Here are my final photos of Las Vegas these photos were taken in the hotels Paris and Caesar's Palace.  I was amazed at the number of very very high-end shops in Caesar's Palace forum.  I enjoyed window shopping as it's rare to see Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Breitling and Chanel, Tiffany etc. all right next to each other. I found it really fun to take photos in all of the hotels I've visited in Las Vegas as there is so much detail.
   

 Well it's 2015 now and I hope you all have a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year. Here's to your New Year's resolutions lasting much longer than any troubles you have at least mine.  Take care my friends!

The ceiling at the Paris Hotel:

Thanks so much for visiting.  I would love to hear any comments or questions you have.  Happy New Year! 

~Michelle

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

 During my visit to Florence Italy last week I took the fast train for a day trip to Venice.  This was my first time riding the fast train.  I did like it, but  I'm not sure I like it more than flying.  It was nice seeing the scenery along the way.  The only drawback is it takes a little longer because obviously it doesn't go as fast as a plane and it stops along the way to pick up and drop off people.  We stopped four times between Florence and Venice. 

Getting to see Venice in person was really incredible! it's amazing to see a city in the water. Venice is known to be sinking.  This is not something new.  Venice has been sinking over the years and reinforcements have had to be placed under  the buildings.  Venice is often been referred to as elegant decay.

The Grand Canal is their Highway.  There are no cars only boats of one type or another.  Their ambulances are boats, their police ride around in boats, and the mail is delivered by boats.   Another thing that I was surprised to learn is they speak Venetian in Venice which is nothing like Italian. 

While I was there it did rain for part of the day.  I will say that I recommend to anyone visiting Venice to try and go on a sunny day.  It's a lot more beautiful in the sun in my opinion.  I would like to go back again someday and spend a night!

Below are some photos of the Basilica San Marco which is one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen.  It is under construction in these photos which is understandable since it's more than 600 years old :)

You can use any of my photos for free and they are free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0.  They are available in a variety of sizes HERE

  This photo is not crooked.  This is a well known leaning building that was built in 1400.

   There are streets without water on them, but NO cars.

"I don't want to be in my car all day. I love getting up in the morning in Venice and walking my dogs down to the cafe to get my tea, and then perhaps going to a bookstore and sitting and reading, then walking to the beach"

~Jessica Chastain

There are many stores that sell some very colorful souvenirs.  I wanted to buy one of the beautful masks, but most of the ones I liked were about 50 euros or $75 USD and I didn't think it would survive the journey home in my typically overweight luggage.

  No Walmarts in Venice, but many beautiful farmers markets :)

It takes five years to study and or practice to be a gondolier.  The least expensive gondola costs more than 30,000 euros or about $45,000 USD.

The busiest time in Venice is June through August.  Even though I was there in April, most of the streets were very crowded like in the photo below:

This would be where people park their cars  boats:

This is a well known building that belonged to a wealthy family.  There is a spiral stair case going up the tower.

"Venice never quite seems real, but rather an ornate film set suspended on the water."

~Frida Giannini

 Thank you so much for stopping by.  I will leave you with a very brief video taken while I was watching the traffic in one of the canals.  I hope you all have a wonderful week!

~Michelle

"Las Vegas exists chiefly to satisfy the needs and desires of its visitors, and this it does in spectacular fashion. Sin City has taken or re-created the best that other great cities have to offer and then upped the ante -- making it bigger, grander, flashier."

 This post will feature photos of two of my favorite hotels - the Venetian and Caesar's Palace.  I've never had much of a desire to visit Venice and still don't since I felt like I was there already!

 I loved watching the gondolas going up and down the faux canal and walking along the beautiful European like streets under a perfectly designed sky!

 I enjoyed the Venetian so much I booked a 4 day vacation there - not sure when I'm going, but it will definitely be this year!

 I loved the skating rink and the gigantic Christmas tree that changes colors in the front of the hotel.

I read a quote about Las Vegas that I thought was funny but so not true (at least if you visit when the Christmas decorations are displayed): 

"A weekend in Vegas without gambling and drinking is just like being a born-again Christian."

Artie Lange

  Caesar's Palace is also quite grand!  Love all of the beautiful fountains both inside and outside.

 I love how Caesar's Palace has a perfect view of the Bellagio's magnificent fountain display!

This was one of my favorite outdoor fountains at Caesar's Palace!

This was one of my favorite indoor fountains inside Caesar's Palace Forum pictured in the following photo: 

 Lots of VERY nice shops in Caesar's Palace Forum.  Never have I seen so many Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Rolex, Cartier, Hermes, etc. stores within a couple square miles. Then again, if there is a place people go to spend $, it's Vegas...I do believe that might be the reason why we can stay at these incredible hotels for a fraction of what they would cost in Europe!

 I found it very enjoyable and entertaining to simply stroll though the hotels looking at the architecture, decor, and ceilings :-) 

 Lastly, I will leave you with a photo of myself in front of the Bellagio and Caesar's Palace with a sweet little girl who ran over and wanted to be in the photo with me.  Her mother said no, but I said it was fine with me.  Too cute!

 Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope you all enjoy the remainder of the holidays this year.  Take care my friends!