The Beauty of Venice

Ciao! I just got back from my LAST weekend trip to Venice! It was absolutely beautiful there: I LOVED it! Everything ran very smoothly (for once!): our flights were on time, we landed safely and figured out how to get to our hotel easily. On Friday, we got in around 9 AM and were still pretty exhausted. So, all 8 of us napped in our one open room for a couple hours (definitely a sight to see sharing twin bunk beds). Around 11:30, we then headed to lunch (which was the best pizza I have had all trip!), and walked around S. Croce, S. Polo, and finally made our way to S. Marco. We just leisurely walked around the city, admired its beauty, and shopped! (Definitely the MOST I've shopped all trip!) It was so relaxing to not have a strict itinerary (did I just admit that?!) but it was like our own vacation away from our vacation in Rome. :) Here is a picture of me at the Grand Canal! Isn't it pretty! Ah! There are tons of shops, restaurants, and gondola rides around this area and it is just so amazing! Even though Venice is probably "touristy", it is like Florence in that it is small and seems so much less crowded and busy than Rome. It was such a relaxing trip and, shockingly, I loved just aimlessly walking around Venice and even getting lost! Some times the best stuff is found in those back alleys!

I could not help myself from literally walking into every glass shop in Venice! The Murano Glass is VERY big in Venice (obviously) and so there are glass stores, legit, every where! Depending on the area it gets pretty expensive, especially in S. Marco, but I seriously am in love with the glass and couldn't get enough! The pieces are all so gorgeous and so unique. I can't wait to, one day, come back after I'm married and pick out cool glass pieces to decorate our house!! My dream! HAHA. Here is a picture of these specific glass pieces that I honestly wanted so badly: they are called "eggs of life" and I think they are just gorgeous. I was too worried about getting them home and they were pretty pricey, so I didn't get one. Shoot. :( But, how freaking amazing are these! I wish I would have gotten to see how these are made! That would have been sick!

We also went inside S. Mark's Basilica on Saturday, which was pretty cool. I am kind of "churched out" but it was still cool to see. Night life is kind of quiet in Venice but we went to a really nice dinner by the Canal on Friday (I had baked lasagna and veal! YAY!) and we went on a Gondola ride on Saturday night which was very exciting. I can definitely see how gondola's can be very romantic, but it was just nice to relax on the boat and view the scenery. We were on the boat for like 25 minutes, starting at the Grand Canal, through some back streets, and then making our way back to the canal. Here is a picture I took on the ride: I think it's a pretty cool picture if I do say so myself. :) On Saturday night, I REALLY was not feeling well so I went home early to try and lay down and rest. I'm kind of disappointed to have missed out on what I heard was an eventful evening in Venice. Apparently, 3 of the girls on the trip ended up swimming in the canals of Venice (obviously, not in the right state of mind). I heard it was hilarious, but I can only imagine! They came back soaking wet and smelled like swamp water. I would NEVER have done that so I guess I didn't really "miss out", but I'm sure it would have been hysterical to watch.

I'm so glad we had this full weekend in Venice: it was gorgeous and relaxing and perfect. I'm now back in my apartment, slightly tired but can't really fall asleep (hence, writing this post!). This is my last full week (13-17th), with a weekend in Rome to see an Opera, and then the following week I have my projects and final exams! The summer is almost over!! But, I'm hoping to "live up" these last 12 days in Rome. I feel like I have seen pretty much all the sights in Rome that I wanted to, but maybe I'll explore more of the night life in Rome this week and the next! :) Maybe I'll treat myself to some nice dinners, too! I'm going to try and rest for a little, maybe take a leisurely walk in the park later. Talk to you (and SEE you) soon!! 12 Days will go by fast!!