Our final trip in Europe would be a weekend excursion to Venice, Italy. Four hours by high speed train, Venice is a sinking island, and a beautiful one at that. We left on Friday after our final exam and arrived in Venice around 8:00 p.m. Our hostel was actually located on another island called Tronchetto, so all we planned on doing that night was eating and then heading to the hostel. After walking around for about 20 minutes or so, we found a place to eat. Seated at a table by the water, we ordered from a set menu that included three courses. After dinner we took the People Mover to the island of Tronchetto. Here we would catch a bus to Jolly Camping. Yes, we would once again be camping. This campsite was from the same company as our campsite in Florence. Appearance wise, it was much nicer with much nicer bathrooms and a better layout of the campground. However, the tents were placed so close together that one could hear every conversation going on in the tent next to you. Unfortunately for me, I can't go to sleep unless it's silent. Well, I have my sleep machine of course. After two hours of listening to these girls talk next door, I finally went over at 2:30 and asked them very nicely to be quiet. Around 3:30 a.m or so, I finally drifted off to sleep.
Saturday was our one full day in Venice. We started the morning off with some breakfast from the local supermarket: chocolate donuts and strawberries for me. Mmmm. We missed the shuttle to the main island so we were forced to take the public bus. No biggie; we were professionals. Following a 15 minute walk, we made it to the bus stop and headed down the island on a 25 minute bus ride. Once on the island, we just began walking. And walking. And walking. Venice is the perfect city for wandering. No big roads, just little back alleys. We stopped in almost each and every little shop, trying on the famous Venetian masks and looking at the beautiful Murano glass. Shelley, Jennifer, and I each bought souvenirs for family and friends. Through wandering in the back roads, we finally made it San Marco Square: the most famous square in Venice. We toured the basilica and walked up to the edge of the water. The water was absolutely breathtaking, with the gondolas perfectly placed along the shore and docks. San Marco's Square was overtaken by pigeons. Hundreds and hundreds of pigeons flew overhead and walked along the ground. I had to be careful not to step on one and kill it. Many children had purchased bird seed and would hold out their hands as pigeons swarmed over and landed on their shoulders, arms, and heads. It was quite the sight to see. Close to 4 p.m. we took a gondola ride through the back canals of Venice. Though it was rather expensive, it was the one "thing to do" in Venice, and it was worth the money. Our gondola man was friendly and pointed out little fun facts for us throughout the 35 minute ride. The rest of our evening was spent exploring more shops before catching the 9:30 p.m. bus back to the campsite.
Sunday was a half day. Shelley would catch a train home at 2:30 p.m to meet up with her aunt in Rome and Jennifer and I would catch the 5:00 train back to Rome. We had one mission today: buy masks. Venice is famous for its beautiful masks and we each wanted one. After trying on dozens and dozens of masks and once I had about 10 pounds of glitter on my face, I finally found my perfect mask. And it was lovely. Jennifer found hers at the same place as mine, but Shelley still had not found "the one". Well, when Shelley finally found her perfect mask, she actually found three. Venice is Shelley's favorite place in the entire world, so three masks was a must. I'll admit, they were all beautiful. We had completed our mission and with an hour or so to spare. We searched for a place to eat lunch and found a smal bar/cafe. The Olympic Games were on so we spent a while watching the women's marathon before heading to the train station. One last gelato stop and we headed to the train station. Jennifer and I chose to wait in the train station; it was much too hot to be walking around and we had already accomplished all of our goals. The train ride home was rather long, but for a long stretch of it all I could see out the windows were fields of sunflowers. I was a happy camper. Jennifer and I arrived back in Rome at 9:00 p.m. Tomorrow would be my last day in Rome before heading home to America on August 7th. Gosh, time truly does fly when you're having fun.
Saturday was our one full day in Venice. We started the morning off with some breakfast from the local supermarket: chocolate donuts and strawberries for me. Mmmm. We missed the shuttle to the main island so we were forced to take the public bus. No biggie; we were professionals. Following a 15 minute walk, we made it to the bus stop and headed down the island on a 25 minute bus ride. Once on the island, we just began walking. And walking. And walking. Venice is the perfect city for wandering. No big roads, just little back alleys. We stopped in almost each and every little shop, trying on the famous Venetian masks and looking at the beautiful Murano glass. Shelley, Jennifer, and I each bought souvenirs for family and friends. Through wandering in the back roads, we finally made it San Marco Square: the most famous square in Venice. We toured the basilica and walked up to the edge of the water. The water was absolutely breathtaking, with the gondolas perfectly placed along the shore and docks. San Marco's Square was overtaken by pigeons. Hundreds and hundreds of pigeons flew overhead and walked along the ground. I had to be careful not to step on one and kill it. Many children had purchased bird seed and would hold out their hands as pigeons swarmed over and landed on their shoulders, arms, and heads. It was quite the sight to see. Close to 4 p.m. we took a gondola ride through the back canals of Venice. Though it was rather expensive, it was the one "thing to do" in Venice, and it was worth the money. Our gondola man was friendly and pointed out little fun facts for us throughout the 35 minute ride. The rest of our evening was spent exploring more shops before catching the 9:30 p.m. bus back to the campsite.
Sunday was a half day. Shelley would catch a train home at 2:30 p.m to meet up with her aunt in Rome and Jennifer and I would catch the 5:00 train back to Rome. We had one mission today: buy masks. Venice is famous for its beautiful masks and we each wanted one. After trying on dozens and dozens of masks and once I had about 10 pounds of glitter on my face, I finally found my perfect mask. And it was lovely. Jennifer found hers at the same place as mine, but Shelley still had not found "the one". Well, when Shelley finally found her perfect mask, she actually found three. Venice is Shelley's favorite place in the entire world, so three masks was a must. I'll admit, they were all beautiful. We had completed our mission and with an hour or so to spare. We searched for a place to eat lunch and found a smal bar/cafe. The Olympic Games were on so we spent a while watching the women's marathon before heading to the train station. One last gelato stop and we headed to the train station. Jennifer and I chose to wait in the train station; it was much too hot to be walking around and we had already accomplished all of our goals. The train ride home was rather long, but for a long stretch of it all I could see out the windows were fields of sunflowers. I was a happy camper. Jennifer and I arrived back in Rome at 9:00 p.m. Tomorrow would be my last day in Rome before heading home to America on August 7th. Gosh, time truly does fly when you're having fun.
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