Heart & Soul of Ireland- Day 5

Friday, May 15th, 2026

As we left Belfast, Martin (our driver) took us on a tour of Belfast of areas we didn’t see yesterday. We drove through the Ulster University, Belfast campus that was located in the Cathedral Quarter of the city. It was the largest university in Northern Ireland.

We made a quick stop to visit the Belfast Castle that sits at the foot of Cave Hill. From the castle and its landscaped gardens one can look over at Belfast and Belfast Lough (long wide expanse of water). Unfortunately when we stopped in the morning it was foggy and the views weren’t very good.

We followed the Causeway Coastal Route and as we passed “The White Lady” made from sea stack. A sea stack is created from many years of coastal wave and wind erosion.

The Carnlough Harbour is a focal point of the small picturesque Carlough Village. If you are a Game of Thrones fan it is a must see stop because of filming there for season 6.

In Cushendall we saw the bronze statue created by artist Deborah Brown of a goat named Johann standing on a rock. It is located near the harbour and is in memory of the last victim of Foot and Mouth disease (2001). In recent years the locals have been dressing Johann in a knitted sweater.

The scenery was spectacular as we traveled the Coastal Route along the northern coast of Ireland.

We made a stop at Portaneevey Viewpoint located in Ballycastle, Northern Ireland. From here it looks out over several islands. The first island was Rathlin Island. It was inhabited with about 140 people. The island is six miles long and one mile wide.

Sheep Island was uninhabited and located near the coastal village of Ballintoy. Its name comes from old local practice of grazing sheep that were placed there in the summer so thieves wouldn’t steal them. It is now a wildlife sanctuary.

Carrick-a-Rede is the third island we could see from this viewpoint. It has a rope bridge that spans the Atlantic Ocean. The rope bridge was built in 1755 to assist fishermen to access the island and their salmon fishing nets. The rope bridge spans a little over 65 feet and is 100 feet above sea level.

Carrick-a-Rede Island and its rope bridge

We continued our drive along the Causeway Coastal road and stopped at the Giant’s Causeway. It is a geological wonder and in 1986 became a UNESCO World Heritage site.

It was formed by volcanic activity over 60 million years ago. The Giant’s Causeway is made up of over 40,000 perfectly shaped basalt columns. There also is a legend that Finn McCool, an Irish giant, built the stones as part of his pathway to face his Scottish rival in battle.

It’s an .8 of a mile walk from the Visitor Center to the Giant’s Causeway. The site offered a bus ride down and back. To save time we opted for the bus ride down and back. When we were finished exploring the site we were in line for the bus to go back up the road. As we were waiting for the next bus, an emergency Coast Guard vehicle and officer arrived. We quickly learned that someone had fallen and was hurt badly. Because more emergency vehicles would be coming down the road, the bus was suspended for an unknown amount of time. Our group then walked the .8 of a mile up the road.

Views of the coastline as we walked back up the road.

Once we were all back to the Visitor Center we met our driver and headed to get a late lunch in the town of Bushmills. Martin recommended a cafe and we went in and had a wonderful meal.

A few of our travelers are golfers and close by was the Royal Portrush Golf Club. We made a quick stop so the golfers could visit the pro shop. Portrush courses overlook the ruins of the Dunluce Castle and golf has been played here since 1888. It has hosted the country’s first amateur and professional tournaments.

Our next stop was Dunluce Castle. The castle is located on the jagged cliffs perched 100 feet above the Atlantic Ocean.

View of the cliffs from the castle to the East.

The first castle was built in the 13th century and the current structure was built between the 16th and 17th centuries. The castle has a turbulent history of clan warfare. It was inhabited by both the feuding McQuillan and MacDonnell clans.

Dunluce Castle appeared in the Game of Thrones if you are a fan. It served as the primary filming and reference for Pyke the stronghold of House Greyjoy on the Iron Islands.

