The romantic Venice by night and day

Venezia is such a unique, romantic city that was my favourite part of Italy that I visited! Romantic enough for one couple in our tour group; the fiance proposed on the gondola! Could it get any cheesier?

I highly recommend to visit both during the day AND at night (if you're not staying around the island itself). Why? The atmosphere is different. If I have to be honest, I would much rather go at night than the crowded, hot, sticky day. I also didn't get to go on the gondola because my parents were adamant about it, because it's 'too touristy' and not a big deal. I'm making it a mission to go on the gondola next time..

During the night, we saw some bands play at the restaurants around the city square. May I say, it was some of the finest jazz music I've ever heard. I would've loved to just dine outside and listen to them for the night.

 That night, we dined in at Ristorante Antico Picnolo. We had some pasta, fish and tiramisu! The tiramisu was some serious authentic tiramisu, I wish they could've given us two slices!

So, I really do recommend to explore Venice by night!

It's also quite easy to get lost in Venice, but eventually you will find your way out. And I kind of just love getting lost within those little small shops in the narrow streets. It's so much fun! Venice is famous for its murano glass. The glass is available in different vibrant colours, and there are many shops with different displays and interesting designs.

We also visited the island of Burano. It's a pretty island, a bit more quiet than Venice. However, I hated the boat ride. The boat right took about an hour to get there... It was an optional excursion with Cosmos to visit the island, and it did sound enticing from the info 'Explore Venice's lagoon'. However, my parents and I were deeply disappointed. First of all, the time to get to the island is ridiculous. An hour there and an hour back. I hate boats (bad experience with sea sickness). Second of all, we were only on the island for about 45 minutes. Third of all, I was so sad afterwards, because we didn't have any time left in the island of Venice itself. I would've rather spend the 3 hours, getting lost in Venice...

 Asides from the complaining though, it was actually a nice island to visit. We also visited a beautiful hand-stitched lace shop.

One thing I haven't talked about Europe is the self-service places. The self-service cafes are not bad to go to, if you're in a bit of rush (which in that case, we were half the time during the tour). During our second day in Venice, I actually quite liked the self-service place. We shared some pasta & lasagna that was nice. A MUST while you're in Italy, is the panna cotta! Panna cotta is a type of pudding with cream, milk, sugar and gelatin. The mixture is cooked, and then poured into a typical cup. After a few hours in the fridge, you will have a wobbly panna cotta. You can find good panna cotta virtually anywhere.

So, Venice is on my 'favourite places' list from my trip. Although, I visited some other beautiful cities like Rome, Venice is something different. I love the atmosphere there, and you can't beat the scenery you get there.