Bastille Day

7/14
Happy Bastille Day!! What is Bastille Day? It is France’s Independence Day. I missed not being able to celebrate the 4th of July at home, but with the red, white and blue everywhere in Paris, and a spectacular firework show at the Eiffel Tower, I don’t feel the loss quite so badly.

Other than it being Bastille Day, we still where able to do a handful of things in Paris. It was like movie scene day. First we stopped at the Cathedral of Notre Dame so we could check out the inside, then we hiked to reach the Sacred Heart Basilica which sits on a hill that over looks Paris. The views of the city were splendid.

Hiking down the hill we made our way to the Moulin Rouge. It was just fun to see. After that we walked down to the Paris Opera house where Phantom was filmed. The opera house was spectacular! It is one of my favorite things I’ve see thus far.

If that wasn’t enough eye candy from Paris, we walked over to the Eiffel Tower, or at least as close as we could get, to enjoy the fireworks. It was amazing to see all the people crowded around the tower in celebration of Bastille Day.

Paris

7/13
Bonjour! Our first day in Paris was better than I anticipated. I thought the sleepless train ride would take a bigger toll. We were able to get into our hotel rooms and relax a little before heading over to the Eiffel Tower which is a 5 min walk away! There we did several sketches of the tower and then headed back to the hotel to relax and get settled properly.

In the evening we went to the Cathedral of Notre Dame which was beautiful. We then traveled on foot down the Seine River to where we meet to go on a boat tour of Paris. Paris sparkled in the night as we sailed down the river and back. The Eiffel Tower was particularly stunning when lit up. The river also had so many lovely buildings that line its banks.

Train Ride

7/12
We took an overnight train from Venice to Paris. The ride was around 12 hours long and we had sleeping cabins so we could just sleep most of the way to Paris.

Let me just say that I will never by choice take an overnight train again. I have slept better in a vehicle!

The pictures show my cabin mates, the exit signage, and proof that even a water bottle was better to sleep on than what was on the train.

Venice

7/11
Our last full day in Venice before we head to Paris. What a great day it was. In the morning our group went to the Mazzega Murano glass factory. We were able to see one of their artisans craft a vase and figurine of a horse with the hot molten glass in a matter of minutes.

Inside there showroom there were so many gorgeous blown glass chandeliers and other incredible sculptures. I found one piece of art that I would love in my house, but I’m sure in cost a few thousand euros.

After the glass factory we got on the water taxi to St. Marks. This church has incredible gold mosaics covering the ceilings. Again no cameras were allowed so you’ll have to google St. Marks to see the ceilings.

Once back to the hotel I took a nice long nap and then got ready for dinner and gondola ride. Venice was so beautiful so see from the gondola.

Rubelli & Fortuny Fabrics

7/10
Starting our day at 9 am was very nice. We began with a tour of Rubelli fabrics. At Rubelli we saw a collection a antique fabrics, some dating back to the 1400s. Rubelli fabrics are used most often in the grand castles in Europe. The fabrics are beautiful with fantastic patterns anc colors. The Rubelli showroom in housed in an old Venetian Palace that sits on the main canal. The palace itself was wonderful to see too.

Fortuny, anther artisan fabric company was our next stop after lunch. I was not familiar with what distinguished a Fortuny fabrics, but now I can identify and appreciate the skill and beauty of these textiles. At Fortuny they never create new patterns, rather they rotate though their large archive of patterns that were created by the founder. The fabrics themselves are dyed with a secret process that leaves the color with a somewhat marbled appearance and then the fabrics have a design printed on them. The fabrics truly are exquisite!

Venice

7/9
Today we took a train from Florence to Venice. We arrived at our hotel which was very nice. Once we were settled into our hotel, we walked around the city and took pictures.

Everywhere you look in Venice there is something beautiful to see. The bridges crossing the water, quaint buildings that have aged with crumbled facades, and the waterways add to the city’s charm.

Florence

7/8
This was our free day in Florence. I was so tired after having done so much. Today I took it easy by sleeping in til 11:00am and then going shopping. I found some cool shorts that I can’t wait to wear.

For lunch Laura and I stopped in an grocery store and picked up some crackers and asiago cheese. I didn’t feel like being brave again and risk getting a cheese I would like. The cheese and crackers were yummy. We even tried some chocolate candy bars with hazel nut and apricot flavoring. Tasty!

Later that night a group of us hiked back up to the view point across the river to do some sketching. We got there just as the sun was setting and the city looked pretty with the sunset behind it. The more ornate classical architecture is lovely and add to the quaint character.