Everything You Need to Know About NYE in Venice!

Venice is a crowd favorite for NYE fireworks in Europe and the show is definitely something to see. But it will take some planning if you're thinking of heading to the famous floating city for New Years. I spent NYE in Venice this year and after getting a great view of the fireworks and experiencing some amazing sights in the city I have put together my comprehensive guide for 3 days in Venice during NYE! I found some great information about attractions and top sightseeing spots in my DK travel guide "Top Ten European Cities".  I would definitely recommend this small and easy book for anyone planning to see multiple cities in Europe on the same trip! It makes information so easy to find in a pinch! 

Day 1

On my first day in the city I flew in and took an airport shuttle to the island. I then had to take a water taxi to my hotel near Basilica Saint Marco. The water taxi can definitely be expensive but it also doubles as a fun tour of the city! I arrived on the 30th the day before the fireworks. I checked into my hotel and then headed out to find some lunch because I love Italian food! I found pizza, pasta, and cannolies at a great restaurant right outside my hotel. Then I headed out to explore the city a bit. I walked down to St. Mark's square where the palace des Dosges and the basilica are located. I decided to visit the palace since the church was already closed in the evening. The palace stays open until 7pm and offers self guided tours where you can see the different room where the Venetian government operated. 

Day 2

On my second day I decided to get up early and take a water bus to the famous isalnd of Murano, where the glass museum is located. The waterbus is much cheaper than the taxi boats but it takes about an hour to get all the way to Murano. I spent a few hours on the small island and went to the glass museum which was open on NYE until 5pm! The palace and Basilica were also open on the 31st. The glass museum was definitely worth the trip and has amazing historical works of art made from glass dating back centuries. It also shows the process used to make Venetian glass which was super interesting to see! 

After returning to town I grabbed lunch at another amazing restaurant and then headed back to my hotel to get ready for dinner and the fireworks show. The fireworks don't start until 11:30pm but people usually start lining up around 10:30 or so. In Italy NYE is celebrated with a big feast and many restaurants will offer a special pre set menu with an array of gourmet options. However the price can range from 80-250 euros a plate and if you're planning on a big dinner you should definitely book in advance. If you're doing a more last minute trip like I was don't worry though! There are still many restaurants that have regular seating and plenty of space on NYE. I ended up at a cute little bistro situated right on the canal and ate a delicious plate of cheese raviolis while looking out at the water. I would recommend starting dinner around 7pm so that you have plenty of time to eat before making your way over to the square for fireworks. After dinner I wandered around and looked in a few boutiques for a bit before heading to the square. There was still plenty of space when I arrived. Venice gets pretty cold at night in January so depending on how good of a spot you want you may have to be prepared with warm clothes to stand outside for an hour before the fireworks actually start. 

Day 3

On my last full day in the city I decided to see the Basilica and checked out the major shopping streets in the city to do my souvenir shopping. Most of the major attractions are closed on New Years Day but the Basilica is still open. I even tried "Pasta to Go" and wandered along the canals eating my freshly made spaghetti from a carton. The trip was definitely a success and I found the city to be cery walkable which I enjoyed. Thanks for reading! 

Felice Anno Nuovo! 

Paris Travel Blog: Feminist Style in France

This Christmas I spent a week in Paris. The french capital city and the European capital of fashion, was full of unrest as French citizens have been organizing a massive strike throughout the month of December and at 30 days and counting this is the longest and most widespread strike in the history of France.
The beautiful boulevards were lit with sparkling lights and Christmas decorations adorned cafes and shop windows on the fashionable avenues around the city. I loved wandering through the old city streets and discovering new cafes and boutiques. I also made sure to stop by the many art museums including the Louvre and Musee Rodin. Since there were no metros and few city busses running due to the strike I had to Uber or walk everywhere. As I criss crossed the city going from the fashionable Saint Germain district to the historical Marais and all the way up to the bohemian Montmartre quarter I made sure to check out the styles in store windows as well as street fashions of the famously chic Parisian women. After a week in the city I started to notice a few trends.
One morning I was feeling particularly Parisian, and as I sat in my hotel lobby sipping a cafe au lait and reading my morning paper "Le Parisian" I spotted an article titled "Top words from 2019". The article covered words that represented the major events of the year and one in particular stood out to me "femicide" was listed in the article and defined as a form of gender based violence that has been on the rise around the world. The article stated that the word had been officially added to the French lexicon by the Academie Francaise (the regulating body that is in charge of the French language in France) this year. The article talked about the importance of giving a vocabulary to this discussion so that the problems can be named.
French feminism has always been a unique movement, and American feminists were often thought to be too severe in their attitudes and styles when it comes to the fight for social equality. But in recent years France has had to pass several laws criminalizing street harassment and cat calling because the problem has become so severe. In 2016 Maria Grazia Chiuri, the first female to be named Art Director of the famous and historical French fashion house Dior, made a statement in her runway debut with her "We should all be feminists" t-shirt.
The show coincided with the #metoo movement that swept across Twitter where women from around the world shared their stories of sexual harassment and assault.
The shirt became a cultural icon and was the most instagrammed moment of the show that season. Since then it's been spotted on several celebrities and social media stars in France and around the world and the message is clear. Feminism is not a bad word and it can take many forms.
On December 12th the #jaieteviolee hashtag was trending on Twitter in France where many women lamented the low conviction rate for perpetrators of sexual assault in France.
In Paris as the decade comes to a close the style on the street seemed to reflect this new attitude.The ever trendy young women of France have adopted the 90s grunge trend that has made a revival in the fashion world in recent years. They sport cargo pants or high waisted jeans and boots, and accessorize with heavy metal on belts and jewelry. Their fashion is on trend but even more than that it makes a statement. These women are going into the new decade with their eyes wide open. They know they will need to fight for their place and they are giving a voice to the struggle with their fashion statements.