Spring break is loooooooong in Switzerland. Two and a half weeks long. This is quite a change from our usual one week in Chicago. It’s fantastic. We decided to book a cruise on an Italian cruise ship so that we could hit a few spots in the Mediterranean. The cruise took off from the Venice port, so we got to enjoy a few days in Venice for Easter weekend prior to departure.

We took the train from Schaffhausen to Venice, via Milan. It was a beautiful trip through the Alps.

We arrived in Venice on Friday evening, and our walk from the train station to our apartment took our breath away. Venice is spectacular. Lately I’ve been trying to book apartments that give off a real feel of the city. I’m not interested in generic anymore. Our apartment was as authentic as I’d hoped for. The landlord spoke only a little English and it was filled with family history. We loved it.

The next day, we met up with our friends Danni and Paul and their two little girls. (It’s so much fun to travel with friends.) We had scheduled a scavenger hunt through the Macacotour company. It was a great way to engage the kids in learning about the history of Venice. Our guide, Martina, did a fabulous job and we all had a lot of fun. https://www.macacotour.com/en/family-games/

Later that day, it was off to St. Marco’s Square for…what else? Aperol spritzes for Danni and me! I’ve had Aperols in Switzerland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, elsewhere in Italy, the U.K. and now the drink’s homeland…Venice. This is *the* drink of the moment in Europe, much like the Hugo of 2015. It’s everywhere and in everyone’s hands. Danni’s sister is the famous “Prosecco Queen of Australia” and so it’s in Danni’s blood, I think! Anyway, cheers to another round of these orange beauties!

The rest of our weekend was spent on a beautiful (though expensive) gondola ride, more eating and drinking, and celebrating Easter Sunday. We left on our ship that night, with beautiful memories of a great weekend in Venice!