Five years later, I would return to the city that had initiated me to Italy. In the time between, I had seen much of the country during my stay in Rome, Emilia-Romagna and last year’s journey through Europe. My language skills have markedly improved, though I still struggle at times. So I wondered yet again how Venice would appear to me, now knowing so much more than I did then… now that I was no longer a “tourist” to the country…

My adventure in Veneto, the region in which Venice is a part of, actually began in the nearby town of Padua. I had arrived after several days in Turin and a magical stay in Florence to visit a friend I had met in Rome four years prior.

Padua, part of the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, is a small town situated over the Bacchiglione River, the branches of which stretch through the city as photogenic canals. The historic center, with its portici and numerous piazze, create that classic northern Italian atmosphere reminiscent of a Shakespearian play (The Taming of the Shrew was set in this city).

Worth noting is the University of Padua, founded in 1222, the second-oldest university in Italy (after the University of Bologna, founded in 1088) and one of the earliest universities in the world. Galileo Galilei gave lectures here. You may have heard of him.

After arriving at the Stazione di Padova, I went straight to the Capella degli Scrovegni (Scrovegni Chapel), a small chapel that’s one of Padua’s top attractions. Reservations are required for a visit (you can buy tickets online from the museum’s website), as there is a mandatory dehumidifying process before one enters. What makes this small chapel remarkable are the frescoes by Giotto, painted in the early 1300s.

Also part of the chapel, and included with admission, is the Musei Civici agli Eremitani, a group of museums that covers medieval art, modern art and archaeology. One could spend a substantial amount of time wandering these halls.

While the Basilica Pontificia di Sant’Antonio di Padova (Basilica of St. Anthony) isn’t the “duomo” of the city (that designation is bestowed upon the Basilica Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta), it’s Padua’s largest church. Inside, you’ll find several works by Donatello, including an equestrian statue and, perhaps most famous, the bronze Madonna with Child. Most striking is the gold reliquary inside the church, as they display the chin and tongue of preachy St. Anthony.

If you’re thirsty, check out Osteria L’Anfora, a no-nonsense wine bar with great prices. Worthwhile wines typical of Veneto are Valpolicella and Amarone. For coffee and aperitivo, visit the chic Caffeine, a cafe-lounge that opened shortly before my visit. It was literally shiny and new, and the aperitivo spread was great.

Located slightly outside the city center is a pizzeria called iDon. You may not find yourself near here, but I thought it was worth mentioning since it was the locale of my birthday dinner (the food is also really good and the service is friendly).

The following day, we took a day trip to Venice, about a 30-minute train ride away from Padua. Of course, I revisited the oft-mentioned Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square). While I had already been inside the Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace) with its famous Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs), this trip provided my first experience inside the Basilica Cattedrale Patriarcale di San Marco (St. Mark’s Basilica) to see its stunning interior. For first timers, purchase your tickets to the Palazzo Ducale online, as crowds can get crazy. The basilica is easy enough to enter and there’s no admission fee.

Book lovers should check out Libreria Acqua Alta, one of the most unique bookstores I’ve ever visited. Inside, books are piled around such that hunting through them becomes a literal adventure. In the back, a small path of stacked books can be ascended for an unobstructed view of a quiet canal.

Snacking on cicchetti is a Venetian experience one can’t miss. These small plates of food purchased at low prices to be paired with drinks are somewhat akin to tapas (to draw a broad comparison for the sake of understanding). A great place for wine and cicchetti is Cantine del Vino Già  Schiavi. Another good option is Osteria Chicchetteria al Bocon DiVino with its wide open door-windows and cheap prices for cocktails like the Hugo and the Spritz (a creation of Veneto now popular throughout Italy).

Of course, Venice is most beautiful as the sun sets. And the atmosphere at night is haunting, especially as the tourists head back to their hotels, leaving the streets empty save for their mysteries. Try and catch these moments at various points in the city.

Padua and Venice are just two great offerings in Veneto. I look forward to exploring more of the region when I return later this year.

Hover over photos/press and hold on smartphones for info…

PADUA

VENICE

The post Visiting Veneto – Highlights of Venice and Padua first appeared on Keane Li.

When I traveled through the Mediterranean, I kept my eye out for street art in each city. What I got was a flavor of the local community, spoken via graffiti and street signs: politics, subversion, apartments for rent and just general mischief. I’ve included, below, my collection of street art photos from Venice. I’ll post shots from other cities—including Athens, Monte Carlo, Florence, Rome and more—as time goes on.

For the complete collection, visit my Street Art in Venice photoset on Flickr or view them in the slideshow here:

The post The Other Side of the Postcard – Street Art in Venice first appeared on Keane Li.

A few months ago, I went on a month-long trip through the Mediterranean with Princess Cruises. And while I had already shared my photos from the trip, I had not, until now, elaborated on the details of the experience itself. I was a bit skeptical about the idea of traveling quickly from city to city on a cruise (I had previously cruised through Alaska and the Bahamas with mixed results), as each stop would feel rushed and short. On the other hand, the idea of getting to see so many cities in such a short amount of time was exciting; it was sort of like a crash course on the North Mediterranean. A life is a long time, I had reassured myself, to revisit and take in deeper the cities I loved.

