There is a morning in Venice, and then there is everything else after that. As I mentioned in a previous post about my trip to Venice, the real charm of the "Queen of the Mediterranean" you will experience in the morning hours. From 10-11am everything starts to be completely different...

Postoji jutro u Veneciji, i onda postoji sve ostalo nakon toga. Kao sto sam vec spomenula u prethodnom postu o mojoj poseti Veneciji, pravu car "kraljice Mediterana" dozivecete u jutarnjim casovima. Jer vec nakon 10h-11h situacija se potpuno menja...

Somewhere around noon, after walking around the central part, we reached the Grand Canal and Rialto Bridge, the oldest bridge in Venice. Here is also the hotel "Rialto" which is one of the most famous hotels in Venice, with its terraces overlooking the Grand Canal. The Rialto Bridge is never empty- at one point I couldn't get close to take a picture...

Negde oko podneva, nakon setnje po centru, stigli smo do Velikog kanala i mosta Ponte di Rialto, najstarijeg mosta u Veneciji. Ovde se nalazi i hotel "Rialto" koji je jedan od najpoznatijih u Veneciji, sa svojim terasicama koje gledaju na Veliki kanal. Most Rialto nikada nije prazan, ja u jednom trenutku nisam mogla da pridjem da uslikam neku fotografiju...

This is a very lively and picturesque part of Venice, with lots of lovely little restaurants and a myriad of gondolas and boats. And of course this is also the area where people live- you can see everywhere cute houses painted in cheerful shades of yellow, pink, and red...

Ovo je vrlo zivahan i zivopisan deo Venecije, sa puno ljupkih restorancica i bezbroj gondola i brodica. I naravno ovo je naseljeni deo, sa visespratnim kucama okrecenim u vesele tonove zute, roze, i crvenkaste boje...

It was already early afternoon, we walked a lot, so the smartest thing was to make a break, drink some coffee and possibly eat something. I'm not a fan of espresso, too strong for my taste, so I ordered a cappuccino. Here you drink your coffee "on feet", you can savour it as much as you want, but rarely you will find a place to seat, and if you do you will additionally pay that pleasure.

Vec je bilo rano popodne, mi smo se isetali, tako da je bilo najpametnije popiti kafu i eventualno gricnuti nesto. Ja nisam ljubitelj espresa, previse jako za moj ukus, tako da sam narucila kapucino. Kafa se ovde pije "stojeci", mozete degustirati koliko god zelite, ali retko gde se moze sesti, i ako hocete to zadovoljstvo posebno placate.

In the part of Venice behind the bridge (parallel with the bridge) is the market area where you can buy all sorts of countless souvenirs at affordable prices. Without a masquerade mask, even in the form of a fridge magnet, you don't leave Venice!:)

U delu Venecije iza mosta (tacno paralelno sa mostom) nalazi se pijacni deo gde mozete kupiti bezbroj raznoraznih suvenira, po povoljnijim cenama. Bez maske za maskenbal, pa makar i u vidu magneta, se ne odlazi iz Venecije!:)

When we decided that we definitely finished with the area around the Grand Canal, we set out to explore the part that is located between the Grand canal and Saint Mark's Square. There is a beautiful area around wonderfully decorated Church of San Moise, with the hotel and several restaurants. From there, we somehow reached the street with shops, which is a paradise for all fashion fans- in a row: Gucci, Miu Miu, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Burberry, D&G...

Kada smo odlucili da smo definitivno zavrsili sa delom oko Velikog kanala, krenuli smo da istrazujemo deo koji se nalazi izmedju kanala i Trga Svetog Marka. Postoji jedan lepi deo oko predivno ukrasene crkve San Moise, sa istoimenim hotelom i nekoliko restorana. Odatle smo nekako stigli i do ulice koja je raj za sve modne fanove, jedna do druge u nizu poredjane radnje: Gucci, Miu Miu, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Burberry, D&G...

