Venice

First trip in Italy. First holidays together. And a second New Year's Eve spent by the water — this time not quite as quiet.

My first encounter with the venitian lights. They are so warm in winter…

I remember this sentiment of peace as we walk, randomly, in the nearly empty streets.

Everything looks so beautiful right now. We bump onto a cohort of tourists only at the end of our first afternoon — they have not disappeared after all.

The sunset strokes our eyes with a long and powerful pyrotechnic show. Although there is still a long wait to go before getting to see the new year's eve fireworks.

🎉 Hello 2017! 🎉

A good and slow start for the new year.

I feel blessed again by the warmth of sunrises and sunsets. It gives an even deeper intensity to the turquoise colour of the canals.

A game of lights and mirrors.

We move to this neigbourhood tomorrow and I already love it.

No wonder why italian painters have been so good at capturing the colourful details of light.

Finally one odd thing in such a quaint city.

You would not fit more than a couple people in this tiny coffee place.

One might want to hop onto nearby islands to discover different ambiances, and different landscapes.

On our list: Murano, Burano, Torcello and San Lazzaro.

The journey to Burano is the most beautiful one with its ample empty spaces. I would almost forget we are only a few kilometers from the mainland, on a thin layer of water.

My preference goes to Burano over Murano. For the colours. For being less busy.

Torcello is sitting on the horizon, seven minutes away by waterbus.

I loved the wilderness of the island and the disproportionate magnificence of its basilica and church. Rustic but well executed.

A maze which forks to a dead end: a pontoon over the water, blessed with a warm sunshine.

Utilitarian for the locals. An romantic escape from the moving crowd for others.