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| All images / Mike Ahern |
Recently I have been seriously missing the sunshine and uplifting light of last Summer. I find myself clinging to the gradual increase of daylight hours here in the UK and appreciating every minute of precious sunshine when it does appear. I have even resorted to looking at the world clock on my iPhone and gazing at warmer cities (LA for example can expect a reasonable 25 degrees today, that'll do me!).
However, my own vivid memories of holidays past can offer all the escapism I need on a rainy day, like the gorgeous shimmering reflection of sunlight dancing on the Adriatic sea as my partner and I approached Venice by boat, soaking up the sights and immersing myself in 'holiday mode'. Our trip to this famous city last August with its beautiful Venetian architecture, delicious cuisine, culture, the volumes of history, oh and a touch of romance too, made a profound impression on me and I still feel inspired by it right now!
At times I almost found myself overwhelmed from the mountain of inspiration on offer during my trip, and despite sharing as many sights as possible via my instagram page, this never seemed as much as I wanted you all to see! The Doge's Palace was incredible and St Marks square became our favourite evening stop-off to soak up the culture, live music, the buzz of tourists and locals, and of course, a sweet treat from the famous Caffe Florian, established in 1720 no less! After this we'd set off to explore, sometimes with a set destination in mind, other times to simply lose ourselves.
Once away from the main tourist hotspots, the winding maze of back streets and canals made every day a new adventure (in other words we got lost most days) but it meant discovering new people, shops, cafes and cultural gems every time. This is definitely a destination that I need to visit again to discover all the places that we almost certainly would have missed, including a boat trip to the colourful island of Burano (a setting straight out of a Bright Bazaar post!).
So I hope this feature has offered a dose of holiday inspiration for us all to indulge in today and I'd love to know where you are headed this year, however near or far from home.
