October 8,2023

We woke to another glorious day in Venice and enjoyed another yummy breakfast.

Timmy loves his bread.
Can you really have too many photos of the pool?
Allesando, wonderful concierge that he is, arranged for Fabio to take us over to Burano.

Burano is an island on the northern part of the lagoon.

Here he is…the king of my world💙
The ride to Burano took about 40 minutes …40 minutes of heaven.
Fabio drove us around the entire Island…allowing for many photos.
Fabio was a wealth of information, he’s lived in Venice his entire life and has worked at Cipriani for more than 20 years. Here he is explaining … something.
The first thing you notice about Burano are the colorful homes and store fronts.
You know things are getting real when Timmy turns his cap around 💙
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A woman calling down to her neighbor.
Residents’ boats tied up in front of their yards.
Fabio tied up the boat and we headed off.
…a pic of “our” boat.
Fabio walked us into town, pointing out items of interest and orienting us. He told us to enjoy ourselves and call the hotel 1/2 an hour before we wanted to return and they’d send a boat. #whatalife
Not too many visitors.
💚 We walked around, window shopping and taking photos.

If you’ve been paying attention, you know I’ve been purging our belongings for a few years now…trying to fully embrace a minimalist lifestyle…not shopping… paring down my wardrobe, giving away furniture and art. My mantra: “If I don’t shop, I won’t buy”. This mindset works, until it doesn’t…until we come across an adorable little clothing shop on Burano Island. Burano is known for its lacework and linens. The lovely linen dresses, skirts and blouses outside the storefront called me…by name. I swear. Anyway, we walk in and as I begin shopping, I look over and see Georgia, the owner, styling Timmy.

Me: “Timmy! What the heck?”
I could not stop smiling…the scarf, the cap 💙
…the pocket hankie. The jacket is hand finished by Georgia…she proudly showed me her stitches.
Georgia 1 and Georgia 2…I think they are mother and daughter…but I failed to ask.
Georgia 2 assisted me in my fall from grace.

So yes, I totally fell off the “no shopping” wagon…but I blame Timmy for not talking me off the ledge…he really is the worst enabler.

Best window of the day.
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Some alleys are very narrow.
I loved this cat…hope Freddie and Fluff are not tormenting Kim, their sitter.
Best sign on Burano 💙
We were surprised to come across this fellow working with glass…we made a purchase..a tiny pumpkin. This is what happens when you violate the mantra…the floodgates open and the shopping ensues.
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The weather was perfect and with the absence of crowds we wandered. And wandered.
The boats in the canal belong to the shop owners.
We took a Bellini and Aperol break.
I loved this plaque next to someone’s front door.
After an absolutely delightful afternoon, we headed for the waterfront and waited for our ride back to the hotel.
I parked Timmy and took a walk around the little park.
I paused to watch this scene play out…evidently the tide was so low these folks couldn’t board the boat. Note the guy doing a crab crawl onto the boat.
He made it onto the boat…but his passengers demurred and walked away.
We took a different route back to Cipriani, enjoying new sights, including “the hands”.
I’d like to call your attention to the reflections 😍
I often say to Timmy “Who’s happier…me or you?”
We relaxed on the terrace for the remainder of the day, then walked down to the Bar Gabbiano patio for dinner.

Here I am wearing one of my purchases enjoying a Bellini.
Venice is know for its clams. Very yummy.
We probably should have applied some sunscreen before the boat ride.
Photo credit to Gian Franco.
We didn’t want our last day in Venice to end…so we sat on the terrace for a bit before packing. ugh
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Last selfie in Venice♥️
A hazy start to the morning.
One last breakfast.
I asked for apple juice…our server juiced several apples for us in the bar…nothing is too much trouble. Best tasting apple juice ever.
Last look down the hallway.
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That’s Luca with Andrea…he’ll be escorting us to the airport.
A last ciao ♥️
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Marco is demonstrating the strength he used schlepping our bags…so adorable.
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Luca and our boat captain.
Arriving at the dock adjacent to the airport.
Thank goodness for Luca, it would have been very challenging navigating our way to the VAT refund lane…his company participates in the “Fast Lane” program…good thing…the other line was ridiculously long. He handled all the paper work… #wortheverypenny

After taking care of the VAT refund, Luca guided us to security and we said our goodbyes. We spent some time in the Marco Polo airport lounge, then boarded our plane back to New York.
The flight was uneventful, our luggage eventually made its way down the carousel and then we were home.

Back on chilly Long Island, Freddie and Fluffy show Timmy some love.

It was so wonderful sailing on Symphony and having that magical time in Venice. I am grateful every day for this life we have.

Returning to reality, we barely caught up with the LoveBugs before we packed up the cats and made the trek (you know how I hate that drive) back to Sarasota for the winter. All in all a fantastic couple of weeks. Thanks for following along ♥️