Another short train ride finds us in Florence.....

Before lunch time !

We check into our hotel and then walk into town and start exploring at the area around the Duomo. Florence is so compact that in the following day and a half we feel we have explored fairly well and even spent the morning exploring the Uffizi museum and a special Caravaggio exhibit. The former home of the Medici’s makes a splendid museum. There was also a Christmas market in the piazza in front of Santa Croce for us to explore where they made fresh cooked hot dough rolls which were coated in cinnamon and Liam got a pot of hot nutella to dip it in as well, yumm!

In the afternoon we took a horse-drawn carriage ride through the old cobble-stone streets of the ancient city centre.

Madison, Callum and I decide to climb the 568 steps into the Dome of the Duomo and are rewarded with wonderful views over the terracotta roof-scape of Florence as we watch the sun set on our second day in Florence.

There was a fabulous rustic little restaurant a few doors from our hotel which served a great dinner and we ended up eating there two nights running. The snow covered outdoor tables were in the courtyard garden of that restaurant.

The second morning we decide to take backstreets into town and walk through a very extensive market selling leather-wares and all manner of Florentine handicrafts. We found a fabulous kitchenware shop where I bought some lovely coffee pots for real Italian espresso and also a shop where Callum got his first watch (he starts High School next year so it was about time ha ha ). I found a great shop which sold their own factory made leather hand bags and bought ….well, shall we just say… a few!

The snow had started to fall as we reached the market and over the course of the day it got heavier and heavier and heavier until there was a full foot of fresh powdery snow- heaviest snowfall in 25 years in Florence.

It was bitterly cold , well below zero as we explored the city. The plan had been to head across Ponte Vecchio and up the hill to the lookout but as we crossed the river Arno we realized the visibility was very poor so we headed back into town instead. The kids had a blast frolicking (read that as.. rolling around) in the snow. I took mountains more photos as we watched the light fade on a magical Florentine day. Everything pretty much closed up early as even the locals were excited by the snowfall. One of the churches near the city centre (San Lorenzo) had a wonderful little cherub projected on the façade which completely captivated me. The steps of that same church which the day before had been boring old steps were transformed into a great slope for the boys to tumble down now that they were under a foot of snow. (I gave you before and after photos here so you can get the idea! don't ask me which one of my crazy boys was tumbling down the steps in that photo- all three had a great time)

We finished the day back at the hotel trying to get some of their clothes dry and repacking the suitcases to accommodate our new purchases.

Tomorrow we will find out the "down-side" of the magical Florence snow day!

Then by train, bus and vaporetto to Venice…..

For reasons I am still not entirely sure of it was not possible to get a train direct from Vienna to Venice and instead we had to take the train to a town near the border then change to a bus for the balance of the jourmey. Once again it all went smoothly and the train journey through the Alps was very beautiful.

We arrived late afternoon in the train station near Venice and a vaporetto ride had us at our hotel within an hour. We were fortunate enough to book a newly renovated very old residence on one of the canals (complete with rather slopey flooring and exposed beam ceilings- the shuttered windows of our room opened directly onto the canal) and an easy 5 minute walk from Piazza San Marco. We wandered out in the early evening and found our way to a little restaurant for dinner – complete with a dog at the next table!

Our kids, all seriously missing Jasper at that time, went all ga-ga for the dog whilst Dad bristled at the idea of a dog being inside the restaurant. But hey, when in Rome......(or at least Venice!)

I was awake early the next morning so took myself out for a sunrise photographic expedition – Venice in the predawn morning is pure M.A.G.I.C- so whilst the family peacefully slept I wandered and snapped away.

When I returned to the hotel we had a buffet breakfast and then headed to the Doges Palace and did the tour. In the afternoon we took Callum to find his model knights – his pre-planned souvenir from the trip. The balance of the next couple of days were spent exploring Venice, wandering the streets, the Rialto Bridge and late one afternoon doing a gondola ride through the canals.

One morning the kids saved some bread rolls from breakfast and we headed to Piazza San Marco to hand feed the pigeons- it was brilliant. Having only visited Venice during the day before it was a pleasant change to see the city without the overload of tourists (yes, I know, we were tourists!!! But you know what I mean). On our last evening we walked across to the front of the Doges Palace and took advantage of the dusk lighting for some more photo magic. We were surprised by a visit from Santa complete with an elderly St Bernard and a sleigh. Santa gave Riley a plaster nativity scene and a certificate (in Italian) with a picture of the Pope and a wax seal . Riley rushed back to ask for one for his brother "pleeeease" and so Liam was thrilled he got one also.

Early then next morning we took a vaporetto back along the Grand Canal and headed to the train station once again.