We arrived in Derry and checked into our hotel. We walked around town and then found a pub for dinner. Bishop’s Gate is an arch we walked by. It is located within Derry’s 17th-century city walls and is one of four original entrances. It was rebuilt in 1789 as a memorial to King William III and it marks the spot where the deposed King James II was denied entry in 1689.

Some of Derry as we explored on our way back to our hotel.

Heart & Soul of Ireland- Day 4

Thursday, May 14th, 2026

This morning we checked out of our hotel in Dublin to head toward Belfast. We met our driver Martin and the van we would be riding in for the rest of our trip.

Our first stop was to tour Newgrange. We had tickets for the first tour of the day.

We had time to explore the visitor center, Brú na Bóinne before heading out to catch our bus that would take us to Newgrange.

The eleven of us waiting for the bus to Newgrange.

We crossed the River Boyne on our way to the site.

Newgrange is a world heritage site. It is a 5,200 year old Neolithic passage tomb in the Boyne Valley. It was built by Stone Age farmers.

The circular mound was 279 feet in diameter and 43 feet high. The stone built passage leads to an inner chamber with three recesses.

The stone built passage was 62 feet in length that leads to the inner chamber. The passage and chamber are precisely aligned with the rising sun at the Winter Solstice. This has made Newgrange famous worldwide. We were able to go into the chamber which was tight in some places but while we were in there our guide simulated the light from the sun coming through the 62 foot passage and lighting up the small inner chamber. No photos were allowed in the chamber.

97 kerbstones (blocks of natural stone that was around the edge of Newgrange).

Notice the stick fencing that was used in the valley. We thought it was really cool.

After Newgrange we visited Monasterboice Cemetery.

Here we saw the Muiredach’s High Cross or also known as the South Cross from the 10th or maybe the 9th century. It was located at the ruined monastic site. It was an example of early medieval Irish stonework.

On our drive to Belfast we passed by several bright yellow fields of Canola. These yellow flowers are used to create canola oil and high-protein livestock oil.

We are now in Northern Ireland and on our way to Belfast, the capital city. Its name came from Beile Feirst (Gaelic) which means “the mouth of the sandy ford”. It is the largest city in Northern Ireland and known as the birthplace of RMS Titanic.

Our next stop was to tour the Titanic Experience in Belfast.

It was a well organized and self-guided tour as it retold the story of the Titanic.

Below is the slipway where the Titanic was first launched. A slipway is a sloped ramp leading into the water. It is used to get a ship in and out of the water.

RMS Titanic was built and launched from these historic slipways.

Our first gallery was “Boomtown Belfast”. We saw how the city was thriving and why the Titanic was built here. We didn’t take many pictures in the museum because we were taking in all of the interactive activities and reading the descriptions in each area.

We then visited “The Shipyard”. We saw Titanic’s blueprints and saw artifacts from there.

The Drawing Office was where the intricate details of ship design were transformed into reality.

“The Launch” was where Titanic was built. We saw a ticket of the official launch among other items.

“The Fit Out” was where we explored the ship from the boiler room to the staircase and up to the bridge on the 3D tour. It was really cool. We then walked to “The Maiden Voyage” where we followed Titanic’s route and also what life was like on board.

“The Sinking” was when Titanic hit the iceberg and we heard survivor stories and also saw the list of names of those who were lost and those who survived. We saw an original life jacket.

“Never Again” discussed the measures put into place to prevent this from happening again. We read and saw the inquiries that took place as to what happened on board.

“Ballard’s Quest” was about the period of years when Dr. Ballard searched to find the wreckage of the Titanic. “The Ship of Dreams” had the scaled model of the ship and more artifacts. The suspended model was located on the exact site where the RMS Titanic was built.

Scaled suspended model of the RMS Titanic

“The Lasting Legacy” explored how the Titanic impacted Belfast and future maritime safeguards. You can also pose as Jack and Rose from the movie Titanic. We didn’t plan on taking any photos but as we were walking by a couple asked us to take their pictures and then they said they would take a picture of us. How could we say no?

