Bubbles & Baby
Champagne & Treats At Gran Caffè Lavena
So cool story (in my opinion) about Kevin, Linden, and I getting champagne and treats in St. Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco) in Venice, but I’ll start with a little background…This wasn’t my first time going to Venice this is my third (I don’t take it for granted I know how extremely lucky I am to have been able to visit this beautiful city on numerous occasions). The first time I came it was in High School and it was a day trip filled with a lot of fun, running around and a lot of tourist traps. I knew what I was seeing was beautiful, but I couldn’t quite comprehend at the time how truly amazing this floating city is. The second time was on Kevin and I’s honeymoon over six years ago! We had done a Contiki tour and we loved it, although we had spent every single last penny (pretty much), on our flights and tours. Therefore, on our travels, we stuffed our faces at the continental breakfasts (always grabbing an extra croissant or two and putting them into my purse), and getting cheap street food eats on-the-go! And, we couldn’t complain, fresh paninis, slices of ‘za and fresh baked goods were always readily available in Italy. Side note… a fun thing about traveling back then (ha, not that long ago but things have changed)… was that you couldn’t just grab your cellphone and look up where the hot places were on Instagram or check OpenTable or TripAdvisor for recommendations on the go. Data charges were INSANELY expensive (and remember we spent all our money) and if we wanted to check anything on the internet we would have to go to an internet cafe. That being said… Kevin and I couldn’t help but see the couples enjoying bubbly champagne and treats in the Piazzetta of Piazza San Marco with fresh strawberries and beautiful classical music played by string quartets with a view of the Doge’s Palace and St. Mark's Basilica in the forefront. It truly is the most romantic thing we had ever witnessed in person. We walked past multiple times with a “hmmph” and an “it must be nice”… and continued on our tours with the group of 40 of us trying to find the cheapest slice of authentic Italian pizza in town….
Kevin & I on a gondola ride on our honeymoon. Not pictured: the two other couples we shared the gondola with and the bottle of $10 euro prosecco split between the six of us. Also notice the rain coming down and that it was a bonus for us cause we got a better deal if we took the ride in the rain. HA!
Flash-forward to our recent trip to Italy. This trip, completely different from the first two times I went. Wearing the comfiest (publicly acceptable) outfits I own (nursing bras and tops included), three-month old Linden strapped into the Babybjorn and onto me, we headed into the extraordinary city of Venice. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I realized that Venice was even more beautiful then I had remembered it to be. Like a fine wine, Venice gets better with age (or as I get older I start seeing things in an even more beautiful light… good news Kevin). We got off the boat and headed over the pedestrian covered bridge I had remembered from my last two visits. We walked into Piazza San Marco and immediately felt that romance from our honeymoon all over again. This time, it wasn’t raining it was sunny and bright. This time we weren’t stressing about putting too much on our credit cards and instead had saved specifically for food and drink experiences (as we call them). This time we weren’t in a group full of teenagers, or 40 twenty-somethings looking for places to get drunk and party. This time it was just the three of us. It was absolutely perfect. It did ring true that “third time's a charm”. And then we heard it. We heard the sounds of the beautiful live music, playing one of my favourite songs “La Vie En Rose”… and we saw the couples drinking champagne and eating strawberries… Kevin and I caught eyes and said “are we doing this?”… of course it was a loud “YES”! So off we went to find the perfect location to engage in what we wanted to years ago, baby in tow. Did I want to be wearing a beautiful Italian inspired dress instead of the nursing top and comfy “mom jeans” for this experience we dreamed about? Yes. Did I wish I had been wearing makeup to hide the big bags under my eyes since Linden was only sleeping in 1-2 hour increments at this time? Yes! Did it stop us from having the best experience ever? Absolutely not!
Some things don’t change. Just as in love now as we were then! Kissing in front of the Bridge of Sighs circa 2013.
