And then she was Seven

After breakfast and presents we explored the Rialto area and quite literally stumbled out of an alley onto San Marco Piazza (St. Mark's square), which is breath taking due to the stunning architecture of the Basillica and The Doge's Palace and the other buildings surrounding the square. During this time we played hide and seek (the quiet alleys away from the tourist trail are amazing for this), we hunted for pictures/statues of the winged lion of Venice and sat on one in San Marco's piazza. The kids chased the pigeons like lunatics in the square and desperately wanted to feed them like other people as the pigeons were landing on heads and eating out of hands. Hubby put his foot down at this thankfully!
We then sat down for a drink and shared a snack in San Marcos piazza which cost a ridiculous amount of money (we actually moved from one when the waiter showed us that we would have to pay something like 8 euros each just to sit there as they were playing live music!). However as it was a special day and we'd done a lot of walking we thought it would be nice to sit in such a beautiful square and have a drink. Olivia being the bookworm that she is asked for her new book and sat there quietly reading (she seems like such a grown up girl now) whilst her brother was still fascinated by the pigeons.
We headed home for a sleep and unbelievably Olivia also slept which is unheard of! When we woke up we prepared some party food and hubby found some extra large chocolate type shortbread biscuits at a local bakery which I stuck a '7' candle in the middle of and we all sang 'happy birthday' to Olivia and then demolished the biscuits - they were so good!
Now it was time to put some posh clothes on and head out for the main event of the day - a gondola ride! We have talked about doing this ever since we booked our holiday here. When we last visited in 2002 we didn't even contemplate doing such a thing due to the expense but always said that we should do it the next time we visit. Yes, it was expensive but it was a fixed rate so you know that you're not being ripped off and you don't have to walk around trying to find the best deal which would spoil it. I was actually a little nervous as I thought I'd feel feel a bit silly sitting in a gondola with everyone looking but Olivia and Dexter were so excited so we had to do it! As it happened we found the perfect spot to take our gondola and our gondolier was great as he was very informative and knowledgable and even serenaded us. It was about 6pm when we took our trip (the price goes up at 7pm for future reference!) and we went down lots of small quiet canals before heading out onto the grand canal which was reassuringly calm at that time of day. I have to say that we all really enjoyed the experience and seeing this amazing place by boat was really special and well worth it.
We finished the day which another little explore - I don't think I'll ever cease to be amazed by the charm of this place - I was very snap happy! We found a nice little restaurant for a meal and celebrated Olivia's birthday again.

So, Happy 7th Birthday to our darling Olivia! We are so proud of you and in this past year you have impressed us with your passion for reading and your kindness towards your brother. You are an absolutely delightful little girl and we couldn't love you more. We hope you enjoyed your day in Venice, Mummy and Daddy xxxx

Olivia - 1 hour old
Olivia - 1 year old
Olivia - 2 years old
Olivia - 3 years old
Olivia - 4 years old
Olivia - 5 years old
Olivia - 6 years old
Olivia - 7 years old