch and some retail therapy.  

Who needs sunshine when there are fabulous sales in progress?

This post continues with my series chronicling our Summer cruise.  Last winter, after tedious research, the Mister asked me to choose what cruise appealed to me the most.  The minute I spotted the destination Corfu I knew that was the cruise for me us.

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that I am a huge fan of The Durrells In Corfu.  

Corfu was our second excursion.  Here is your Geography lesson for today.

A Taste of Corfu half-day excursion was described as: Embrace the beauty, flavors, and culture of Corfu during this scenic island tour.  

I made friends with our guide and asked her about The Durrells.  She said that the cast is very nice and lovely to the tourists as well as the natives.  They usually film in the Fall.

There is a park dedicated to the Durrell brothers, but unfortunately, that was not on the tour.  The guide mentioned that there are busts of Lawrence and Gerald and many people rub their noses for good luck.

Sorry I missed that.  

I could have used a dose of that luck a few weeks back when the billion dollar lottery was held.

We were given an hour to browse around town.

I think that the lady in green thought that I was a member of the paparazzi.  I asked her if she was Jennifer Aniston just to make her feel good.

We made a quick stop into the Olive Museum.

I got a kick out of this one.

Is it just me or does this sign look out of place?

Now we're talking!

We met our fearless guide and then went on to our next stop.

Our guide took us into a church in which a service was in progress. We got the impression that the attendees were not happy to see a tour group take over their space.  I couldn't blame them. I thought it was a bit sacrilegious, so the Mister and I didn't stay long. 

 We boarded the bus bound for Trypa Taverna in Kinopiastes Village for some lunch and a traditional folkloric show. 

If you're wondering where the Mister and I are in this photo, I am obviously behind the camera and the Mister was on the sidelines in full traditional Greek garb giving private dance lessons to willing participants. 

Do you remember that I told you that we had lunch with a famous celeb's inlaws?  

This is the guy and their daughter, Julia.

The in-laws reported that James Corden is a lovely man and a wonderful father and husband.

And he can sing!

On our way out, this guy thanked us for visiting.

Our last stop was a beautiful church.

I always try to light a candle and make three wishes when I enter a new church.  It turns out that the chapel was used in The Durrells this past season.

The grounds were beautiful.

Next stop... our home away from home.

Until next time...

By the way... for fans of The Durrells, here is a cute video about the animals used for the show.


Linking up with:
TFT
Blogger's Pit Stop