Winter break in Venice

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Venice, Italy (February 2023) 

I have been to Venice before. It was 30 years ago when I was backpacking in Europe with a friend, on a very tight budget. On that adventure in January 1992 we stayed in youth hostels and bought food from the supermarket which didn’t need cooking (e.g. bread and jam). We visited most of the main tourist attractions like St Mark’s Square, Rialto Bridge and Peggy Guggenheim museum. I even managed to buy a Venetian glass ornament which I somehow got back to Australia in one piece. It still proudly sits on display in my home now. 

This would be a different experience with a bit more spending money. Steve and I were visiting the UK and decided to invite my UK based in-laws (Steve’s mum, dad and sister) to join us on a side trip to Venice for 2 days & 3 nights. Our objective was to spend some quality time with our family that we haven’t been able to see much the last few years thanks to the pandemic – creating memories while experiencing Venice.

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Southern Italy in Autumn

Reading Time: 16 minutes
Southern Italy (Oct 2018)

I have always loved Italy – the culture, the food, the architecture and the history. When a business trip to London came up in October 2018, I convinced hubby, Steve, to join me so we could take a side trip to Italy for 5 nights afterwards.

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A winter break in Madrid

Reading Time: 16 minutes

 Madrid, Spain (Jan 2018)

This was my first visit to Spain and I was excited to explore a new country, even if only for a few days. As usual I did my research before going, mainly browsing TripAdvisor, Pinterest and an Eyewitness Travel guide book: “Top10 Madrid”. I loosely planned an itinerary for 2 days in Madrid and left open an option for a day trip to another nearby town, like Toledo or Segovia.

We left our children with their grandparents in England as we were holidaying with the family there over the Christmas period. On New Year’s Day we caught an afternoon flight Continue reading “A winter break in Madrid”