August 2018 – Allora Studios

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Venezia | Exploring Venice at Night

Posted on August 25, 2018February 19, 2024 by Allora Studios in Travel Blog

Venice at night is quite possibly the greatest time to explore the main island. The prettiest views can be found after the sun sets. So when we left off last post, the Allora Studios crew were settling in for our daily siesta. At about 7:30 pm, we wake up and head out for a sunset dinner. Since our hotel was on the southern most tip of the island, we walked along the coast until we found a suitable place to eat.

Luckily there was a quaint, reasonably priced place a bridge or two (which is how we were counting “blocks”) before where the space becomes a little overcrowded with tourism. So we sat down for a nice dinner. I had my favorite dish in all of Italy, risotto ai frutti di mare.

We sat along the coast, watched the sun set, and had an authentic Italian food. I’d say that’s paradise. After the meal, we began to walk off all those calories. We walked back to Saint Mark’s Square.

Famous Sites of Venice at Night

Even though it was about 9:30 pm when we finally got there, the piazza was full of activity. There were live musicians playing, people talking, having dinner, walking around the square, and enjoying each other’s company. There were even people selling annoying wizzing toys that you throw in the air. (But that was true of everywhere we went). And the way the light illuminated Saint Mark’s Basilica was astonishing. There is just something about the way the lights paint Venice at night.

After admiring the square, we set off to the Rialto to see what the famous bridge looked like by moonlight. It didn’t disappoint. There were more tourists than I thought there would be, but it didn’t ruin the experience. And after all, it may be night time, but it’s still Venice at night time.

After we wandered around the Rialto for a bit, we decided to go home. We were exhausted when we finally made it back to the hotel. Venice is a hard city to cram into 24 hours, but it was worth the detour.

Venezia | Venice at Night

Posted on August 25, 2018June 24, 2018 by Allora Studios in International, Italy, Travel Blog, Venezia

So when we left off last post, Amanda and I were settling in for our daily siesta. Fast forward to about 7:30 pm, we wake up and head out for a sunset dinner. Since our hotel was on the southern most tip of the island, we walked along the coast until we found a suitable place to eat.

Luckily there was a quaint, reasonably priced place a bridge or two (which is similar to saying a block or two) before where the tourism part of town started. So we sat down for a nice dinner. I had my favorite dish in all of Italy, risotto ai frutti di mare.

And the way Saint Mark’s was illuminated was astonishing.

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Venezia | Bright and Sunny Venice

Posted on August 18, 2018February 19, 2024 by Allora Studios in International, Italy, Travel Blog, Venezia

Once the Rainy Venice became Sunny Venice, that’s when the fun really began for me. I had never seen such amazing color contrast! The pictures I was taking were amazing. So naturally, we went back to all the sites we had already seen. I snapped away at every sunny venice scene I saw.

The canals and small *piazzas* make for such great framing of the people of Venice and gondolas. Exploring a sunny Venice gave shot after shot of amazing content. Over two years after this trip, I still find myself going back to some of these pictures.

The Bridge of Sighs is a bridge which once led to the corrections facility of Venice. The name comes from the sighs that could be heard as the prisoner passes the windows to see one last look at the beautiful beautiful Venice canal.

We went back to Saint Mark’s Square and retraced our steps, but not before getting lost and ending up on the opposite side of the island. We circled around and around the tiny alleyways and across the canal bridges. Following the signs has always been how I navigate, but here, the locals may have played a trick on us, for we eventually discovered that there were signs pointing opposite directions for the same thing!

It wasn’t all bad though. The pictures I captured getting lost in Venice were some of the best of the entire trip! The blue skies and golds of St. Mark’s Basilica complimented each other so perfectly. Even St. Mark’s Tower became more of a site. It was all breathtaking, but it quickly became very hot outside, though. After a couple of hours wandering the streets and climbing many bridges, we decided it was time for a nap.

I knew that more amazing pictures were waiting to be captured. So we slept until sunset.

Venezia | An Introduction to Venice

Posted on August 11, 2018June 2, 2020 by Allora Studios in International, Italy, Travel Blog, Venezia

For our first time in Venice, we did not plan a long stay. The goal of the trip was to see as much of Italy as we could. So, naturally, a lot of sites and cities got left out this time.

Our boat ride from the train station in Venice to Hotel Elena, which is where my friend so kindly let us use his points to pay, was very rocky. Since my fiancée and I have virtually no sea-legs, we had a hard time.

I managed to take some pictures of what we were seeing, but it was due to rain any minute. The pictures I took reflected how I was feeling: sick from the waves, a little sad that the only day in Venice seemed like it was to rain all day, and a little too focused on getting to the hotel to put our heavy packs down for the day.

After a brief rest on a bench in the courtyard of our hotel, we set off on foot to see Venice!

There was a point that Amanda and I both recognized as the end of “off the path” Venice, where the top of a bridge gave us a clear look at the amount of tourism that Venice hosts per day. It’s a lot more than you could imagine.

We struggled through crowds and rainy weather for a couple hours. The pictures I took were… okay. I longed for the sun to come out and bring this city to its full glory. But I figured that we only had one day, and if the skies didn’t clear, this was what Venice would look like for me.

So we kept walking, and I kept snapping.

About the time we got to one of the world’s most famous bridges, Ponte Rialto, the rain had stopped. As we began to head back to the hotel, bright and sunny Venice came out to play.

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Tips and Tricks | Washington D.C. on a Budget

Posted on August 4, 2018October 9, 2018 by Allora Studios in The U.S., Washington, D.C.

When I went to Washington D.C. for the first time Spring 2018, it was definitely one for the books. We only paid just shy of $350 for our hostel. And, yeah, I know that a bit much for 2 people for 3 nights, especially to be “on a budget,” but we got a private room, and believe it or not, D.C. is an expensive city. The dorm hostels sell their beds for about $30-$50 for the ones closest to the National Mall. There are a few that are less expensive, but further away. The Airbnbs are around $70 to $170 a night for the ones closer to the National Mall.

I recommend staying close to the National Mall and walking rather than using public transit. There are transit passes you can purchase if you do end up further away from the Mall. The day passes were around $15 when this was written. To me, that’s a little more than I would like to pay when I can walk.

Food is a different story. You can’t really save a lot of money on this trip by not eating! We ended up mostly eating at the convenient, refreshments stands located on the National Mall. They are pretty expensive though. We ended up sharing a lot of our small meals, but they were so tasty! The black bean burger was one of my favorite things we ate while in the city. Each visit to the stand ended up costing us about $15 for one meal: entree, side and drink.

Speaking of great food finds, there’s a gelateria in D.C.! Pitango Gelato Penn Quarter is a treasure! I had the pistachio flavor, and it made me feel almost as if I was back on the warm streets of Italy. Almost.

Now let’s talk about the sites. There are so many things to see in Washington. Everyone knows the big ones: the Washington Monument, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial. Most of the museums, monuments, and memorials are free to see. The museums along the National Mall usually close around 5pm or so. They also count tickets for a lot of them, so be careful.

If you’re dying to see the Holocaust Museum, buy tickets ahead. There were folks who got in line 4 hours before they opened and still didn’t get tickets for the main exhibit. We also didn’t get tickets for the main exhibit, but the others were moving, as well.

For the most part, I think Washington, D.C. is not one of the more ideal destinations to go on a “budget” vacation, but it is possible if you know how and where to save. Stay tuned for more tips and tricks on the blog. I hope I’m helping you make your travels affordable!