That time I went to Italy and took too many pictures

Woohoo post #2! Y’all ready for this? (Don’t worry, this post contains both pasta AND wine! I know you were concerned)

Once upon a time I went on an incredible trip to Italy!

I cannot stress enough how amazing this trip was. It was my first time traveling over seas, and it was incredible.

A little backstory: growing up I was kind of a needy child - I would get homesick at sleepovers, and would get a lot of anxiety when it came to traveling in general. I think going off to college really changed that, and now that I’m an ADULT (ADULTING SO HARD) I’ve gained a sense of independence that I consider one of my greatest strengths as a person.

I always dreamed about going to Italy, because PASTA. [You think I’m joking, but in reality I have an unhealthy obsession with pasta. I could seriously eat it everyday.]

SPAGHETTI CHANGED MY LIFE.

Pasta aside, I took 6 years of Italian classes throughout school and truly fell in love with Italian culture. I don’t think I mentioned this before, but I was also an Art History minor in college, and one of my favorite classes was Roman Art and Archaeology. Between my love of pasta and those classes I just knew whenever I was ready to take a trip the first place I had to go was Italy.

More backstory: When I booked this trip I had been dating my boyfriend @drwatson for about 5 years (yes this was a trip we took as a couple. SO ADULT)

@drwatson was lucky enough to be able to travel to many different places growing up, and he had visited Italy a few times before. Knowing full well about my love of pasta, he agreed that Italy was where our first trip together should be. (Well, we had taken a few smaller trips together before, but I think we both consider this our first big trip as a couple)

Our itinerary was as follows: 2 nights in Venice, 3 nights in Florence, 4 nights in Rome and the last night in Milan (because the flights were cheaper that way – in retrospect it would have been easier to fly back from Rome, but everything ended up working out).

The photographer in me was OBSESSED with Italy - I took almost 800 PHOTOS (I know, I definitely could have taken more. What a slacker. Maybe next time)

I’m a very visual person, so rather than writing about this trip I’d like to share with you ALL 800 PHOTOS!

...Omg I’m KIDDING you guys! (another good one Julianne) (I’ll be here all day!)

But actually though, here are some of my favorites:

VENICE:

FLORENCE:

ROME:

PASTA:

So, I know I said I wasn’t going to write about the trip, but there is one very important story I need to share with you (spoiler alert it’s SUPER ROMANTIC):

We flew into Venice on a red-eye, and spent our whole first day covering all the bases: we got pizza, pasta, espresso and wine. Oh god, the WINE!!!

TANGENT – SO MANY DELICIOUS WINES, AT SUCH AFFORDABLE PRICES! It was literally a dream come true. And people were drinking wine ALL DAY – whether it was 10AM at a café or midnight at a wine bar. It was AWESOME. – END OF TANGENT

Back to the story: As it got dark out we continued to wander the streets and canals of Venice. There is something magical about that place – as @drwatson’s aunt once said “Venice is a Fairytale”. And at night when all of the alleyways clear out and the canals become still there is truly nothing like it.

It was about 1030pm, and we were both about to crash from jet lag. @drwatson insisted that we walk around for just 10 more minutes, and I reluctantly agreed (YOLO). We came across a small ornate bridge that overlooked a restaurant, and each of the outdoor tables had candles lit. There was no one around, and I said to him “Looks like they’re setting up for a wedding or something”. He responded “Funny you should say that…” and when I turned around I saw that he was down on one knee! He asked me to marry him, and I said no and we broke up and now it’s really awkward living together…

JUST KIDDING I SAID YES OF COURSE YA SILLY DANGUS!

Here’s a picture of the bridge that I took the next morning:

The rest of our trip we went all out, we treated it as our engagement tour, and I don’t regret any part of it.

For anyone who is afraid or anxious to travel I strongly encourage you to do so – this trip will always be one of the best memories I will always cherish.

Until next time!

-JShwag

okthxbaiii <3