Weekend in Venice

Catherine and I in San Marco Square

One of my favorite pictures from the trip!

Beautiful day in Venice!

Well it was a successful weekend in Venice! After getting settled into our hotel, we had free time to go get lunch so a few girls decided to go wander around and try to find Rialto Bridge. They say that to be able to get the full experience of Venice, or Italy for that matter, then you have to get lost. Needless to say, that was not difficult to do! 

Since we were trying to save money, we decided to walk instead of taking the water taxi. After going down about 30 alleyways and twists and turns, we followed the signs and finally found Rialto Bridge and had lunch right by the Grand Canal.

That afternoon, the group had a tour scheduled to go see St. Marks Basilica and it was so neat! The whole ceiling was covered in tiny pieces of gold mosaic tiles. I found myself staring at it while the tour guide was talking and it was killing me that we weren't allowed to take any pictures! If you ever get time, look it up online cause it was the most gorgeous ceiling I have ever seen!

After our tour, we had a group dinner at the neatest restaurant! We sat outside under a canopy of bright green leaves and grapes and for dinner we had fancy macaroni and cheese and another course of pork and potatoes! Unfortunately we never got to try the seafood but if I ever go back then I heard it is delicious!

The next day in Venice we had a tour in the morning to go see the Jewish Ghetto which was really interesting to learn about. I loved walking around Venice cause I liked seeing how the Venetians live so differently than the people in Florence. (I guess they would be called Florentines?? Who knows.)

Obviously it is different because everyone in Venice drives boats to work but I also noticed that it is much more relaxed and quiet city. I know not many people live in Venice anymore cause it is slowly sinking but the people that do live there are very proud of their city and they love what they do. You rarely talk to anyone there who doesn't like their job. Most people were raised by their parents to learn to do this job. The gondola drivers grow up going to gondola school and are taught by their fathers.

Another popular thing that Venice is famous for is Murano Glass. There is an island called Murano where they make these intricate and colorful glass pieces. Not only are they expensive but they are very delicate! I didn't get the chance to go to the island of Murano but my friends that went said it is really neat to watch them blow and form the glass.

After seeing a few more churches and museums, the group was exhausted from walking all day in the sun and we were quite excited to get to come back home to Florence! There are many more stories from Venice but they are better told in person so feel free to ask me if you want to hear more about it!