This is it, our last day. We have a lot to pack in and we only have a few short hours to do it before we have to be awake at 2:30am to get to the airport. Why is there never enough time to see and do EVERYTHING???

We had a walking tour highlighting some of the gorgeous buildings, canals and bridges throughout the city. Venice is a touristy city for a reason. Everywhere you look, you can’t help but be amazed by what you are seeing. How does this city exist? It seems like an impossibility of design and engineering, and yet, here it is. For now. Venice is sinking after all…

Would you even be in Venice if you didn’t sit in St. Mark’s Square and have an extremely over-priced coffee? I think not. So we indulged. Gulp.

After a small lunch (foreshadowing – we knew we wanted to have a nice final dinner, so we had to save room!) we hunted down the Da Vinci Interactive Museum. OMG. This guy was really incredible. He was talented on so many levels and smart beyond belief. This museum has prototypes of his many machines and inventions. We pulled, twisted, pushed, spun, read, balanced, clicked, and turned every button, lever, pole, string and canopy we could get our hands on. We felt like (and acted like) little kids, our eyes full of wonder as we watched these inventions work. Not to mention his contributions to the art world, the medical world and biology as a whole. A true genius.

If you’ve noticed, we’ve not yet been on the water even though we have crossed over it at least a hundred times. Tonight is our last chance. A gondola ride seems to be the most traditional and relaxing way to do this. However, we heard about a group of women who started their own company and they actually teach people how to drive the gondola. This sounded right up our alley so we signed ourselves up for the evening paddle. This was so fun. Once I got over the fear of tipping the boat (it would actually be really hard to do), I relaxed and paddled away. It was so peaceful even though we were far from the only boats along the canal. Our real gondolier was an expert at navigating us through the chaos safely. The canal was just beautiful and all the buildings were lit up – it felt like Christmas!

We had worked up a true appetite and went in search of a recommended restaurant, Al Timon. We had no idea what to expect, so when we opened the door to this small place that was packed and smelled sooooo good, we were immediately excited. We shared a plank of wood filled with a tomahawk steak, potatoes and roasted veggies. Dessert was a glass of Diplomatico Rum and some pieces of dark chocolate. OMG. I can’t stress enough how amazing this whole meal was. The perfect ending to such an amazing day, week, month, vacation.

After only a couple of hours sleep, we were up and walking to the taxi station to get to the airport. It is time to go home. C’mon Canada!!