The cruise took place aboard the Star Princess in September of 2011, and included the cities of Venice, Athens, Kusadasi, Istanbul, Mykonos, Naples (only to port for trips to Capri and Pompeii), Rome, Florence, Pisa, Monte Carlo and Barcelona. Overall, I had a really great time. I do recommend it to anyone looking to see a lot of things really quickly at a reasonable cost.

The Cons of a Mediterranean Cruise

As I mentioned earlier, you only get to spend a short amount of time in each city. In Rome, we only had at most half a day, as we had to travel from the port city of Civitavecchia, nearly an hour away. Combined with traffic, lines and bathroom/shopping breaks (which took up a depressing amount of time with such a big group), you run the risk of having to cut out certain things to make it back to the ship on time. In our case, we had to miss the Foro Romano. Additionally, excursions, especially those booked via the cruise, are ridiculously expensive. However, not taking an excursion can be a huge inconvenience as you’re not given a lot of time to make mistakes on land, lest you get left behind. Excursions also place you within tourist areas, so you’re less likely to encounter the cool places locals enjoy.

The days we spent at sea were even more tiring than the days hiking through towns. Although they had plenty of activities on ship, I found myself reading or wandering about the decks instead. As you can imagine, we spent a lot of time dining, as that was the most exciting thing to do. Some of the shows were alright, but I found most of the entertainment a bit tacky and borderline mediocre. Days at sea bored me out of my mind.

The Pros of a Mediterranean Cruise

On the positive side, having such a short amount of time in each port forces you to push as hard as you can through the day. And when you’re done, you’re invited back aboard the ship with a cold washcloth and a fancy dinner. I had thought that paying for all the boat food would leave us less likely to dine on land, however it became more of a benefit than a hinderance, as it made us more picky when choosing places to eat during excursions, something that was important as we were primarily in heavy tourist areas cluttered with expensive and average food options. Instead, the ship’s offerings allowed us to recharge for the next day, so we could hike hard and rest hard.

The cruise itself was a huge sampler platter of popular attractions in each of the cities we visited. It’s a huge load off my mind that my next trip to any of these cities can be taken leisurely, without the need to hit up these crowded attractions again (I like to do what the locals do, anyway). That the memories and experiences from so many historic spots were implanted in my mind reminds me immediately of the film The Matrix.

Finally, being on a large ship allows one to see cities from a different perspective than from land. As we left Venice the first day, Italian opera played over the ship’s speakers as we slowly left port. It sounds a bit cheesy, but in reality, it was beautiful and I was deeply moved. Being on a ship offers some amazing views, as exhibited in some of the following photos…

The post The Pros and Cons of a Mediterranean Cruise (and Photos) first appeared on Keane Li.

The strangest part about returning from a long trip is the reintegration back into the familiar. Life comes back, only, in the back of the mind, there are now memories of places and people one didn’t have before leaving, as if someone implanted them into the head.

During the last three weeks of September, I went off to various cities along the Mediterranean with my family, several family friends and a big group from Hawaii (where I grew up). We traveled aboard a Princess Cruises ship—the masculine Star Princess—from Venice to Athens, Kusadasi, Istanbul, Mykonos, Rome (docked at Civitavecchia), Capri and Pompeii (docked at Naples), Pisa and Florence (docked at Livorno), Monte Carlo, and Barcelona. I initially had reservations about traveling via cruise liner on my first trip to Europe, but the experience was wholly positive: We spent the days out until we were dead tired, returned to the ship to eat and sleep, and woke up each day to a new amazing port.

I’m fortunate for the opportunity of seeing such beautiful places. Everything about the trip worked out wonderfully, from spending time with my family to the fun people in our group and meeting an online friend I had never met before in Rome. These are the things that really highlighted my experience—the people that made the adventure more meaningful than just simply being in nice places.

Prettiest city: Venice
Least pretty city: Athens
City I most want to revisit: Rome
City I least want to revisit: Monte Carlo
Best view: The Acropolis
Prettiest panorama: Ponte Vecchio in Florence
Most random: Saying “Go Giants!” to a guy wearing a Giants cap at the Temple of Zeus
Most adventurous: Squeezing into the Blue Grotto on a little boat off the coast of Capri
Most awkward: Magician on the ship reminded me of Gob from Arrested Development
Favorite moment: Quietly admiring the inside of the Sistine Chapel with a pretty Roman girl

Below are my photos from the trip. I focused on capturing people, street art and basically anything that could describe life in each city. They mean a lot to me, so I hope you enjoy them.

View using Full Screen and get descriptions by clicking on the photos.

VENEZIA (137 photos)

ATHENS (35 photos)

KUSADASI (43 photos)

ISTANBUL (41 photos)

MYKONOS (76 photos)

NAPOLI (8 photos)

CAPRI (33 photos)

POMPEII (31 photos)

ROMA (69 photos)

PISA (21 photos)

FIRENZE (67 photos)

MONTE CARLO (51 photos)

BARCELONA (132 photos)

The post Visiting the Mediterranean – Italy, Greece, Turkey, Monaco and Spain first appeared on Keane Li.