Ever since my solo Europe trip, I try to bring home a Christmas ornament from the places I visited. However, during this last jaunt over the pond, I was not able to bring even a single one. I think it was probably because it was still summer, and even the kitschiest souvenir shops had none in their inventory. There were a couple I saw in Switzerland, but they weren't very compelling in terms of design or quality. Of course, I was a bit bummed about this, but I wasn't heartbroken. Fast forward to this week when I found the most suitable alternative and addition to my collection while doing some holiday shopping at Nordstrom's. 

With this find, memories came flooding back, and I had been meaning to share with you my top Venice moments, so here they finally are:

1) Dancing under the stars to live music in Piazza San Marco 

Easily my favorite memory of this trip is when my husband and I slow-danced to music being played by musicians commissioned by one of the iconic cafes in San Marco Square. If you dine at one of these cafes with the musicians, they actually tack on a music charge to your bill. It's a flat rate, so even if you just have a cup of coffee, your bill will be significantly higher. For romantics like ourselves, dancing on the square under the moonlit Venetian sky is a memory to treasure throughout our lifetime. And it was free! Here's a quick video clip of the band at the Grand Cafe Quadri.

2) Trying not to freak out on the Ponte Rialto 

My travel moments aren't all positive highs. Sometimes that feeling of being utterly overwhelmed is the best reaction my system could muster, and I'm OK with that. Trying to cross the Rialto during the day felt like swimming upriver with bound hands and feet. Seeing the crowd was almost paralyzing. When we finally made it up the middle of the bridge, the view of the Grand Canal provided relieving distraction. 

3) Dining canal-side on fresh seafood & wine

There's nothing like dining outside on a warm evening right next to a canal. I've heard horror stories of these canals being smelly during the summer, and fortunately, we never experienced that throughout our stay. What we did experience is the charm of a random motorized boat or a gondola pass by as we enjoyed fresh branzino, broiled and served whole on our plates, plus other local delicacies. And being in Italy only meant having cheap but great wine.

4) Helping out fellow travelers get to the Casino di Venezia.

While waiting for our vaporetto to arrive, a group of ladies were talking amongst themselves trying to figure out how to get to some place. The youngest one of them asked us in her best Italian how to get to the San Marcuola stop, which is the stop to get to the casino. Good news for them, I had quite a bit of wine in my system, so I had the courage to offer some directions in Spanish. Italian and Spanish are close cousins in the linguistics family tree, so there are many similarities that helped us get by. As it turned out, they were Spanish! Stuart looked up the directions to get to the casino on his phone from the San Marcuola vaporetto stop, and I did my best to share it with them. We had to take the same line anyway, so we all huddled together on the water bus. Some of the ladies were still a bit unsure what was happening. Like, why are we following a couple of Americans speaking broken Spanish? At one point, I heard their representative say to one of the much older ladies, "Sí! Le pregunté." ("Yes! I asked her.") We had to get off one stop before theirs, so I left them saying, "La siguiente estación entonces turn a la derecha." Yup, fine Spanglish to the rescue, for which they were quite thankful. :D

5) Having a bellini and stuffing ourselves with cicchetti in a tiny bacaro

Cicchetti is Venice's version of tapas. Packed with a lot of flavor, these small bites are meant to be enjoyed with great company with some house wine. But it's not an everyday thing that you get to drink a bellini in the city where it was first created (at Harry's bar), which was named after the great Venetian painter. So I opted for a glass of this bubbly cocktail instead. It was great to be amidst locals who would stroll in, and have a few bites standing at the bar conversing with the bartender. I felt like cicchetti is more of a Venetian hobby, in which I am more than willing to participate.

6) Viewing the masterpieces in the Accademia

While visiting Venice's biggest art museum, I had the privilege to enjoy another Bellini experience. This time, it was to view the work of the above mentioned cocktail's namesake. The works of the Venetian masters like Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese, and Carpaccio were full of malleable stories. Looking at the painted figures of powerful doges, the Holy Family, saints, and the resident Venetians of their time was humbling. Moments like these are great reminders to be thankful for the privilege to travel, to learn, and to get a glimpse of this city's cultural history. And by the way, while my head swirled with questions, my husband took little naps sitting on the gallery benches. :D This was definitely my Venetian moment.

7) Going up the San Marco campanile with my husband wearing his Assassin's Creed shirt

My excitement over riding the elevator to the top of the San Marco bell tower is more because of my husband's dream come true. He is a huge fan of the Assassin's Creed games and his favorite assassin (as far as the entire franchise goes), is Ezio Auditore. I had watched him play this game as his character climbed the rooftops all around Venice, among other cities. This iconic bell tower was one of the more significant climbs that gave Ezio a bird's eye view of Venice. Stuart and I both actually wished that he was wearing the full Ezio costume, which would have been even more epic.

8) Coming out of Basilica San Marco fascinated and pissed off at the same time

What started out as the Doge's personal chapel, the Basilica San Marco is one of the most incredible places of worship that I have ever visited. While no longer practicing, my Catholic upbringing still allows me to appreciate the history of the church, and knowing that I was mere yards away from the relics of St. Mark was thrilling.  Throughout the basilica, there are plenty of signs prohibiting photography, but so many tourists just ignored them. At that particular time we were there, many of these tourists were younger Asian girls who would stop, disrupting the flow of foot traffic, to take selfies by an altar where there were actually people praying intently. Some of them were probably there on a pilgrimage. This really bothered me. Like,  you are in the cathedral that was once the personal chapel of the most powerful men in Venice's history, with remains of a saint buried under the high altar, and all you can do is paste a fake smile, hold up a peace sign, and snap a selfie with your crappy camera phone? In hindsight, it would have been hilarious if I had picked a fight inside this magnificent cathedral. And it really was fascinating to see the gilded domes and colorful murals. All the bones and skulls of other saints and martyrs stored in the treasury along with other religious artifacts, were also cool to see, and at the same time creepy.

9) Sharing a giant lemon meringue on the Grand Canal.

A pasticceria's window display full of giant meringues of various flavors stopped us on our wandering tracks. We decided to share a lemon-flavored meringue, which we enjoyed sitting outside with our legs dangling over the Grand Canal. Every bite sent meringue particles all over, though most of our crumbs ended up in the water with how we were seated. That canal has seen much worse than egg whites and sugar. I would classify this under sweet-tooth moment.

10) Standing outside the St. Lucia train station before departure

The coolest thing about Venice, besides its history, is its configuration itself. Standing on the steps of the Stazione di Venezia Santa Lucia looking across the Grand Canal with the dominant dome of the San Simione Piccolo Church, it was the perfect opportunity to reflect on the wonders of this place. How did this all come together? How did they keep this place more or less intact even if it's slowly sinking? I've been to quite a few train stations but this one truly felt like one of those magic portals that transport you to and from another dimension. What a setup!

With just a few days until Christmas and the start of a new year, I'd invite you take stock of your 2014 moments -- be they moments that made you go, "Yay!" or even the ones that made you go, "Ugh!" And I especially hope that you continue to create memories with your loved ones in the new year and many years to come.

Happy Holidays!