I went to Venice this past Thursday-Saturday, a trip I had been wanting to take since I first found out I would be studying in Italy. The fact that I didn't happen to get around to going until just this past weekend meant two things: 1. I missed tourist season, so the city was relatively uncrowded (a positive) and 2. I was there during rainy season, so the weather was, well, a little rainy (a negative). But overall, I was very glad to go regardless. The city really is extraordinary, with its canals and boats instead of streets and cars.
Since I seem to be in a list-making mood, I think I'll continue on that track. Allow me to present my Top Ten Venice Experiences:
1. Visiting the Doge's Palace, a lavish Venetian-Gothic palace which used to be home to the Doge of Venice, the main authority of the city. We saw the doge's incredibly elaborate apartments, the courtyard bordered by St. Mark's, the prisons inside the palace, and the Bridge of Sighs connecting the two.
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| The palatial courtyard |
2. Making our way to St. Mark's square by following some graffiti left on the walls of buildings by a surprisingly community-minded rebel.
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| Seems legit. |
3. Taking the vaporetto (Venice's public transportation system) down the Grand Canal.
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| Beats taking the bus! |
4. Experiencing the rain (and flooding!) in Venice. This basically meant that everyone had to walk down the streets on these raised platforms to avoid the water where it was pretty high. The locals also all wore these bright yellow and orange plastic-bag-like things over their shoes to stay dry! (Luckily, the rain/flooding only happened on the last day we were in Venice).
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| St. Mark's Square flooded! (The ducks seemed to like it, though) |
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| Raised platforms to avoid the water. (Look at all those yellow boots!) |
5. Staying at a really cool hostel, and having meals where we got to meet people from all over the world, including a new friend from Amsterdam, a college student named Victor, who pronounced my name so it sounded more like 'Janey' than 'Jenny!'
6. Taking a mini-trip to one of Venice's islands, Murano, which is famous for glass-blowing and crafting. We saw so many beautiful shops there!
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| Murano, home to Venice's famous glass-blowers |
7. Venice at sunset, and Venice at night.
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| When all the gondolas come out! |
8. Finding a church which was apparently the place where an Indiana Jones movie was filmed.
9. Strolling through the Rialto Market, and crossing the Rialto Bridge - Venice's most famous.
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| Rialto Market, fresh fish anyone? |
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| Rialto Bridge |
10. Simply strolling around the beautiful city and seeing its amazing architecture! Every time you turn a corner, or go down a little street, there's something to see.
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| It wasn't the sunniest of days, but we made the best of it! |