After that we went back to the place where we started the day, to the main dock where the boat left us, because on the other side is the old part of Venice. It seems to me that this part is insufficiently explored and equally attractive. Kind of reminded me of the charm of Vojvodina's towns, minus the canals!:) 

Nakon toga smo krenuli ka delu gde smo i poceli dan, ka glavnom doku gde nas je brodic ostavio, jer se na drugom delu nalazi stari deo Venecije. Ovaj deo je cini mi se nedovoljno istrazen i podjednako privlacan. Nekako me je podsetio na sarm vojvodjanskih mesta, ako izuzmemo kanale!:)

And after all, we sat for about an hour to rest, because we haven't stopped since the morning. Our small boat came around 4pm, and we said goodbye to beautiful Venice, totally enchanted. Personally, I think I'll go back, maybe in a different company so I can experience the city in a new way...;)

I na kraju svega, seli smo jedno sat vremena da se odmorimo, jer nismo stali od jutra. Nas brodic je dosao oko cetiri, a mi smo se oprostili sa lepom Venecijom, potpuno ocarani. Ja licno mislim da cu otici ponovo, mozda u drugacijem drustvu da je dozivim na novi nacin...;)

You see, now is not exactly the brightest period in my life. And usually when you don't feel ok, it is easy to neglect yourself. This is counterproductive, both in the short and in the long run. Therefore it helps me (as much as it's hard sometimes) to have a skincare routine, something that I have to do and repeat every day, so I can keep myself "on the good track".
This is my current routine when it comes to the morning skincare. And it's much simpler than the evening/nighttime routine, which I'll also share in one of the next posts...

Vidite, trenutno mi nije bas najsjajniji period u zivotu. I obicno kada se ne osecate ok, vrlo je lako zanemariti sebe. Sto je kontraproduktivno, i na krace i na duze staze. Zato mi pomaze (koliko god da je nekad tesko) da imam rutinu nege koze, nesto sto moram raditi i ponavljati svaki dan, kako bih odrzavala sebe na "dobroj traci".

Ovo je moja trenutna rutina kada je jutarnja nega koze u pitanju. I mnogo je jednostavnija od vecernje rutine, koju cu takodje podeliti u jednom od narednih postova...

Step 1: CLEANSING
Maybe this first step I should call "refreshment" more than the ordinary cleansing. I thoroughly clean my face before bedtime, so it's impossible to accumulate so much dirt 'till the morning. So after splashing the face with water, I apply Sephora "Liquid moisturizing skin concentrate" with cotton pads. This is actually lotion and serum in one, and when applied to a face before the cream, it enhances its moisturizing effect by 25%.

1. korak: CISCENJE LICA

Mozda bih prvi korak pre trebala nazvati osvezavanje nego klasicno ciscenje lica. S obzirom da temeljno ocistim lice pre spavanja, koza ne stigne da nakupi necistoce do jutra. Tako da nakon umivanja, lepo i lagano nanesem na lice Sephora "Liquid moisturizing skin concentrate" tuferima. Inace ovo je losion i serum u jednom, i kada se nanese na lice pre kreme, pojacava njen hidrirajuci efekat za 25%.

Step 2: EYE CREAM
Until I wait for the lotion to absorb, I move onto the eye cream. Currently I use Clinique "Pep-start eye cream" which I apply in circular motions in order to boost the circulation of the eye area.

2. korak: KREMA ZA OCI

I dok cekam da lice upije losion za ciscenje, ja predjem na kremu za oci. Trenutno koristim Clinique "Pep-start eye cream" koju nanosim kruznim pokretima kako bi se podstakla cirkulacija predela oko ociju.

Step 3: BOOSTER + MOISTURIZER
Usually the third step is the serum and then the fourth is a face cream. But now instead of a serum, I use Clinique "Fresh pressed daily booster" with Vitamin C which should be mixed with the moisturizer, in my case- Clinique "Dramatically different moisturizing cream". A little more about these two products you can read in this post.

