THE BRO/JO VISIT

Sunday, September 28th

My bro and SIL came to visit us on their "honeymoon" trip to Italy! They arrived at noon after taking a first class trip across the Atlantic. It was their first time to Italy, so I got to show them the ropes. We also only had a few days with them, so we didn't waste any time...

We dropped their bags and off, then we went to explore the area around us. We had a quick lunch at Cellini's right around the corner from us. They got their Italian pizza's.

After lunch, we drove them to my favorite place near us - Gorgazzo Springs. It used to have a goose that stayed there regularly, but I haven't seen him in months. 

We've taken a picture here with every guest that's stayed with us. I'm excited to make a collage of these pics at the end of our time in Italy. 

The water was especially clear when Rob and Jo were here. 

We hopped back in the car and drove up to the mountain town of Piancavallo; it's one of our favorite places to snowboard in the winter. 

Next we took the back roads down to the town of Barcis. The lake was unusually low. 

We sat and grabbed a quick coffee and dessert and enjoyed the view.

Rob really enjoyed the view...:) (Of his new iPhone 6.) :):)

We took a short stroll along the lake. This is normally a boat dock. 

After asking around, a local Italian said that the low water level was normal for this time of year. Phew!

I LOVE fall in Italy. It is my favorite time of year. I was so glad Rob and Jo got to visit during this time. 

Just 5 months ago we were skipping rocks on this lake. Now the water level was about 20 feet lower, and didn't allow us the opportunity to do any rock skipping.

Group Selfie! "Groupie!" Haha!

Rob and Jo were troopers. They took a few short car naps, but lasted until late that night. 

For dinner, we took them to Alex's. It's a favorite eating joint among our squadron. They had their first taste of "real" pasta. I think they both enjoyed it. :)

Monday, September 29th

For breakfast, we took them to Nick's favorite cafe on the water and enjoyed some brioche and Italian coffee. Yum. What a great way to start a day. :)

Afterward, I drove them up to the castle in Conegliano; it's about 20 minutes from us. 

We sat and enjoyed yet another coffee. 

We drove to Valdobbiadene from there; it's the starting point of prosecco road. The road winds along the mountain side with breathtaking views of vineyards. Rob and Jo got a lesson in prosecco at Ca' Salina. 

We wound our way back home just in time to meet Nick at Le Masiere for dinner. It is our absolute favorite restaurant in our area. We've never had a bad meal there. Rob and Jo got to try Frico which is fried cheese, potato and onion. It's considered the local dish. We were all grateful that we split one.

Tuesday, September 30th ...Their last day. :(

We walked/jogged our way to the train station. I miscalculated the time it would take us to get to the train. We left 30 minutes before the train should arrive, but I did some poor math and thought we only had 15 minutes. We sure got some good exercise in though! (ha!)

When we arrived to Venice, we hopped on a vaperetto and cruised through the Grand Canal. Our stop was right near St. Marks square. 

Not a bad view as we stepped off the vapparetto.

Rob's phone had service, (which I kept forgetting) so he used his GPS to get us to their hotel.

There was a sign next to this that said, "Kling bell," with an arrow pointing left. We walked around the entire building before we realized that it was pointing to this bell. The mouth of the lion is the doorbell. Ha!

Rob and Jo in front of La Residenza Hotel. 

When we arrived upstairs, the man at the front desk ushered us to their room. It was pretty hot! We tried to get the A/C to work, but it wouldn't turn on. I went back to the front desk to inquire about it. They informed me that they would only turn the A/C on at night if Rob and Jo needed it. (Oh, Italy. Definitely not in America any more.) It doesn't matter if you're hot and sweating. If you want to cool down, they'll tell you when you can cool down. 

We were all pretty hungry, so we walked to St. Marks square to grab a quick lunch. I took them to my normal spot. It isn't the best Italian food, but I know that they are quick and they have a restroom. 

Afterward, we walked around the main square to take some photos. Then we ducked in the Doge's Palace to see if we could do a 'secret' tour. They were booked out 3 weeks still! (It's not even the main season any more!) We decided to take a look around the Doge's Palace.

Sitting in front of the replica of the Principia fountain. 

Once inside, we kept hearing horns blaring. This went on for over an hour. Once we got to an open window, we looked out to see an Italian protest. (Not that uncommon.) It was pretty loud and obnoxious listening to it reverberate off the walls of the Doge's palace and prison.

The Bridge of Sighs is probably my favorite spot on the tour.

Once we were back outside, I had to try and make the next train back to Sacile. Even though I'd bought a day-pass for the vapparetto, I didn't want to risk standing in line since they were protesting. 

Rob and Jo joined me on the walk until the Rialto Bridge. There we parted ways. It was so fun getting to spend a few days with them in Italy. I loved playing tour guide!