Taste of Venice
...Venice, Florida, that is. This past weekend I took a little weekend trip to the "other coast" of Florida - the west coast. It was a great time had by all (met up with some pretty awesome people).
In comparison to Fort Lauderdale Beach, Venice Beach had lighter colored sand, clearer water, a larger shore, and more of a "low key, vacation" vibe to it. It was kind of nice getting out of the hustle and bustle my neck of the woods for the weekend.
On Saturday, we grabbed some brunch at a charming place called Nokomis Breakfast House. It's a tiny little yellow house converted into a tiny little restaurant. The interior was simple, but bright. Every table had a white tablecloth, and painted chairs - green, orange, pink, blue, purple, yellow, etc. We were sat at the "purple table," which matched the nail color on my toes perfectly, might I add! Aside from my table, I would estimate that the average age was 72, and I honestly would not have it any other way. I loved it. I ordered Eggs Florentine (seen below). But I'd have to say that the chocolate chip pancakes that my friend ordered stole the show! (But only if you REALLY like chocolate ;) ).
The highlight of the trip was when my buddies and I went to the beach during sunset. At first I wasn't going to go in the water since it had gotten a little breezy. But I ended up getting thrown over someone's shoulder and chucked playfully into the water. Not gonna lie though - I'm glad I was. :)
The ocean itself looked like a sea of gold. It was just spectacular.
I also snapped this picture of a fellow swimming in the ocean solo. It's nice to have those moments of solidarity with ol' Mother Nature. Whenever I have those moments, I feel like a tiny fleck in this gigantic world of ours. It's humbling but still incredibly gratifying each time I get the chance to feel this way.
It was also refreshing to see so many people come out to just watch the sunset, and appreciate the magnitude of its beauty.
This trip made me realize a few things though:
- I love going to quieter places to "re-charge." But I could never live in a quiet place.
- I have a moderate obsession with pretty skies. So I am considering getting a "real" camera instead of my 5s (iphone) to better capture them.
- I have awesome people in my life.
- Road trips are always a good idea.
I'm already ready to go back again.
