Out of all of the cities that I have seen so far in Europe, I may have to go as far and say that Venice is the one that I have found to be the most beautiful. It lived up to my expectations and I was already wanting to go back before I had even left.
I got up early at 7:15 to take a quick shower. After a fast breakfast, Ettore drove us to the train station where our scheduled train for 9:30am ended up coming almost 45 minutes late. Ettore was running around trying to figure out what we should to. He told us that when we arrived in Venice, we would have to talk to the conductor to get our money back.
The train ride into Venice was incredible as the land seemed to end and we were suddenly on an artificial jetty cutting across the sea on a track heading for the lagoon city.
Pulling into the Venice Train Station, we quickly looked for the conductor to get our ticket refunded. We found one employee and he told us to go talk to the information office. Expecting a fight, we were surprised how quickly the process went with Blake (he had paid for both tickets on his credit car) only having to fill out a form. He will receive a check at his US address of 11 euros. It will cost most more to send the check than what the actual check is worth.
Stepping outside onto large steps, it was love at first sight. The Grand Canal was right in front of me and along its banks were ancient buildings, neoclassical design with columns and sculptures. Gondolas and their navigators in the classic striped shirts glided over the water. I knew I would want to come back before I had even seen the city. Having familiarized myself a little with the Lonely Planet guidebook, I thought it would be cool to take a "vaporetto" a literal "water bus." We bought our tickets and climbed aboard with the mass of other tourists. Initially in the center, we were able to move to the railing for a better view. Taking the vaporetto all the way to Piazza San Marco gave us a good idea of just how grand the Grand Canal was. The Grand Canal is the main boulevard in Venice. Its important to note that there are absolutely no cars within the lagoon city. Everything is in walking distance or by navigating the canals in Gondola, personal boat, vaporetto, or water taxi.
I stood stunned and smiling as I tried to soak it all in, snapping as many pictures as I could. The buildings, many of them Renaissance palaces, were gorgeous. With each bend in the canal, we were given even more sumptuous sights. One gondolier in his black and white striped shirt yelled "Welcome to Venice" in Italian as our vaporetto passed. I joked to Blake that it was like a theme park.
We took the vaporetto all the way tot he last stop at Piazza San Marco. Stepping into the square, I was once again blown away as I passed the two amazing columns of Venice's Patron Saints, the winged lion and St. Theodore. Entering the square, I saw the opulent Basilica di San Marco, Torre dell 'Orologio and the Campanile.
The only thing that outnumbered the hundreds of tourists were the even more numerous number of pigeons who were so tame I could have easily caught five with my jacket. Blake and I walked around the square, stopping to check the prices on the menus of the two famous 18th century, cafes on opposite ends of the square. I sure hope the 15 euro cup of coffee is good and has a taste of history too.
We entered the Basilica and I was very impressed at the intricate detail of the ceiling. All mosaic. On top of the Basilica outside were copies of 4 bronze horses, the originals in the museum inside. The horses were brought to Venice when Constantinople was sacked in 1204, moved to Paris in 1797 and returned to Venice in the 1800's.
Leaving the Basilica, we took a small loop, staying more or less in the area of Piazza San Marco. I kept falling more and more in love with this city. The alley ways would turn into bridges which would open up to docks along canals. There were more tourists than I had ever seen. Unfortunately, Gondola rides through the canals were 80 euros. A price much more than my limited budget. Venice is a city to spend money.
We looped back to the square to hear the bell of the Torre dell 'Orolgio strike noon. Sarah from the UC program and her boyfriend had called us earlier and we met up with them in the square. After debating what to do, we decided to have no set plans and just wander the city at our own pace. Venice is like an outdoor museum. We took a long walk through the city, taking a ton of pictures. For lunch, I stopped in a bread store and bought a freshly baked, doughy baguette. Venice is probably the most photogenic, romantic city I had ever seen. We crossed "Ponte di Rialto" the main 16th century bridge and headed toward the train station. I knew the infamous, Old Jewish Ghetto was in the area and after doubling back a few times, we passed through the "Sotoportego del Ghetto." It was actually quite beautiful, with small streets and high buildings. The Chabad of Venice had a large menorah in the square. I guess Venice still has a substantial Jewish population. We found the old synagogue and also the tribute to the Jews who had been deported to the Nazi concentration camps in the 1940's.
After leaving the ghetto, we returned to Piazza San Marco. We decided to pay the hefty price of 8 euros to climb the Campanile, bell tower. Like the other towers we had climbed here in Italy, this one also provided for incredible views but on an even higher level as it was cool to see how Venice was really built on a series of islands. it was bone-chilling cold up in the bell tower as it was cold to begin with but the added windchill knocked down the temperature even more. I was glad my jacket was warm and that I had a hood.
We said goodbye to Sarah and her boyfriend and Blake and I decided to stop in a cafe (not the 15 euro one) to sit for a second and decide what to do. We wanted to catch a train back around 7:30 or 8:00pm. We decided to walk down the opposite side of the pier. The sun was setting and casting a pink glow on the clouds. The street lights had pink glass and the whole scene, the whole moment, was like a painting. We climbed up over seven bridges, passing a carnival, until we got to a good point to turn around.
We ended up taking a long, indirect route to the train station, having to stop and ask and old Venetian man for directions. He gave them to us in Italian. After getting a little bit more lost, we came to the train station from the opposite side, walking through the bus stop and seeing the huge parking structures where people park their cars and walk in. We saw that there was a train leaving now when we arrived. After quickly buying our tickets we sprinted thought the train station and arrived at the platform as the train was pulling away. We forfeited the four euro ticket and had to buy another one for the next train 30 minutes later.
The added delay was actually quite nice as we sat on the large steps looking at the sparkling lights on the Grand Canal and the beautiful buildings. We talked about how incredible it was, this experience of studying abroad. I was so thankful to have been given so many opportunities, to be able to visit this amazing city and use the lessons that I learned abroad to make me a better, more well rounded and cultured individual.
The train ride back was long. We pulled in Vicenza around 8:30pm to see Ettore waiting for us. Without skipping a beat, we drove straight to Ettore's favorite bar. In the bar, we saw how popular Ettore is. He knew everyone. It is illegal to smoke in Italian bars, so everyone goes outside. This would be fine in the summer but as I went outside in the snow to talk with Ettore as he lit a cigarette, I was freezing. We went back to Ettore's for another huge meal and spent the rest of the night until 3:00am hanging out with his friends, playing chess, and trying to pick up a little bit of Italian.
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