Venice

 

We planned a big trip in June to celebrate our 20th anniversary and the completion of my cancer treatment.  Our dream was to visit the Greek Isles, and we found a 7-night cruise that began in Venice, included several Greek islands (with additional stops in Croatia and Turkey), and ended in Athens.  We decided to add 3 days on to the beginning of our trip to spend time in Venice, and I was so excited to show L&L the place where I lived for a semester in college. Mark and I hadn't been to Venice since 2006, and it is my favorite city in the world.  My experience studying abroad in Venice shaped so much of who I am today, and this place is very dear to me.  It was a wonderful beginning to our vacation and we had the best time showing the kids my old stomping ground and experiencing Venetian culture and life.

Our flight arrived in Venice on Thursday morning, and these kids were great travelers.  They couldn't wait to visit Europe for the first time, and there's something wonderful about traveling with older kids, who are easy and self-sufficient on long flights:

I brushed off the cobwebs and spoke Italian to secure a private water taxi from the Marco Polo airport.  My confidence in my language skills grew over the time we were in Venice, but my Italian is no longer fluent like it was in college:

We rode through the lagoon (passing Murano and Burano) and emerged at the mouth of the Grand Canal to see the Doge's Place and Piazza San Marco.  This first glimpse of Venezia will always take my breath away.  Every time I visit, it is a homecoming of sorts for me, and Venice will always have a piece of my heart:

We continued on and passed Casa Artom, the Wake Forest house where I lived and studied in the Fall of 1998:

This is the place where I woke up in the mornings to the sound of gondoliers singing outside our windows:

My bedroom windows are the bottom two on the left.

Our hotel was in Dorsoduro (the neighborhood where I lived) and it had a quaint courtyard where we ate breakfast and relaxed each day:

We unloaded our bags, walked to Casa Artom, and were welcomed in to show the kids my Venetian home:

Much of the interior has been refreshed/updated (new & improved kitchen, laundry facilities, etc), but the views and feel of Casa Artom remain timeless and unchanged:

View from living room at Casa Artom.

Upstairs balcony.

Our next stop was Corner Pub for drinks and people watching.  This was our nightly gathering place during my semester abroad, where we would socialize with the local Venetians who became such good friends to us:

That evening, we dined alfresco at a neighborhood trattoria, bought cannolis at a fresh bakery, and enjoyed a lovely evening walking around:

On Friday morning, we began a full day of exploring by checking out the Rialto Bridge and Market:

We walked to Piazza San Marco, did a self guided audio tour, and listened to the dueling orchestras in the cafes lining the square:

St. Mark's Basilica is arguably the most glorious cathedral in the world.

Piazza San Marco.

We also rode the elevator to the top of the Campanile (bell tower) to glimpse views of the city from above:

The Campanile is the tall building in this photo.

We shopped, we wandered, we ate delicious pizza sold in streetside cafes, and we experienced life as true Venetians:

Gondoliers preparing their gondolas for the day.

Water Fountain (for humans and dogs)

Venice and its pigeons.

My favorite flower market (near Camp Santo Stefano)

Un Calle que piccolo!  

Quaint Dorsoduro

Cappuccino a Cafe Moretti.

No trip to Venice is complete without a gondola ride.  We chose to take the traghetto (which the locals use) to go back and forth across the Grand Canal.  This costs less than $2/person vs. the ornate gondolas geared toward tourists which are $80-100 per ride:

One of my favorite things was wandering around Dorsoduro (the sestiere where I lived):

Accademia Bridge (one of the 4 that cross the Grand Canal)

View from Accademia Bridge with Vaporetto Stop

Venetian Gothic architecture

 

Dorsoduro at night.

San Silvestro

The church in Campo San Barnaba was depicted as the library in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade:

Gelateria Nico (on the Zattare) still has the best gelato in all of Venice!

While walking around Venice, Luke decided that he wanted a haircut.  We found a barbershop and walked right in.  I love that Luke wanted to experience authentic Venetian culture in this way- not many 15 year-olds can say that they've had their hair cut in Italy!

We had dinner on Friday Night at Taverna San Trovaso, which was our favorite restaurant during my semester abroad.  I had several Venetian friends who were waiters at San Trovaso when I lived in Venice, and much to our delight, one of them still works there!  Dario gave our family the VIP treatment for the evening.  What a stroke of serendipity to reconnect after 25 years!

"Wake Forest Carrie" and "Venetian Dario"

When your calzone is bigger than your head.

