I got a ticket to Venice!

On our first full day of Spring break, we explored the city of Venice! We woke up early in the morning to eat breakfast and make our trek to the city of Romance. Around 9:00am we departed our hotel, bought our bus tickets, and hopped on the bus that took us to the city. For a 2 euro ticket, you would think it was in walking distance... again, our depth perception was completely off and we remained very glad we did not walk that distance. 

We arrived in the city a little after 9:30am and began to wander. The second my eyes fell upon water, it was like I had never seen a canal in my life. Running and screaming, practically begging to get mugged, I approached the water and began photographing like an Asian. You know how you go to a city expecting it to look exactly like you've seen in the movies, but usually you're left disappointed? This was nothing like that. It was exactly like I pictures, just like I had seen in The Tourist. We continued making our way weaving through allies and canals until we spotted a gondola boy. More running, screaming, and pictures led us to the conclusion that we needed to get on that gondola stat. We sent Sarah to bargain with a gondola boy, and she managed to get us a 40% discount. So, we hopped on the gondola and experienced the city of Romance just like they do it in the movies (minus the singing and guitar, but I did have my zebra umbrella to add to the ambiance). 

After our gondola ride, we continued our wandering on foot through the rest of the city, which led us to various bridges, and ultimately the city center by the grand canal. There we enjoyed more picture taking and pizza along the water: LEKKER! We walked around some more after lunch and found our way to a giant dome-shaped church. We took a break from walking and climbing and sat by the water soaking in how lucky we were to be in such a beautiful place on such a beautiful day. We entered the church, snapped a few shots, and then decided to make our way back to the other side to souvenir shop. After a few purchases, we sat by the water and wrote on our post cards (Mom and Dad, did you ever get mine?). As the night approached and the breeze began to feel more like a bitter gust, we made our way further into the city to grab some dinner (baked lasagna). It seemed like a good idea after dinner to see the city at night, but we soon realized how foolish of an idea it was because of the temperature by the water and decided instead to get some gelato instead-- obviously the most logical decision we could have made. And thus ends our journey in Venice. 

Next stop: Naples-- the city of trash, also known as the city LaRae and Sarah were most excited to see.