Feeding the pigeons in St Mark’s Square circa 2007. Apparently 15 year old me thought this was cool. Almost 30 year old me thinks it is gross and wants to douse myself in sanitizer. Back then people would sell feed for you to give to the birds. Now it is illegal to feed the pigeons, and for good reason… we saw a lot less on this trip which meant a cleaner square and a lot less garbage.
So off we went to find the perfect location for our bubbly experience. How were we to pick the right restaurant? Well, it was quite easy! We wanted somewhere that had live music playing… and it turns out that all the restaurants take turns having live music at any time. We ended up choosing Gran Caffè Lavena. Lavena has an amazingly rich history and it can be felt when you sit in your table in the middle of the square. It was established in 1750 and was called Regina D’Ungheria under the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1860 the cafe was purchased by Carlo Lavena and it has remained in the family this entire time. The location has been visited by those in society who had a high social position including a daily visitor Richard Wagner (The German Composer) from 1879 to 1883. It became a location where international visitors came to enjoy food, drinks, and great conversation.
So… the big question is… was it worth the hype? Absolutely! Is it overpriced? Of course. It’s a tourist location with an incredible view and an unbelievable experience. Do we regret it? Not one bit! In fact… we decided to live up the life of luxury one more time and get champagne and treats a second time during our trip. So here are the details:
Price: Expensive. A small bottle of champagne with the strawberries, chips, and olives will set you back $60-$80 euros. And although that may seem on the high side, keep in mind you are sitting in a supreme location in the middle of one of the most photographed places in the world. Also, keep in mind that a lot of the square cafès oblige you to pay a music supplement on top of your bill that can range from $5-$10 per person. We were lucky enough on our first visit to have a wonderful server who waived this fee for us. On our second visit, this was not waived, but I guess 50% isn't so bad! As a server in a previous career I know the importance of tipping and I make sure to keep this in mind when travelling. Tipping isn’t expected it Italy, but it is appreciated when you get good service. They don’t allow you to add a tip on your credit card if you pay in this method, so it’s always good to have some cash on hand to leave tips when you get a great experience.
Service: Incredible! When you order a bottle of bubbly, they go all out. They make you feel like a celebrity in a film version of the most romanticized version of your own life. You are no longer yourself but are transported to another era and an alternate universe where you and those you are dining with truly are the most important people at that moment in time. They do a little “show” of pouring and tasting the champagne and the snacks are served on a vintage silver serving tray (see above videos). They attend to you as much as needed, but also let you be and enjoy your experience without feeling rushed.
Atmosphere: I mean… did you see that view above? You experience the picturesque center of Venice with its beautiful architecture set to the sounds of beautiful classical music played by an incredible group of talented musicians. The hustle and bustle around you are loud but perfectly busy and the chairs have just the right amount of comfort.
Dress Code: Nothing is out of place here. You can dress however you like. If you want to go all out and wear a gorgeous dress and doll yourself up, you’d fit right in! If you want to wear jeans and a t-shirt, again… you’ll fit right in. There is no dress code and everyone is welcome.
Kid/Baby Friendly: This was one of my favorite parts of this experience. We did not feel like we were hindered or out of place by having Linden with us at all! I wore him the entire time, but I am not sure if they have highchairs or not. I didn’t have to worry about him making too much noise because it is already so loud outside that if he were to make noise it would have just blended in with everything else. Our first visit, he slept most of the time. The second experience he started to cry a little and I was able to simply get up and walk around with him for a while to calm him down. There were tonnes of kids enjoying their ice cream sundaes and treats (which are incredible) and the pastries. This is truly a location for families and couples alike!
Overall: Perfect. If you just want to sit and enjoy watching tourists from all over the world who speak different languages, believe in different religions, and come from completely different backgrounds bask in agreement that they are viewing one of the most beautiful places in the world… this is the place to be. It is amazing for really anything you want; a romantic conversation, a family meal, a lighthearted friendly chat, or reliving your honeymoon from six years ago. The people-watching is incredible, the locale is amazing, and it is everything I hoped it would be… and more because we had waited so long for this moment…Saluti Venezia!