We walked across to tour the SS Nomadic. It was a tender ship of the RMS Titanic and the last vessel of the White Star Line in existence.

The ship was built by Harland & Wolff in Belfast. It is 230 feet long and 37 feet wide. It was specifically crafted to carry passengers and cargo between the shore and larger ships. It carried 142 first-class and 30 second-class passengers to the RMS Titanic at Cherbourg on April 10th, 1912. It was in service for 57 years. Besides carrying passengers and cargo to larger liners it also served as a tender carrying troops during both World Wars and was a minesweeper. Its last 30 years was spent as a floating restaurant and party venue in Paris. Then she went into disrepair and was returned to Belfast for scrapping in 2006. Instead of being scrapped she was fully restored!

The bar in the SS Nomadic and the original clock is set to the time the SS Nomadic last saw the Titanic.

After our time at the Titanic Experience we checked into our hotel and our group met up at the hotel’s bar on the 23rd floor. Today was one of our couple’s anniversary so we toasted them with a drink. The views below are from the bar looking out at the capital city of Belfast.

Tomorrow we are heading to Derry with stops along the way.

Heart & Soul of Ireland- Day 3

Wednesday, May 13th, 2026

Our day started meeting our guide for a tour of Trinity College. She was a student who had finished her studies and was getting ready to graduate. We met her in front of Library Square. She was full of energy and information.

Trinity College is the home to the Book of Kells and the Old Library (Long Room). It was founded in 1592 by royal charter from Queen Elizabeth 1. It is the oldest Ireland university with continuous operation. Some of its famous alumni are Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift, and Samuel Beckett.

At the juction of Library Square and Parliament Square was a monument to William Edward Hartpole Lecky. It was erected in 1906 and the bronze cast was by Sir William Gascombe. Lecky was a prominent English language historian of his time.

Near Lecky’s monument is the college’s Campanile (bell tower). It stands 100 feet and is located in the center of the Parliament Square. It was constructed in 1853 and the corner statues represent Divinity, Science, Medicine, and Law.

Trinity College’s Campanile (Bell tower)

The Debating Chamber is located in this building. The Hist (College Historical Society) was founded in 1770 and The Phil (University Philosophical Society) was founded in 1683. The Phil meets weekly and values free speech. The Hist also meets weekly and debates political and controversial issues. It would have been quite an experience to attend one of the debates.

Below are pictures from the Trinity College Dublin Museum building. It is home to the Geology Discipline.

College Park is a cricket field on the grounds of Trinity College.

Samuel Beckett theater on the Trinity College Campus

We visited the Book of Kells which was located in the Old Library. It is a 9th century gospel manuscript written in Latin at a Columban monastery in Scotland. It includes the four Gospels of the new testament. It began with an exhibition entitled “Turning Darkness into Light”. It explains the history and symbolism of the Book of Kells manuscript as well as how the vellum and pigments were made. It was a great introduction.

The pictures below were taken in the exhibition. No photos were allowed when we visited the Book of Kells which was open to pages from the Gospel of Luke. The pages are turned several times per year for conservation purposes.

After our visit to the Book of Kells we went upstairs to the Long Room. It housed over 200,000 of the library’s oldest books in oak bookcases. Due to the redevelopment project of the Old Library the books were removed, cleaned, tagged digitally and relocated to an off-site, climate controlled storage facility to stop the deterioration of the ancient paper and leather. Once the redevelopment project has been completed, the collections will be returned to the library shelves.

A gem in the Long Room was the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic which was read outside the General Post Office on April 24, 1916 by Patrick Pearse at the start of the Easter Rising.

Installed in the Old Library is an illuminated artwork called Gaia. It features NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface. It floats in 3 dimensions as it might be viewed from space.

After our tour of Trinity College we decided to get some lunch before heading for our Guinness Brewery tour. On the way we passed the Oscar Wilde Memorial Sculpture. It is a life-sized statue. He stood 6′ 3″ and was depicted at age 40. He was dressed in his famous smoking jacket and is carved from solid jade. His face is happy on the left side and sad on the right side. He is sitting on a 35 ton quartz boulder.

