San Marco Square in Venice, Italy: A Basilica, A Campanile and A Clock

If you are a first-time visitor to Venice, Italy, and are wondering where to start when touring around this fascinating city, my recommendation is to begin in the iconic Piazza San Marco - also known as Saint Mark's Square - a wide, open-air plaza surrounded by many of Venice's key attractions. From the square, you can easily access the famous Basilica di San Marco, the towering Campanile, the unusual Astrological Clock, along with many museums, including the Doge's Palace.

In fact, you could easily spend a couple of days exploring what San Marco Square has to offer!

When we visited Venice, Italy in October of 2018, we only had three days to experience the entire city, and so we chose to spend just one day in San Marco Square. This post will focus on our tour of the Basilica, the ride up to the top of the Campanile, and the Astrological Clock. To read more on the Doge's Palace, you will need to read my future blog post about it.

Visit a 12th Century Monastery on Miami Beach

One of the last things I expected to explore while visiting Miami Beach in Florida was a 12th century monastery, ancient and grand amid the hustle and bustle of swimsuit clad tourists. However, that is exactly what I found myself doing last October.

The Coastal Town of Vik, Iceland

The Ring Road around Iceland, although shown to be 'skirting' the coast on a map, is in reality quite a distance from the actual coast line.  While driving the southern portion of the Ring Road (Route 1 if you want to be formal) from the capital city of Reykjavik, my husband and I first glimpsed the ocean from the road as we neared the town of Vik.

Journey to Antiquity: The Village of Assisi, Italy

If it weren't for the Black Plague, the lack of hygiene, the gigantic discrepancies between rich and poor, and the non-existence of most modern-day technologies, I think I would have fared very well during the medieval ages. The poetry was pretty good. Dresses were nice, if you were part of the nobility. I wouldn't have minded a knight in shining armor or two, as well.

Go on a Glasgow Walk-About in Scotland

“The great thing about Glasgow is that if there's a nuclear attack it'll look exactly the same afterwards.” 

Billy Connolly 

This is a direct quote from Billy Connolly, one of my favorite Scottish actors, a truly funny man, and a native of Glasgow, Scotland. His sentiments, which strongly insinuate that Glasgow is a bleak, ugly, grey city, were shared by many people that we talked to. Several people, some even from Scotland, raised their eyebrows when we informed them we’d planned two days in Glasgow during our tour of Scotland.  

City I Love Contest Entry - "Finding Florence"

I am not a leading expert on metropolitan lifestyle. I haven’t been to some of the most major cities in the world, cities like Tokyo, Los Angeles, or Munich, and can’t tell others definitively that “this” is the “best” city in the world. I am just a humble teacher and travel blogger, trying to experience life to the fullest.

But Florence is the best city in the world.

Visit Rosslyn Chapel from the Da Vinci Code Movie

I am a huge Da Vinci Code fan. I read the book when it first came out, before all the hype, and I remember telling Joey that it was going to be a hit because of its mind-blowing ending. But then I watched the movie and became an even bigger fan, particularly of the scene where Tom Hanks and Audrey Tatou visit Rosslyn Chapel. What a spectacular place, I thought! Wouldn't that be nice to visit?

The Catacombs of Rome

I am a morbid person, but not in a bad way - at least, I don't think. I am a morbid person in a 'historical fascination' way. I think graveyards are interesting, and went through a phase where I did grave rubbings or photographed really old or unusual headstones. I used to do cemetery tours as part of my museum job when I lived in Lethbridge, Alberta.

I like stories about how famous people died, or learning about the places they were buried at. When I went to Seattle, we had to make a special trip to visit the grave site of Jimi Hendrix, one of my favorite musicians. When I took my Junior High students to Paris, I convinced several of them to accompany me to the Paris catacombs to check out piles of bones.

How to Conquer Rome in 3 Days: Things to See and Do

Ah, Rome! How I miss thee! Rome is such a beautiful city, filled with fashion, fun, excitement, and steeped in history. I have written several times about Rome, Italy, in this blog (see posts on the Trevi Fountain, Vatican City, and the Coliseum.) This will be my last post on Rome, unless I have the luck and joy of visiting the city again.

There is so much more to see and do besides the places listed above. Granted, I found that the Coliseum is among one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in my life, but if you happen to be in Rome, be sure to explore beyond the Coliseum! It's not hard to do - actually, it's literally impossible not to see more sights.

Visit Vatican City, the Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica

I will admit it: I'm not a religious person. I am, at times, spiritual. Seeing a gorgeous sunset, viewing the world from a top a mountain, or tasting the salty sea air while lounging on a tropical beach all give me moments where I truly feel spiritual, like I am one with the universe. But I have never been, and most likely never will be, one for organized religion. This is not to say I consider it "bad" - it is just not for me. In fact, there are some things about organized religion that I admire, particularly religion's penchant for aesthetics and beauty. No matter what religion you study, you will always find that it breeds beauty in architecture, art, and music.