Since I had 5 day off from classes, which included the weekend I thought I would extend my Italy trip and go to another city! The other city I choose to go was Venice, Italy. Even though I wanted to go to Florence, I thought it was going to a unique experience. From Rome, I took an Italian Train to Venezia Santa Lucia station, which is similar to Amtrak. The station is drops you off in the center of Venice or near all the tourist destinations. It was a much cheaper and time saver alternative, compared to taking another plane. After getting off the train, I tried to find my hotel. It took me 2 hours to find my hotel. Since I don't have a phone plan to support my iPhone, I finally gave in a bought a tourist guide book with the maps and water bus schedule. Sadly enough the hotel was a 5 minute walk in the other direction of the train station. It was frustrating, but Hey when am I ever going backpackingaround Europe again.
During my 1 and half days in Venice, I went to multiple locations without feeling rushed. Since Venice is known for it theatre and glass, I choose to go to Murano Island to see how the glass is made. It was honestly a disappointment because the glass is only made very early in the morning. The island was quaint, and more relaxing than the Island of Venice. After the Island I took a ride on a gondola, which was a bit pricy (80 Euros) for 20 minutes on the Grand Canal. It was just as I expected, and enjoyed it very much. Lastly, I went to the Piazza San Marco. It was tourist trap! It is suppose to be one of the great urban squares in Europe. Crowds everywhere, and the Basilica was under construction. It wasn't worth spending my time there.
The greatest things about Venice is the shopping, food, and transportation.The water bus is bit bumping once you leave the Grand Canal, but an unique experience to travel from place to place. Since it isn't as chaotic as Rome, you are able find places to eat and unique shops. I bought the most souvenirs from this city compared to others. But I still say to myself, I don't know when I will be back so it is worth it!
Hey Shannon - so glad you were able to get to Venice, it's a really cool city! Looks like we went to a lot of the same places, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
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