We checked in at the St. James Gate at Guinness to begin our tour! Guinness beer began in 1759 by Arthur Guinness. The Storehouse tour covers 7 floors and ends at the Gravity Bar.

Below are some of the views from the Gravity Bar looking out at Dublin.

The Gravity Bar gives 360˚ views of the city and the tour includes a pint of Guinness!

When we finished our Guinness tour we headed back to our hotel because we needed to get ready for our Celtic Nights Show & 3 course Traditional Irish Dinner at the Arlington Hotel.

The eleven of us getting ready for food and Irish entertainment!

A short example of one of the dance numbers with the band. The dancers and the band were very good.

After the show we walked back to our hotel.

Tomorrow morning we meet our driver/guide and say goodbye to Dublin!

Heart & Soul of Ireland- Day 1 & 2

Monday, May 11th, 2026 and Tuesday, May 12th, 2026

We are SO excited to finally be leaving for Ireland. It has been on our bucket list for several years.

This morning eleven of us left home for the airport for our first flight to JFK airport in New York.

Ten of us had this van and driver for our transportation to the airport.

Our flight was on time!

Due to flight changes we had over seven hours before our flight to Ireland. Luckily we were able to visit the Delta Sky Lounge. We were able to relax, eat, and drink in comfort!

Our flight to Ireland was delayed thirty minutes but it was a fairly smooth over night flight.

Below are our first glimpses of Ireland!

**One of our travelers, Jeff, at the Dublin sign.**

Our hotel in Dublin was the Academy Plaza hotel. Our rooms were ready when we arrived so we were able to freshen up before we began to explore the city of Dublin.

We were all hungry so we found a pub and had a delicious meal at Madigan’s.

After twenty four hours of traveling we still were full of smiles!

After some nourishment we purchased tickets for Dublin’s Hop On Hop Off Bus to give us an overview of the city. It is a good way to see the sights and know what to go back to explore.

Dublin is known for its Georgian style architecture and we saw many examples. Georgian buildings were constructed mainly between 1714 and 1830, which included four kings all named George. These buildings were symmetrical and balanced with smaller windows on the top floor.

We passed by Dublinia, a historical Viking and Medieval Museum of the city of Dublin. It is part of Dublin’s Christ Church Cathedral, known as Synod Hall.

St. Audoen’s Church is located in the walled medieval city of Dublin. It’s the only remaining medieval parish church in the capital.

Phoenix Park is one of the largest enclosed public parks in Europe. Originally in the 1660s it was a royal hunting park. It covers 1,752 acres.

Located in the park is the Wellington Monument. It is a granite obelisk designed by Sir Robert Smirke to commemorate Arthur Wellesley’s victories. The foundation stone was laid in 1817 and it was completed in 1861. It has 4 sides and each side contains a bronze plaque cast from cannons captured at Waterloo.

The gates missing were original cast-iron and some say the gates were misplaced in storage. Others believe the iron was sold off.

The Father Theobald Mathew Statue commemorates his founding of the Temperance Movement. He was an Irish Catholic priest known as the Apostle of Temperance in the 19th century. He advocated complete abstinence from alcohol.

The Spire of Dublin is located on O’Connell St., the main thoroughfare of the city. It was unveiled in 2002 and stands 390 feet high and made of stainless steel.

Many people find The Spire to be an eyesore and doesn’t fit in with Dublin’s architecture.

The windows commemorate the birthplace of Oscar Wilde. He was a famous author, poet and playwright. There is a plaque below the windows noting this event. He was born on October 16th, 1854 in Dublin, Ireland.

We went by the Guinness Brewery. It was founded in 1759 in Dublin by Arthur Guinness. It is the most popular beer brand in Ireland. We will do a tour tomorrow!

One of the buildings of the Guinness Brewery and at the top of this building is the Gravity Bar!

After our Hop On Hop Off experience we walked along O’Connell St. We visited some stores and part of group bought their Ireland made Aran sweater. After shopping we headed back to our hotel. On the way back we saw the Dublin Portal. It was installed in May, 2024. It was a public art installation and was real-time 24/7 video livestream that connected cities across the globe. It is a visual bridge that originally connected Dublin and New York with a live video stream that showed New Yorkers the Spire. And in New York it was broadcast from the Flatiron Building. Now it switches locations every so often.

It has been a very long day of overnight travel with little to no sleep and walking around Dublin. We headed back to our hotel where we had a light meal and called it an early evening! Tomorrow will be another day of exploring the city!

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

February 8th- February 11th, 2026

We spent two and a half days at an all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. It was a reward for Dave’s hard work in 2025! This was our first experience with an all-inclusive resort. We left on a 6:00 AM flight for Charlotte, NC and then a quick transfer for our flight to Punta Cana. We landed around noon. It was sunny and in the 70s!

As we deplaned and headed toward customs, the halls had displays of the costumes worn during the annual Punta Cana Carnival. It featured over 1500 national and international performers. More than 20,000 people attend each year.

We met our ride to the resort after going through Customs.

Our rooms weren’t ready yet so we left our luggage and went to the buffet for lunch. After lunch we checked in at the lobby to receive our room keys.

The Riu Palace Punta Cana was a 24-hour all inclusive resort located on the Arena Gorda beach. It had over 600 rooms, multiple pools, entertainment, a spa, gym and a Splash Water World Water Park.

Our room was very nice and large with a nice balcony and big bathroom!

The weather was perfect for enjoying the balcony after spending a day at the pool/beach!

We had a nice view outside our room balcony.

The beach and ocean were inviting. The red flag was flying each of the days that we were here.

We spent a lot of time at the adult only pool.

The night we arrived was the Super Bowl. The resort set up a big screen at one of the outdoor bars for people to enjoy the game!

On Wednesday we left the resort for our flight home. In the airport was a Caribbean Canvas and Coffee Art Exhibition. It gave us something to enjoy as we walked through the Punta Cana airport.

We left the Dominican Republic on time.

Goodbye Punta Cana, Dominican Republic! We enjoyed a relaxing few days!

Warmth and Sunshine

January, 2026

After Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas we left on New Year’s eve for four weeks in Indian Shores, Florida! We packed up our dog, some clothes, and left. We split the drive into two days. We stayed in Columbia, South Carolina at a pet friendly hotel.

Matilda in the back seat and on our way!

We arrived in Indian Shores and our VRBO accommodations around dinner time. Our place was on the second floor and our balcony faced the Gulf of Mexico. After the car was unloaded we enjoyed our first sunset!

Our days were spent exploring the area, sitting and reading on the beach, and walks on the beach, and enjoying the sunshine. Matilda, our dog, enjoyed her walks along the sidewalks. Pets were not allowed on the beach! Matilda didn’t mind as long as she got at least 3 walks a day. We’ve included some of the highlights during our stay!

If we went out to dinner we tried to find restaurants with patios that allowed dogs. One restaurant was Caddy’s. Dave said the seafood was delicious.

It was another beautiful sunset!

Matilda was not interested! 🙂

Some of the area was still recovering from Hurricane Helene which hit this area in late September, 2025 as a category 4! Next to us the damage was visible. We saw homes and small hotels that are still uninhabitable, as well as empty lots where only the foundations were left and businesses that didn’t survive.

There were two pools here and now sand completely filled them in! You can still see the fences that were torn loose and scattered.

We took Matilda to a dog friendly park, Sand Key Park and walked along the paths. She enjoyed that adventure.

You can’t beat the sunsets!

On one of our walks we stopped and saw the monument that honored the indigenous residents, the Tocobaga Indians, of the town. The sculpture showed a Tocobaga Indian fisherman with two other family members and a baby.

