One time I had a vacation while I was living in Paris…
And I went to Venice, because I will always choose Italy.
And I met up with one of my dear friends there, even though our plans for connecting were so disjointed that it’s a miracle we found each other.
And I survived a Ryan Air flight to get there, which meant that I had one very small bag and a whole lot of gratitude.
And our hostel was perfect, nestled into a maze of narrow streets and twisted canals.
And we got lost all the time, never able to find a bridge when we needed one.
And we had no money, so all the fancy restaurants were out of grasp.
And it rained almost the entire time, soaking us from head to toe and reminding us that Venice is actively sinking into the sea.
But the rain was not stronger than the color.
And Venice will always remain etched in my memory in vibrant colors and perfect beauty.
And we are entering that gray time of year in DC, where rains beat away at the snow, turning the city to mud and mush, and the grass stubbornly refuses to take on any tint but brown.
And so I dug through my old files to find some of the pictures that I took from that trip because I wanted to remember it.
And I wanted to remember that the color will triumph over the dark and the dull and that beauty will eventually reclaim the world.
The Art in Life 
I just really love your writing. I look forward to your posts each week.
And those colors, what beauty!
Thank you so much! I enjoy writing them so I love that people enjoy reading them!
I can’t wait to go to Venice! It will be my first time. Do you have any advice? 🙂
I mean, partly because of poverty and partly because of what we liked doing, we basically just walked around taking in the beauty. A lot of these pictures are actually from the islands of Murano and Burano, a short boat ride away and it was one of my very favorite parts!
Murano and Burano? I’ll try my best to make my way to see these places! They look beautiful. I think walking around taking in the beauty of places beats going on a tour and seeing the very superficial side. I look forward to reading more of your posts! I will be in Europe, Spain and UK this summer so I’ll post up some photos as well. 🙂
Gorgeous photos! We loved Venice.
XOXO,
Lauren
http://www.elliehickey.com
How could you not? Sometimes I hear of people hating it and I just get really confused.
I LOVE Venice! Spent a week there in 2012. Italy is beautiful but I’d really love to visit France (since I took 6 years of French back in the day). Love the pictures!
Go to France!!! I mean, as much as I love Italy and always went there for vacations, France will always have my whole heart and soul.
How beautiful! Italy tops my list of dream places to travel. Have you read ‘A Month of Italy’ by Chris Brady? I bet you would love it.
No but now I want to!
Your writing is beautiful and engaging. And the photos are breathtaking. To color!
Amen- to color!!!!!!
i adore venice, it’s one of my favorite cities on earth! i am italian and even though i don’t live in italy i have found ways to go there a few times and just this summer i am planning to go there with friends. but we are not even eighteen and we are broke so it sounds like we will most likely be dining take out pizza slices and sitting on the little bridges steps and walking a lot. and i’m not complaining. (even though some of the expensive restaurants there are really really good)
lovely lovely pictures:)
So jealous that you get to go back this summer!! And hey — we totally lived off pizza eaten under whatever shelter we could find. We were also cheap and just took the water taxi for a couple hours one night instead of a gondola. Still amazing!
beautiful writing, stunning photos! definitely fuel for my unrealized venice dreams…
: ) Thanks!
Love, love, love your Venice pictures! I went there last May and was captivated by all the boats and water as you obviously were, too! Thank you for bringing up happy memories and for the visual escape in the middle of a cold winter.
The water just makes the whole city seem magical. Stay strong for the rest of winter!
Love, love, love your Venice pictures! I went there last May and was captivated by the boats and water as you obviously were, too! Thank you for the happy memories and a welcome visual escape in this cold winter.
Oh my gosh, Venice is so beautiful, even if it’s overcast! One of my dream places to visit one day.
Maybe it is my French lit loving soul, but I kind of love dreary days (in moderation). And it made us appreciate the color all the more!
These photos are wonderful! I feel entranced by the scenes you captured. I wish I could visit Venice now.
Thank you so much! Add it to a someday list!
Love your photographs always, Hannah!
Right back at you girl!
The shot of colour was exactly what I needed today!
Every day needs a shot of color!
Now Venice is on my list of places to some day go. Thanks for sharing these gorgeous photos.
It is totally worth the trip — even prettier than these photos make it seem!
Absolutely beautiful I like the way this post focuses only on the good, the bright and cheerful side of things. Keep posting girl!
Thanks! I am a pretty big fan of the bright and cheerful side of thing!