I think Venice is on most people's bucket lists as evidenced by the hordes of tourists during the summer. Is it as great as the magazines and travel vlogs make it to be? Yes, it's a pretty darn good city to visit. However, I would insist that you also visit the neighboring islands around Venice such as Murano, Torcello (skip), and Burano. 
In fact, I loved Burano the most and maybe even more than Venice itself...gasp!

When I was in Florence last summer, I ate at the Mercato Centrale and it's still one of the best indoor food halls I've been to in Europe. We happened to be buying train tickets at the Venice train station when I saw the Mercato Centrale logo and signs that basically said "follow me," or at least that was my interpretation. Of course I followed it as each step was marked with anticipation. Could Mercato Centrale be in Venice? Is there really a foodie god? Yes, there is!
​Mercato Centrale happened to be on tour in Venice when we were there, so instead of going back to the hotel we stayed and ate. We even got to meet the director responsible for bringing this market on tour and I basically fangirled out even though he didn't speak English, so he probably thought I was a crazy American!

If you're looking for cities that feel more "German," then you should check out Cologne and Nuremberg. For whatever reason, Cologne was very empty and the weather was pretty gloomy. This actually made for climbing the 533 steps to the cathedral's south tower a bit more bearable. 

Nuremberg is worth a visit not just to see Hitler's favorite Germanic city. Yes, you can visit the Nazi Rally Grounds and Documentation Center, but the city itself was very lively and charming with its old world charm. 

A week off + cheap flights + 3 hr. flight=Mexico City! That's the kind of math I like to do. Having been to the beautiful resort areas of Mexico, we wanted to explore a different part of Mexico and I'm so glad we did! There is so much history to see here, the food is amazing and the people are friendly! I wish more people got to see the positive side of Mexico instead of what is always portrayed on the news. 

I swear the older I get, the faster time flies. Fast forward 3 years later, and I get an email from Conor's mom saying that she's pregnant with baby Trevor and that she'd like me to do his photo shoot too. It's always a special treat for me to be invited back to capture another sibling's first moments and to see how big the first sibling has gotten! As you can see, these two boys are just too cute!

I had heard so much about what a cool city Berlin is and I think it led to way too high of expectations. In hindsight, I'd still recommend it because of all the history there, but it just didn't knock my socks off. I'm glad I went to eat a doner kebab, and oh yeah, visit important Holocaust memorials and learn more about the Cold War. 

We didn't set out to visit the Czech Republic, but Prague was listed on many traveling sites as an "it" city that didn't shut down for Christmas, so Prague it was! I'm so glad we went because other than Annecy in France, Prague was my favorite city on this trip. Why? I'll show you...

I always wish for a little bit of snow when we go to Europe for Christmas because it just adds to the magic of a European Christmas. We got the perfect amount of snow, which is a light dusting that covers everything as if you're in a snow globe, but you're able to still go outside and do things. 

Let's play a word association game. When I say Christmas, I think of Europe, Europe, and oh, Europe. We were in Europe last Christmas, so it only makes sense to end 2016 by being in Europe, right? This time we went to Dublin, Lyon, Geneva, Vienna, Prague, and Berlin over two weeks. Yes, we did TripAdvisor's recommended activities, but you can Google those yourself. I wanted to share some highlights from some of the cities we went to that I particularly enjoyed (i.e. food, food, food, some sights, and more food). To save your fingers from scrolling overkill, I'll break these posts into several parts. I'll start with my favorite...

 Ahhh...France. I've been lucky enough to have been to France three times now, and each time I love it more. For anyone who has fallen in love with a country and gone back, you'll probably be able to relate to being excited and a bit nervous as you wonder if you'll still love the country just as much each time you go back.

Lyon is often compared to Paris, and it is known for its gastronomy. It also has its own Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourviere and an ancient Roman amphitheater. 

Annecy is a picturesque town that has been coined "the Venice of France." It definitely feels like Venice...well, the Venice I know from magazines and travel blogs anyway since I haven't been yet. Annecy is so quaint and a great day-trip option if you're in Lyon!

I feel like I've been saying this a lot as more of my friends become parents, but where does the time go? I've known Landon's dad, Chris, since he was 18! He was literally one of the first people I met the first week of college, and we've shared a lot of laughs over the years.

Landon is one lucky guy to have Chris and Nicole as his parents, and as you can already see, he is being groomed to be a Disneyphile...like father, like son!

Baby Maverick's parents, Emilee and Kyle, are fellow teachers  so it was especially cool doing this session with them. You know Maverick won't be able to get away with much having two parents as teachers, but he'll be one smart cookie! I had a lot of fun talking to Emilee about being a first time parent, and I'm totally jealous that she's home with this cute lil' guy while we're still in school!