When enjoying a day at the beach you never know what you might see. It was different seeing a floating billboard when we looked up from our reading! Another day wedding pictures being taken!

Many days the beach was ours with not another person around!

While we were enjoying a beautiful sunset during our last week in Florida, central Ohio was getting 12″ of snow!

New York City

September, 2025

Life has been busy so we need to catch up on our adventures since we returned from Italy! We made a quick trip to see our two youngest grandkids. Then it was off to “The Big Apple”, New York City for a few days. We took our dog sitter (our sister) as a thank you for keeping our dog during our long trip in Italy!

We had an early morning flight, took a cab to our hotel where we stored our luggage and set off to explore the city. We enjoyed lunch at the Stardust Diner where the help sings while you enjoy your food. It was quite entertaining.

The Ryder Cup was telecasted live at the Rockefeller Plaza. We stopped and took in the festivities for a while. Then we went to the “Top of the Rock” because it was such a clear day. The views were spectacular.

Late afternoon we headed to our hotel to check in and clean up for our first Broadway show, Maybe Happy Ending! We understood why it received six Tony awards!

On our second day in the city we had 2 shows, Death Becomes Her and MJ: The Musical! This morning we walked through Central Park. The matinee performance of Death Becomes Her was wonderful. We experienced the show with the lead actors and it was very entertaining!

After the matinee we found a bar to watch the Ohio State Buckeye football game. In the bar we met other fans!

Watching the game after our show and before our next show!

This evening we saw MJ: the Musical! The singing and dancing was outstanding! The audience was into the show!

On our third day in New York City we visited the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. It was perfect weather to take the first ferry over to see her.

The Statue of Liberty was gifted to the United States by France to commemorate their alliance. It was dedicated in 1886 in New York Harbor. The French sculptor, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi designed the statue and it was built by Gustave Eiffel’s company. After our visit to “Miss Liberty” we took the ferry over to Ellis Island.

Ellis Island had more than 12 million immigrants pass through its doors from 1892 to 1954. Inside were exhibits about the immigration process that happened here.

We explored more of the city and this evening we had tickets to see & Juliet. It was a musical that looks at Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet with Juliet not dying but lived and took control of her life. The musical featured existing music. It was another enjoyable show.

After the show we visited Lillie’s Victorian Establishment that went all out for Halloween! It was a fun place to have a drink! Below are just a few of the decorations around the bar. There was so much more to see!

On our last day in New York we took the “Big Bus” to see more of the city. It gave our tired legs and feet a rest!

From our hotel the Garment District was a short walk. It’s a historic neighborhood. We saw many fabric stores, design shops, sewing machines and trimming stores. It was great window shopping.

We went in Mood Fabrics. My sister watched Project Runway and knew about this fabric store. It was an amazing store with 40,000 square feet over 3 floors of fabrics, trims, notions, and much more.

This evening we saw an Off Broadway show called “Singfeld! A Musical About Nothing“. It was in a small theater and was a parody of the popular TV show Seinfeld. If you hadn’t watched the TV show then this musical would not have made much sense.

The next morning we said goodbye to NYC!

Italy- Vino, Views & Vacation Vibes: Day 17 & 18

Friday, September 12th, 2025

This morning we had tickets to visit St. Mark’s Campanile (Bell Tower of St. Mark’s Basilica).

The first campanile was built in the 9th century. The campanile was where Galileo Galilei showcased his improved telescope in August, 1609. He demonstrated it to Venetian lawmakers from the top.

It suddenly collapsed in 1902 because of weakened cracks and water seepage. Its reconstruction was completed in 1912. It was 323 feet high and the tallest structure in Venice.

An elevator took us up or one could climb the 323 steps. Lucky for us the steps were not an option! We had unobstructed views of Venice.

After our visit up St. Mark’s Campanile we went on a gondola ride. Our gondolier was Alvese. He had only been driving for a few months.

