While my study abroad program does include weekend excursions to Florence and Pompeii, I really wanted to see Venice as well. Luckily for me another student organized a trip to Venice that I was able to join. Paulette organized everything, from finding the hostel to picking the train time to providing us with a link to buy water taxi tickets. She successfully herded 15 other college students to Venice with only a few minor setbacks in ticketing. (I joked on the trip that we literally would have been lost without her figuring out the water taxis.)
After a four hour train ride full of getting-to-know-you conversations, we arrived in Venice at 11:30 Friday night. Excited, we all boarded a water taxi that took us to the island where our hostel was located. We checked in and headed to our room. All 16 of us filled a dormitory style room furnished with eight sets of grey bunk beds. Although we were exhausted we were also thrilled to be in Venice, so we stayed up later than we should have that night.
Saturday morning we all got up and took our turns showering in the community bathrooms. Most of the girls put on maxi dresses so that we could have our knees covered to go into St. Mark's Cathedral. We boarded the water taxi that took us to St. Mark's Square and began exploring. Our first stop was the cathedral, and while waiting in line I made sure to slather on the sunscreen because I didn't want to spend the next week looking like a tomato.
It's hard to find words to describe St. Mark's Cathedral. The lighting was dim, which lent a majestic air to the place. The ceiling was covered in mosaics composed of pieces the size of a fingernail. The whole place had a somber feeling, and there wasn't much noise besides a few tour guides whispering into headsets. Photography was prohibited, so I bought some postcards so that I can always remember what it looked like.
Before too long we were back out in the sunshine deciding where to go next. There was a brief period when we didn't know where half of the group was because they were still in the cathedral and we didn't know where Paulette was after she told us she was going to the bathroom. The bathrooms are few and far between in Venice (and cost money to use). I'll admit that I was freaking out slightly because I didn't want anyone to get lost. I never should have worried; before long we were all reunited and went off in search of the Rialto Bridge, agreeing to meet those who went off in smaller groups back in St. Mark's Square at 4:00 for a gondola ride.
We walked along the streets of Venice, stepping into whatever shops caught our eye. Before long we found the Rialto along the Grand Canal. We took pictures of ourselves and the canal then decided it was time for lunch. A group of five of us went off in search of a restaurant with seating by the Grand Canal. We found one that looked promising and were seated right away. I split a delicious mushroom, salami, and ham pizza with my Jaime. Our waiter was hilarious; we taught him to say rooster in English (there were roosters on our plates) and he helped us order in Italian. Jaime did most of the communicating with him as she has already taken Italian 1 and 2. He seemed to like us, and he even gave us a free bowl of the best cherries I have ever eaten. Normally I am not that fond of cherries, but these were fresh and huge and tasted like grapes.
We met up with the rest of the group after lunch and then we did some shopping. I loved looking at all of the interesting things the stores had for sale. There were mask shops and glass shops and high-end clothing shops and tourist shops and lace shops and basically a shop for everything.
We returned to St. Mark's Square to reunite with a few members of our group and then set off looking for a place to get a gondola ride. We found one along the grand canal and split into two gondolas. I was surprised at how well the gondolier kept us balanced because as we were getting in the boat it tipped precariously to the right. Although he didn't sing, our gondolier pointed out churches and told us their names as we went along. Occasionally he started humming and at one point I really thought he was going to sing to us. Our ride went through some of the side canals that tourists don't normally see unless they are on a gondola. We passed under bridges and by backdoors of buildings that opened right onto the water. The whole ride was peaceful and all of us in my gondola were nodding off by the time we returned to the launch point.
That evening we returned to the hostel early to freshen up before finding food. The group I was with accidentally got on a water taxi heading the opposite direction we wanted, but we knew it would get us to the hostel eventually so we decided to stay on it and enjoy the trip around parts of Venice instead of getting off. I spent a good part of the evening sitting by the water outside of the hostel talking with Jaime. It was a relaxing end to a wonderful day.
On Sunday we were all so tired that we got a later start than planned. We checked out of the hostel and put our luggage in a storage room there. We took a water taxi to Murano, a small island where they make the famous Murano glass you can buy all over Venice. We watched a master glass blower create a vase and two figurines that he promptly destroyed as they were only for show. I couldn't believe that the beautiful things he was creating were only crude examples as even the "throw away" pieces were spectacular. We walked around the island, going into numerous shops to see the glass products there. Murano is a cute little island with lots of bridges perfect for photo opportunities, including group selfies with my friend Carlos' "selfie stick." (The "selfie stick" is a metal extension pole with a device on it to attach your phone to so you can take an Ellen-esque selfie with ease.)
Although we had a train to catch at 4:30, we had just enough time to squeeze in a quick trip to Burano, the island where Venetian lace is made. Burano is a teeny island that is so picturesque. We took a bunch of pictures of this canal that was bordered by brightly painted houses that looked like they came out of a children's book. I bought a delicious hazelnut gelato before we had to get back on the water taxi.
By the time we got back to the hostel to pick up our luggage we were getting worried about making our train on time. We all made it, but it was a close call for a few people who were on a train that left ten minutes earlier than the one most of us were on. I slept for most of the train ride, but managed to get in some studying for my Italian exam that I had today. All 16 of us made it back to Rome in one piece, exhausted but with lots of great memories.
As Paulette said, "I left my heart in Venice."
-Allison
View from the train window as we left Rome.
The Bridge of Sighs
In St. Mark's Square
The Grand Canal. From left to right: Carlos, Paulette, Emily, Kiersten, Jaime, and me.
Someone told me that swimming in the canals is frowned upon. I didn't swim in them, but I stuck my feet in the water.
By the Grand Canal
Jaime, Madison, and Mary Kate on the gondola
The Rialto Bridge. There were signs all over the city directing tourists to it.
On Murano looking over a canal.
Burano really was a picture perfect town.
We noticed a group of paddle boarders while on the water taxi to the train station. We think it's a class of future gondoliers.
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