On Saturday morning, we hopped on the vaporetto and rode it to the train station, where we boarded a train for the 3 hour ride to Ravenna.  The kids really enjoyed traveling by train and watching as we passed through the Italian countryside:

The vaporetto is the public transportation boat that goes up and down the Grand Canal.

Walking into the train station.

We love the cleanliness and efficiency of European trains!  

The verdict from L&L is that they loved Venice (which made my heart explode)!  There were so many moments during my months of chemotherapy and immunotherapy that I thought of this future trip. It was a temporal horizon that was a beacon of hope during a very difficult season.  The memories that our family made in Venice are so precious to me, and it was the perfect way to kick off our celebration trip!

April/May 2023

Easter was filled with a visit from the Easter Bunny, church, Mimi's annual egg hunt, and dinner at our house with Aunt Molly and Mimi.  This was the day before Spring Break, so we were happy to have a low key, relaxed day with family:

The week after Spring Break was Luke's birthday.  We had an 8:45 a.m. appointment at the DMV and our new 15 year-old passed his written test and got his Learner's Permit!

He had a busy day with school and rowing practice, so he chose a quick dinner and ice cream at Freddy's and he opened presents that evening.  15 years ago, I couldn't have pictured this tall, brilliant man-child as I held my premature newborn baby!

The week after Spring Break was also momentous for Daddy, as he started a new job!  After 9 years at Gilbarco, Mark left the company and accepted a position as CFO for Stake Center Locating in Greensboro.  His new job is back in the office, so we took a "First Day of Work" photo to commemorate his switch to in-person work.  It has been a gift to have him home and working remotely for the past 3 years.  I'll miss him during the days, but am so proud of our Big Boss:

New Office

Headshot for Stake Center website.

L&L's favorite thing about Daddy's new office are the games.  There's skeeball, shuffleboard, checkers, life sized Connect 4 and Jenga.  We now wonder if going to work "in person" is just a ploy to play games all day...

Practicing for Fun Land this summer!

 

Bean and Poppy came for a weekend to watch the kids do their favorite spring things.  It was a fun weekend filled with rowing practice, soccer, and a night with grandparents while Mark and I went out to dinner.  

Here are some photos of our favorite soccer player and coach from spring season:

On May 9, I received my 14th (and FINAL) targeted chemo/immunotherapy infusion.  I thank God for allowing me to complete this part of my treatment and for His protection and healing. 

14/14 Baby Chemo = DONE!

Nine days later, I had surgery to remove my chemo port.  This little buddy was the access point for my 20 infusions, countless blood draws, and it was a literal lifeline for me.  The scar that remains reminds me of my journey and how far I've come since last March.

Mimi, Aunt Molly, and I celebrated the end of treatment with a May girls' lunch at Printworks Bistro.  Cheers to health!

May contained band concerts for both kids, and we were delighted when Leah was recognized as the Outstanding brass/percussion musician in the 6th grade band.  This award is voted on by her peers, and is the same award that Luke won last spring in 8th grade.  I was unable to attend his concert last year due to chemo, so it was extra special for me to be there to see Leah be honored:

She's the only French Horn player in the 6th grade!

Leah and Asher = 2 best buds.

Leah also had her piano recital in May.  She played several pieces, including a trio with 2 friends.  They played "Three Blind Mice" and had coordinating outfits (including mouse ears and tails).  

Leah, Asher, and Ray.

Just a girl and her dog enjoying a Pup Cup at Starbucks on a spring day:

Leah also had a fun May field trip, and I chaperoned the 6th graders at the Greensboro Grasshoppers game.  It was a perfect day for baseball!

Parents were also invited to attend the End of Year 6th grade picnic at Triad Park, and when I arrived, I found Leah playing football with her guys.  Peanut had the best 6th grade year thanks to this group of boys.  Our intuitive girl observed "packs of girl drama" (her words) and said, "No thanks!  I'll stick with my guy friends".  She knows who she is and is a confident, strong girl.  Leah had an amazing team of teachers this year who fell in love with her and we couldn't be prouder of Leah's success in her first year of middle school:

We took Leah's Last Day of School picture early, as we pulled the kids out of school a few days early for our big celebration trip.  The high schoolers only have to attend school on the days that they have finals, so the kids' schedules were completely different after Memorial Day.  In the busy days leading up to our vacation, I completely forgot to take Luke's picture!

Happy Last Day of 6th grade, Leah!