venice – The things I've seen. The places I've been.

Yes, you guessed it right! We were in Venice for a week, finally, after 9 years. But not only in Venice. We did a day trip to pretty Verona and another day trip to the fascinating Bologna. It was the peak season with the temperature reaching up to 37C. It was hot and it was obviously the time for revenge travels.

However, Venice never ceases to amaze me. Beautiful architecture! It was nice to see the colourful houses of Burano again. It was also interesting to have a week without any cars, motorcycles or anything with wheels, except for carts. It was wonderful just to stare at the grand canal for the most beautiful sunset and to spend time at the restaurants enjoying Italian dishes. It was indeed a week of gelato, pasta and pizza!

All photos by Ari Vitikainen

Before this holiday, I was basically just living infront of my computer for the past months preparing my classes on Skillshare. Days of the week didn’t matter anymore. Was it a weekday or was it a weekend didn’t make any difference. So I was happy to be on a holiday finally! Please check out my Skillshare classes on Creating Stickers on Cricut Joy and Procreate and Designing a Weekly Spread on Procreate. My sticker class received a recognition from Skillshare as an outstanding class.

Lastly, a Korean subscription box featured me in their magazine. I would never imagine…

Many people will say that only naive tourists will enjoy a cup of coffee at Caffe Florian. They say that the smart ones will go to other places where the coffee is cheap. But I guess it’s not always about the price of the coffee but its also about the character and atmosphere that surrounds you as you sit and take a sip. Caffe Florian brought me straight back somewhere in time!

Situated at St. Mark’s Square in Venice, Caffe Florian was established in 1720. It is one of the oldest cafe in the world. Its rooms are decorated with magnificent work of arts and beautiful live music are performed. Many people took photos of the cafe’s interior while they passed by. Some took photos of themselves standing outside. Tourists seem to want to have the Florian experience. People want to have even just a tiny peek inside.

But there were those brave enough to come inside. But while they came in happily, most left quietly once they discovered how expensive it is. But if money is not an issue, it is really worth the experience as the place is beautiful and full of nostalgia. You don’t have to order a whole lot. A cup of coffee will do just fine. A cup of black coffee is not bad at 8 EUR in exchange for the experience.