Happy Birthday to me! I celebrated in Venice, Italy!

What's a better way to celebrate a 30-something lame birthday than to go to Venice, Italy before the start of a 7-day Mediterranean cruise? It's the only thing that makes turning a year older bearable in my opinion.

Anyways, we decided to take a fairly last minute Med. cruise to Croatia, Greece and Turkey. Since Justin's parents were planning on coming to visit us in Spain, we decided to ask them to come along on the cruise. We were set to leave on our cruise from Venice, Italy so we flew in 2 days early to tour around Venice first. 3 of the 4 of us had already been so we knew what to see and do. What I was not prepared for was how crowded it was this time. The Piazza San Marco is a big plaza with a basilica and palace and is THE place to see when you go to Venice. I hardly remember it when I saw it in high school. This time...It was not fun. The crowds were stifling and the basilica was less than mediocre compared to many other churches of Europe. I rate it as one of the highest overated places on this planet. The canals and the side streets away from the tourist areas, however, did not disappoint. They were so charming and the food was excellent. Pizza Margherita is exactly as I remember it. Yum! I will break down the cruise by port cities so Venice is where we start. Enjoy!

*** Warning lots of pics***

Over the Grand Canal-the main artery through the city.


John and Mary Ann enjoying dinner on the Grand Canal.


This vacation consisted of O eating as much bread as possible.


Venice and strollers are not friends.


A quiet canal near our hotel.

Piazza San Marco. The guys at the top of the bell tower have been banging on it for 1000 years.


The Rialto Bridge. The first bridge over the Grand Canal. Now a crowded haven for souvenir shops.


O chasing some of the famed pigeons in the Piazza San Marco.


A taste of the throng of tourists here. The line to the left is to get into the basilica.


Another quaint canal off the main thoroughfare.


The happy Boyd's enjoying Venice.


A view of the Grand Canal from our hotel room...if you crane your head way out:)


Our water taxi to the cruise ship. O loved it!


O and her Mama enjoying the ride to the port.

O stopping to look out from the deck of the cruise ship.


A view of the Piazza San Marco from our cruise ship. We floated by on our way out to sea.


Ready for the cruise! Next stop...Dubrovnik, Croatia.