3. korak: KONCENTRAT + KREMA

Obicno bi treci korak bio serum pa cetvrti dnevna krema. Ali trenutno umesto seruma, koristim Clinique "Fresh pressed" koncentrat sa vitaminom C koji se mesa sa kremom za lice, u mom slucaju to je Clinique "Dramatically different" hidrantna krema za lice. Malo vise o ova dva proizvoda mozete procitati ovde.

Step 4: LIP BALM
This step I recently added to the skincare routine, because I noticed that my lips really need that extra step, especially if the next thing is applying makeup. These days I use Balea "Lip oil" with the coconut.

4. korak: LABELO ZA USNE

Ovaj korak sam tek nedavno dodala rutini, zato sto sam primetila da je mojim usnama zaista potreban ovaj dodatni korak, narocito ako je sledeca stvar nanosenje sminke. Ovih dana koristim Balea "Ulje za usne" za kokosom.

Our "72h in Italy trip" began with the visit to Venice, the "Queen of the Mediterranean" as they call it. From all the excursions we had planned during these three days, this is the one I was eagerly waiting for.

The day started early. Around 7am we arrived at the port of Punta Sabioni, and after 45min our little boat came. If I remember correctly at 8:30 we stepped on the soil of Venice...

Nas "72h casa u Italiji" put je zapoceo posetom Veneciji, iliti "kraljici Mediterana" kako je neki nazivaju. Od svih izleta koje smo planirali tokom ova tri dana, ovaj sam sa nestrpljenjem iscekivala. 

Dan je poceo rano. Vec oko 7h smo stigli u luku Punta Sabioni odakle smo se nakon 45min ukrcali na brodic. Ako se dobro secam vec oko 8:30 smo zagazili na tlo Venecije...

Our morning started here, at the dock. From there we went for a walk and after some hundred meters ran into the first canal. Venice has 177 canals, dividing the whole city into 118 different islands.

Nase jutro je zapocelo ovde, na doku. Odatle smo krenuli u setnju i vec nakon nekih sto metara naisli na prvi kanal. Venecija ima 177 kanala, koji dele citav grad na 118 razlicitih ostrva.

The first well-known building we saw was The Doge's Palace (In Italian- Palazzo Ducale) which is now a museum. Built in the Gothic style, it was the residence of the former Dukes of the Venetian Republic, the so-called Doges. One part of it was once a prison which famous Casanova escaped from during a masquerade ball (this information I remembered with ease, lol).

Prva poznata gradjevina na koju smo naisli je Duzdeva palata (na italijanskom Palazzo Ducale) koja je danas muzej. Izgradjena u gotickom stilu, sluzila je kao rezidencija vojvoda nekadasnje Mletacke republike, takozvanih duzdeva. Nekada je u njenom delu bio i zatvor iz kojeg je i cuveni Kazanova pobegao tokom jednog od brojnih maskenbala (inace informacija koju sam najlakse zapamtila, haha). 

Just around the corner of Doge's Palace begins the prettiest part of Venice- St. Mark Square (Piazza San Marco). Grandiose, spacious, filled with beautiful buildings and decorations, and unbearably crowded with tourists during most of the day and year. Well luckily enough, we've had the chance to visit Venice in the early morning hours, to feel the true charm and absorb the beauty that is inevitably lost when you're surrounded by hundreds of people. Because then you have to focus on your wallets and purses, and not on the beauty around you. Speaking of that, "pickpockets" have developed the perfect business on the territory of Venice. At least five times during the day I heard that someone was robbed...

Odmah iza coska Duzdeve palate zapocinje najlepsi deo Venecije- Trg Svetog Marka (Piazza San Marco). Grandiozan, prostran, ispunjen predivnim gradjevinama i dekoracijama, i nesnosno krcat turistima tokom vecine dana i godine. E pa mi smo imali tu srecu da posetimo Veneciju u ranim jutarnjim casovima, da osetimo pravu draz i upijemo tu lepotu koja se neizostavno gubi kada ste okruzeni stotinama ljudi. Zato sto onda morate da se fokusirate na vase tasne i novcanike, a ne na lepotu oko vas. Inace "dzeparosi" su razvili savrsen biznis na teritoriji Venecije. Najmanje pet puta sam tokom dana cula da je neko pokraden...

Across Doge's palace is The National Library Marciana (Biblioteca Marciana). In front of this Renaissance building there are some cafes where you can sit and drink an espresso while soaking up the sun and enjoying the view. Of course this view you will generously pay...

Nasuprot Duzdevoj palati se nalazi Nacionalna biblioteka Marciana (Biblioteca Marciana). Ispred ove renesansne gradjevine se nalazi par kafica, gde mozete sesti i popiti espreso dok upijate sunce i uzivate u pogledu. Naravno ovaj pogled cete poprilicno platiti...

And then we reached the building that took my breath away with its magnificent look- St Mark's Basilica (Basilica San Marco). Venetian cathedral and the city's biggest church, built in the Byzantine style, whose facade is decorated with beautiful decorative frescoes. The upper part is extremely ornate, and what you notice first are four replicas of ancient horses (horses of St. Mark) and indispensable golden winged lion.

E onda smo stigli do gradjevine koja mi je oduzela dah svojom velicanstvenom pojavom- Bazilika Svetog Marka (Basilica San Marco). Venecijanska katedrala i najveca gradska crkva, sagradjena u vizantinskom stilu, cija je fasada ukrasena lepim dekorativnim freskama. U gornjem delu je izuzetno kitnjasta, a ono sto prvo primetite su replike cetiri anticka konja (konji Svetog Marka) i neizostavni krilati zlatni lav.

Opposite of the Basilica of St. Mark (and right next to the National library) is its bell tower called Campanile San Marco. The bell tower, due to its height of some 98m became one of the symbols of Venice.

Nasuprot Bazilike Svetog Marka (i odmah pored Nacionalne bibilioteke) se nalazi njen zvonik nazvan Campanila San Marco. Ovaj zvonik je zahvaljujuci svojoj visini od nekih 98m postao jedan od simbola Venecije.

What I found interesting is that you could see everywhere the winged lion "holding" the book. I found out that this book is not always open. Specifically when it's open it means the rise of the Venetian Republic, and by the logic closed book symbolizes the fall.

Ono sto je meni bilo zanimljivo je to sto ste svuda mogli videti krilatog lava kako "drzi" knjigu. Saznala sam da ova knjiga nije svuda otvorena. Naime kada je otvorena ona oznacava uspon Mletacke republike, dok zatvorena po logici simbolise pad.

On the other end of St. Mark Square is Procuratie Vecchie consisting of three connected buildings. There is also the Astronomical Clock, which is called the Clock of St. Mark. This is one of the first astronomical clocks that are built on European soil.

Na drugom kraju Trga Svetog Marka je Procuratie Vecchie koja se sastoji od tri povezane zgrade. Tu je i Astronomski sat, koji zovu i Sat Svetog Marka. Ovo je jedan od prvih astronomskih satova koji se podignuti na tlu Evrope.

And when we were done with all the main attractions of Venice located on St. Mark's Square, we found ourselves in the mysteriously attractive streets intersected by the canals, filled with gondolas and cheerful gondoliers. Since the gondola is perfect for romantic moments and couples, I decided to get lost in these streets that are full of shops. And after about an hour I reached the bridge Ponte di Rialto, but it was already the noon, so that's a story for another post...;)

I kada smo zavrsili sa svim glavnim znamenitostima Venecije na Trgu Svetog Marka, zasli smo u misteriozno privlacne ulicice ispresecane kanalima koji su nacickani gondolama i veselim gondolijerima. S obzirom da su gondole savrsene za romanticne trenutke i parove, ja odlucih da se izgubim u ovim ulicicama koje su pune radnjica. I nakon nekih sat vremena stigoh do mosta "Ponte di Rialto", ali vec je bilo podne, pa je to prica za drugi post...;)