Venice + Christie's Visit = Great Memories

Hello again!

I know I haven't written in a while, but traveling Europe has prevented me from doing so. :)

The first weekend in September (right after my Italian practicum had begun), I flew to Venezia with Alycia, Morgan, and Amy. We took an incredibly early flight so that we could maximize our day in the beautiful city. Upon arrival, we took the bus and water bus to get to the Hotel Tivoli. This hotel/hostel was quite charming and served its purpose well - clean bed, clean bathroom, and breakfast on Sunday morning.

After we had dropped our bags off, we immediately went to St. Mark's Square. This particular trip was my second visit to the square, except this time, I actually got to go inside of the Basilica. It's quite the church, I must say. It has elaborate gold paintings and a wonderful portrait of Madonna and Child. To be honest, I still think St. Peter's beats St. Mark's by miles, but I really enjoyed getting to pray inside of the beautiful basilica.

In the square, I also saw hundreds upon hundreds of pigeons, some of which were so fat it was almost unfathomable. I mean, honestly, why do people want to stick their hands out and feed these birds? They have no idea where these pigeons have been, and with those oddly shaped heads of theirs, I do not trust them... None the less, people still give them so much bread! Personally, I would rather keep Venetian cuisine for my own tummy.

After exploring St. Mark's Square, I explored the expensive part of Venice - hello Prada and Chanel. Not that I am actually interested in buying anything, but that girly part of me always has to look. ;) I then proceeded to explore the Bridge of Sighs - and then I climbed over it!! There are so many neat little shops and alleys to walk through that it's impossible not to love exploring it.

(This picture is the Bridge of Sighs. So pretty!)

While in Venice, I also went to Santa Maria della Salute church. The center of the church is blocked off so that no one can cross over the marble. Huge statues fill the church as you walk around it, and to be honest, I liked it even more than St. Mark's. :D

Having wandered the city for the better part of the day, the four of us decided that we should all take a nap before continuing our adventure. That being said, we slept for an hour and a half, changed into fresh clothes and set out to see Venice at night.

We ended up having a wonderful Venetian dinner - bread, first course, second course, dessert, and wine of course. I walked over to Harry's bar to see Ernest Hemingway's famous hangout, and unfortunately, it was so busy I couldn't go inside!

On Sunday, with a two o'clock departure, we had time to make the most of our day. Alycia scored the two of us a free gondola ride, so I got to ride in a gondola as the gondolier sang and took us to his work spot. It was so much fun! Naturally, I finished the day with shopping, and I found myself the perfect carnival mask. The colors are so much fun! I don't have a picture of it, so I guess you'll have to come visit me to see it in person...

Our flight home went really well, and three short days later, Christie P came to see me! I got to share my life as a Roman student with her, and she brought me a second round of peanut butter so that I can continue to eat pb&j sandwiches for lunch. :) That Thursday, we went to the Vatican Museum, which was phenomenal! We explored the various halls and LOVED the Sistine Chapel. To be perfectly honest, it's hard not to appreciate such a glorious masterpiece.

Friday, before I left for Greece (separate upcoming post), I took Christie to the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, and the Vitorio Emmanuel Monument.Christie and me, sitting on the Spanish Steps

Okay, this post is short and sweet. I'm sorry that I don't update as much as I need to; however, with time comes more stories. Nothing really spectacular happened in Venice, other than exploring a museum and a few churches. The scenery is beautiful, and I firmly believe that you should see this city if you can. After all, where else will you see a city literally sinking into itself?

My next post will be on Greece and on my first week of school. I promise it'll be a bit more interesting! :D