The gondolas and gondoliers had been around since the 11th century. Two hundred years ago there were 10,000 gondolas in Venice and now that number had dwindled to a little over 400. Single oars were used both to propel and to steer the boats. A gondola was built with a curved bit on one side so that the oar thrusting from that side allowed the gondola in a straight line.

The gondola was 35 feet long and about 5 feet wide. They were always painted black and each was unique in its inside trim.

It was a great experience and a different perspective of Venice from the canals. Below was a slideshow of some of our highlights from our ride.

This afternoon we took the ferry to the island of Lido. Lido sat between the Adriatic Sea and the Venetian lagoon and it was a 7 mile island.

It was a beautiful day to walk around the island. We had to be careful when we walked around the town because it had cars and buses. We walked along the main street called Gran Viale Santa Maria Elisabetta.

We passed the Grande Albergo Ausonia & Hungaria hotel. It was built in 1905 and was a 5-star luxury hotel.

The Grand Hotel des Bains was built in 1900 to attract wealthy tourists. It was a luxury hotel that many movie stars would stay at during the Venice Film Festival. It closed in 2010 for a planned conversion into luxury condominium apartment complex. As we walked by we could see that it was still awaiting renovation.

The Venice Film Festival ended two days before we arrived in Venice. This prestigious film festival was held in Lido. The Venice Film Festival was started in 1932 and it was the oldest film festival!

We walked to the Des Bains 1900 Beach Club which was a luxurious huge beach. It had two entrances and five different sections. You can rent a lounge chair or a cabana that was a private thatched roof with loungers, a table, and chairs. We also offered two restaurants and a bar/cafe.

We also stopped by the Bluemoon The Beach of Venice. It was another popular beach.

The Lighthouse of San Nicolò was a red lighthouse at the edge of the Venetian Lagoon. It was built in the late 19th century.

We stopped for a late lunch at Al Cavaliere Restaurant in Lido before heading back to Venice. We sat out on the patio and had a delicious meal.

Cheers to a great Italy vacation!

Saturday, September 13th, 2005

This morning we checked out of our Venice hotel and took a water taxi to the airport.

Taking off from the Marco Polo airport and flying over the island of Venice and its surrounding islands.

Our flight from Venice to Atlanta, Georgia was on time. We went through Customs in Atlanta and a few hours later we had a flight to Columbus.

We arrived home around 10:30 PM. It was a long day but a fantastic vacation!

Italy- Vino, Views & Vacation Vibes: Day 16

Thursday, September 11th, 2025

This morning as we walked down the steps to the restaurant we passed one of the sitting rooms and discovered an exhibition of glass birds. We stopped to admire them and found out that in a few days the Venice Glass Week would begin. It’s held in September and this was the 9th edition of this international festival. The glass week was established to promote the art of glassmaking. It attracted 165,000 visitors and was held in 130 venues around Venice, Murano, and Mestre.

In our hotel was the exhibition of Anna Paola Cibin called “From Glass to Silk”. It would display her tapestries and her Funny Birds glass sculptures. Only the Funny Birds had been displayed so far.

After breakfast we walked from our hotel to the Grand Canal to catch a ferry to visit the island Torcello.

Torcello had a population of about 10 permanent residents. It was one of the earliest settlements in the Venetian lagoon and was first settled in 452 AD. When we arrived to Torcello we followed the walking path into the historic center.

We passed the Devil’s Bridge (Ponte del Diavolo). It was a 15th century stone footbridge with no railings and it crossed over the island’s many canals. It was restored in 2009.

The bridge’s name came from a local legend. There were variations but basically a young girl from Venice fell in love with an Austrian soldier during the Austrian occupation in Venice. Her parents didn’t approve so they sent the girl from Venice. She heard news that her soldier had been murdered. She was lost in despair and a family friend told her to go visit a witch he knew who could help her. The witch was happy to help her and she made a pact with the devil. The witch was to get the devil 7 souls of 7 Christian children who died prematurely for the Austrian’s life! They agreed to meet at the Devil’s Bridge on Torcello Island. Long story short, the girl met her love and the witch died so the devil never got any children’s souls!

