Venezia

I seem to only write about my weekends, but that's because the exciting things only happen on weekends. During the week it's a lot of working and studying, with a bit of lounging and eating scattered around. We really don't have much time to do anything during the days, and it gets a bit suffocating being trapped in the Villa. I know, it's a gorgeous huge castle, I don't mean to complain, it's just when there's a whole exciting foreign city outside the villa walls, you get a little restless when you're stuck inside studying all day.

But this weekend was definitely a cure. After a nice night out in Florence we woke up super early and took a bus to Venice. I've been to Venice before when I went on the orchestra trip 5 years ago, but I was SO excited to go back. Venice is unlike any other place in the world and is so incredible. Plus I love water, and I know some people say Venice smells but I personally love the smell (even though it is polluted water, it's still water and it is beautiful).

Our first stop was the island of Murano where we saw a glass blowing demonstration that also blew my mind. He made this incredible horse in about two minutes and made it look like the easiest thing ever.

After about an hour of free time we made our way (by boat, of course) to our hotel on the main island. From there we toured St. Mark's Basilica, for which I am lost for words. The entire ceiling was gold mosaic and incredibly detailed. I kept thinking about my mom and considering sneaking a photo in for her because I know how much she loves mosaics and this one was absolutely stunning. Our tour was a bit more interesting than the last ones, but I still only paid attention to bits and pieces. But when I was paying attention it was great! After touring a semi-interesting museum we were all beat and went back to the hotel and napped. The tour guide had told us to go to Campo Santa Margherita, which was the place to be for young Venetians, so we decided to try it out. The dinner was a bit pricy and seemed to be full of older tourists so we were a little confused but then we sat outside a bar and had a couple drinks and suddenly the place was full of people just talking, drinking, smoking, and hanging out. It was really cool and so much fun to be able to talk to everyone there. We had some really interesting conversations and met a dog whose back is as high as my hips, and then went back to the hotel around 2 or so.

Saturday started off at the Academia, and bless her soul, our Italian teacher got us out of the guided tour so we were able to meander on our own. It was perfect. We had about 6 hours before we had to leave so we made our way to Ponte Rialto, but as soon as we got there it started POURING. We took cover in a little restaurant and ate, went back to our hotel to change and get umbrellas, and then spent the rest of the day wandering around Venice, shopping, and eating gelato on a pier. I definitely would have loved more time in Venice but the weekend was absolutely perfect.

This week is about to drive me insane. We have an essay due tomorrow, our last test Wednesday, our oral exam Thursday, and our final exam next Monday. So I don't know how much more I'll have about Italy to post on...so strange. But luckily I'll have London and Paris to get me through the last stretch of this class! I've literally had dreams about the Eiffel Tower--yes, I am that excited.

Here are a couple more photos for your entertainment: