The above photo is of the ceiling of the enrance to the Venetian hotel.  It is a replica of Michelangelo's ceiling in the Sistine Chapel in Rome, Italy.

The Venetian is probably my favorite hotel in Las Vegas.  There are so many wonderful hotels in Vegas including the Bellagio and Caesar's Palace.  Think I like the Venetian the most because I love Italy! 

I enjoyed strolling through the interior of the Venetian and watching the gondolas in the canals.  It reminds me of the time I sent in Italy.  I enjoy their mall as well and the big Christmas tree that changes colors during the Christmas season.  You can see the fire show or fake volano that shoots fire 100 feet into the air over at the Mirage from the balcony at the Venetian as well. 

I  find the Venetian to be much more reasonably priced and the Bellagio.  I don't think you can really go wrong with staying either of these gorgeous hotels.  They are very nearby each other and a hotel as grand as these in most other places especially in Europe would be A LOT more expensive!
The above photo is a restaurant I had dinner at one night
The above shows the "volcano" erupting at the Mirage

There are many cafes and gelato shops in his hotel as well




The above is a view of the strip in front of the Venetian
Here is the very large Christmas tree that changes color all night

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I will leave you with a short video of the very big Christmas tree changing colors at night.  Enjoy the rest of the holiday season my friends :)! 

~ Michelle

I love visiting Las Vegas at Christmas time.  I do not drink or gamble, but I love looking at all of the Christmas decorations. Las Vegas has so many grand hotels to begin with and the decorations just make it even more majestic! 

One of my favorite hotels to visit is the Bellagio.  They do such a good job decorating for the holidays. I especially love the polar bears and the penguin exhibit. I can stand for a very long time and just look at the ceiling in the lobby by Dale Chihuly:

Penguin exhibit:






Polar bear exhibit:

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I hope you are enjoying the holidays and staying warm depending on where you are.  Take care my friends! 

~Michelle

Paris is sometimes referred to as the city of lights and I beieve it is definitely that at Christmas time.  In December of 2012, I visited Paris to see the Christmas decorations.  It was indeed a beautiful site as Paris always is!

I did break my rule of staying central on this trip to Paris.  In December Paris can be quite chilly!  It wasn't snowing but the average temperature was probably between 40 - 50° Fahrenheit.  It rained a lot so I really wasn't able to use my good camera at all.  I had just bought it and in all honesty had no idea how to care for it in that type of weather. 

I stayed further away from the Louvre, which is where I usually try to stay when I visit Paris.  It was a 15 minute walk to the metro.  Being from a small town, public transportation is not my favorite to say the least. I find it difficult to navigate my way around especially in a city as large as Paris.

In spite of the fact that I did face some challenges on that trip, it was worth seeing Paris at Christmas. I did want to share my photos even though they are all taken with a cell phone.  One day I would like to visit Paris during the holidays and stay somewhere near the Opera Garnier or Louvre.

I just loved the red tree at the Opera Garnier!


The Champs Elysees was very beautiful even in the rain!






Happy holidays to all of you!   Thank you so much for stopping by.  Take care my friends!

~Michelle