The Byzantine cathedral of Santa Maria dell Assunta was built in 639 AD. It was the oldest surviving building in the Venetian lagoon.

Exterior of St Maria Assunta with ruined Baptistry.

The Campanile or bell tower that belonged to the Cathedral of Santa Maria dell Assunta was built in 1008. It was free-standing, square bell tower that stood 180 feet. The bells, from the 15th century, were still used today.

The Campanile of Santa Maria dell Assunta

Ernest Hemingway lived on Torcello in 1948 to write and hunt birds. He was in Venice but wanted to leave its party scene. It was said that he climbed the bell tower with his binoculars to look around the island and to figure out where he would live next.

The Church of Santa Fosca was located next to the cathedral. It was built in the 12th century.

The church was domed with a portico that was built on a Greek cross plan. It had marble Greek style Corinthian columns that supported the slanting wood roof.

The Museo Provinciale di Torcello (museum) had archaeological artifacts and medieval art. It was in the original Council Chamber and Archives called the Palazzo del Consiglio (14th century).

Unfortunately it was closed the day we were there but we did explore all of the artifacts outside the building. The museum and the outside display were not all from the island of Torcello. Some items were donated.

There also was an ancient stone chair, known as Attila’s Throne. It was more likely the podestà’s (the highest civil office holder) or bishop’s chair/seat where these magistrates were inaugurated.

After our exploration of the island we took the ferry back to Venice. We decided to go up to the solarium of our hotel and drink our last bottle of Verona wine!

It was such a good evening we stayed up there and watched the sunset over Venice!

It was another great day in Italy.

Italy- Vino, Views & Vacation Vibes: Day 15

Wednesday, September 10th, 2025

Our first stop this morning was the island of Murano. It was located in the lagoon of Venice and about a mile from the city. Murano consisted of 247 acres and this was made up of seven small islands linked together by bridges. We reached the island by boat.

As we approached the island we passed the Faro Lighthouse. It was built in 1912 and stood about 115 feet tall. The lighthouse was still in operation.

Murano was first a fishing port and by the late 13th century began its legend as the island of glassmakers. These glassmakers came from Venice to continue their glass making. The extreme heat from the furnaces needed to make glass was too dangerous to have in the wooden Venetian buildings.

At the New Murano Gallery we saw a glass demonstration from one of their master glassblowers. The hand-blown craftmanship was passed down through the generations of these masters.

The vase was so hot that it burned a piece of paper. You would not want to touch it.

After the glass demonstrations we visited in the glass gallery where we saw some amazing Murano glass pieces. Of course pictures weren’t allowed inside but outside the gallery they had displayed glass objects.

After our visit to Murano we boarded a boat for the island of Burano. This island was known for its colorful houses and lacemaking.

Burano became important in the 16th century when women began making lace with needles. In 1872 a school of lacemaking opened. Now only a few make lace the traditional manner because it was very time consuming and expensive. We visited the Merletti “dalla Olga” (Olga Lace) and a lacemaker visited the shop and gave us a demonstration.

Burano was considered to be in the top ten of the most colorful islands in the world. People who lived on the island had to get permission to paint their home and the color.

Burano was also known for the bussolà, a donut-shaped cake. They also baked buranelli which was “S” shaped. In the past the wives of fisherman prepared these simple, shortbread cookies when their husbands were headed fishing for a long period. These were a nutritious snack for the sailors. The pastry bakery below was well-known for their bussolà, buranelli, and other baked goods. Of course we purchased the bussolà and a gluten free pastry and enjoyed our treats.

We saw Burano’s leaning bell tower was built in the 17th century. It was completely scaffolding when we visited. The tower inclined about 6 feet off of its axis and stood 174 feet. Even being covered we could see the incline.

II Campanile Sorto of St. Martin’s Church

It was a great day exploring Murano and Burano.

Dave and Kay's Travel Adventures

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