Amo Venezia

I was lucky enough to spend this past weekend in Venice! I went with a great group: Nathaniel, Pasquele, Leann, Sarah, and of course myself! We hit the road immediately after class Thursday night! We made it to the train station in time, departing at 7:40pm, and arriving 4 hours later. Let's just say, the moment we got out of the train station and saw that water in Venice we were ecstatic! The photos say it all:

 

We got to Ostello Venzia around 12:30, after our short lived excitement, then the daunting task of quickly figuring out a new transportation system: boats! It was surprisingly easy, and the night bus (or boat) was not a problem at all. This was my first experience with hostels, and I must say this was a great one to start with. For 25 euro a night it was clean, the staff was kind and spoke English well, and we had a breakfast of rolls with nutella, cereal, and tons of coffee/espresso/cappucino, so no complaints at all. We spent three nights at Ostello Venenzia, referred to us by a friend who stayed last summer, and although it was supposed to be a youth hostel, we met several people who were older. In fact, our first morning, Nathaniel, Leann, and I were all lucky enough to randomly take a seat with a woman named Maggie at breakfast. In her mid 80s, Maggie spent a good amount of time with us, telling us the fascinating story of her life, one of travel throughout Europe between ages 15 and 30, before settling down with her husband and having a son and daughter. Sadly, her husband passed away 15 years ago, and ever since hen she has left her home in New Zealand to travel for 4 months, backpacking (i seriously mean this, her bag weighed less than all my camera equipment), going where the wind took her, booking cheap flights and staying with old friends, or meeting new ones in hostels around the world. She has been EVERYWHERE! She was so sweet, and so inspiring. It was the best, and most unexpected way to start off an amazing trip.
 

Our first day in Venice went just the way my dad would hate it- without a map. But before I go on, I must confirm that we DID in fact all have maps, but taking Gianni's advice (the student affairs coordinator for Temple who appeared in my Todi video), we decided to avoid the tourists, walk down a random alley, and enjoy exploring. It was my favorite thing about the weekend, losing ourselves in a beautiful city, walking down whichever tiny alleyway we wanted. I say this loosely because in truth, Venice is a small 3 mile maze of skinny streets, and you cannot avoid getting lost, so we embraced it instead. It was a lot to take in, as there were shops galore, so our main sites of the day were churches (there are 300, so we had plenty of options). I must say I understand but dislike the "no photos" rule, as it is like needing to go to the bathroom when I see such beautiful art and architecture, without the ability to photograph it.

As usual, I still managed to take a million and a half photos between my 3 cameras. As did my partners in crime, Sarah and Leann: 

We couldn't stop! Every turn was so beautiful! 

We ate and photographed our way through Venice. And occasionally photographed what we ate!

In the end, we walked a lot, ate a lot, photographed a lot, and enjoyed one of the most beautiful sunsets ever. We finished the day sitting on a dock, staring at the reflections in the water, and discussing how wonderful life is.

 

The second day started with breakfast again, then a visit to San Marco, and inside St. Marks church. It was worth waiting in line, as every inch was covered with gorgeous and ornate art. I had a wonderful experience just sitting by some candles, looking up at the massive ceiling, and realizing how amazing that moment was. 

We continued to eat our way through the day...again...not surprisingly. But our other big accomplishment was A GONDOLA RIDE! It was a very cool, once-in a-lifetime experience.

The rest of the day was relaxed, and we hit Lido, a small island where a beautiful beach was located. Pasquele and Leann rented a bike for the afternoon while Nathaniel and Sarah and I talked and walked the shore. Again, gorgeous. 

That night Paquele and Nathaniel had a fancy fish dinner in San Marco area while Leann Sarah and I had a girls night at a small restaurant along the water next to our hostel. We had a great time, I stocked up on my seafood, and we had a 3 hour meal: Italian style. Laughing with those girls over dinner with the water at my feet will be a cherished memory for me.

The last day was spent in Murano, the island of glass blowing. Unfortunately the factories are closed on sundays, but we still had a nice day exploring all the shops (there were plenty). The girls all bought a glass calligraphy pen with a glass tip, packaged with a glass stand and ink. We clearly expect our penmanship to improve with this writing utensil.

Leaving Venice was sad, but I felt that 3 full days gave me enough time to enjoy it and not feel rushed, which I liked. Even though our train departed at 4:30 in the afternoon, I passed out immediately into a coma-like sleep for a good 2 hours or so. Arriving in Rome was an interesting feeling- as Rome is my new home! I really did miss Rome, and I really did feel like I was home once we hit our metro stop at Cipro, which was strange and nice at the same time. I still miss everyone back in the U.S. and I know I will enjoy THAT home as well, but for now I am getting used to Rome and my new life here, enjoying every day and doing my best to take every opportunity I can. I am happy I took this opportunity to see and fall in love with Venice, and as Leann says, "Until we come back, and do it again!!!"