Our second side trip, was INFINITELY better than the first.
Last weekend we went to a place that truly stole my heart. Sure, Barcelona captured it, but Venice immediately seized it from Barcelona. There are not words sufficient to describe the beauty of Venice. Therefore, here is a picture that will attempt to explain its beauty.
After our plane landed I could not wait to get out and explore. Although we first had to get from the airport to the island of Lido, where our hotel was located. How does one get places on a city located on water? By boat, of course! Metro boats were the main method of transportation and it was amazing. I was meant to live on a city surrounded by water.
The first day we explored the beach-y island where our hotel was after checking in. It was a beautiful beach community, although I never even went to the beach because there was not much point since you do not really go to Venice for the beach. I had gnocchi for dinner and I was so excited because it was already one of my favorite foods. Rachel and Courtney got the Italian version of the “menu del día,” which was a four-course meal, complete with dessert. It looked like a whole lot of food, but they somehow conquered it.
After dinner we walked around the island and found a place to watch the sun set. Just so you know, Venetian sunsets are UNREAL. The entire time we were watching I had that, “pinch me, I’m dreaming,” feeling. I even had Rachel pinch me at least three times… only to discover, that yes, this really was, really, real.
The next day we woke up early to find the biggest complimentary breakfast I had ever seen. It was quite large and quite filling and of course, delicious. Next, we set out to board the metro boat to Venice and we were almost there. The entire time I had the, “I must be dreaming,” feeling, but especially driving toward St. Mark’s that morning.
We never actually went into St. Mark’s because the line was so long to get in, but it was gorgeous from the outside. However, it was much more beautiful at night. There were even musicians playing at various restaurants. I believe I have mentioned that Venice is absolutely unreal, correct? It is certainly the most amazing city I have ever been to.
During the day Rachel and I did what the various travel resources told us to do in Venice, get lost. However, Rachel and I have such a good sense of direction that we somehow found our way to the Grand Canal. By chance, we were not even aiming to get there. That is just how awesome we are. Getting lost was an excellent opportunity to explore the areas of Venice that were off the beaten path. We even ran into some guy that, we’re pretty sure, thought Rachel was a fountain. It had some interesting characters, but Venice was, by far, my favorite part of the trip so far.
The end of the road. The street ended and this is all that was left.
Burano and Murano were two other islands that we ventured to via the metro boat. Have I mentioned how awesome the metro boat was? Well, Murano is known around the world for it’s beautiful glasswork, while Burano is known for hand-made masks and lace. Murano was really interesting because of all the stunning things that can be done with glass. This included breathtaking chandeliers that were so expensive I almost felt I could not afford to look at them. Burano was the most colorful place I have ever been to in my entire life (and I could certainly live there). I could not stop taking pictures, even though my battery began to blink that it was running on empty. The colors were just so bright and wonderful that I wanted to share them with everyone.
There is no other way to explain the beauty of Venice except for, it is unlike anything I will ever see and have ever seen. Our second night in Venice, Rachel and I found the perfect place to watch the sun set once more. I will never forget listening to the water lapping the edges of the street as boats flew by and the sun was setting my last beautiful summer in Venice, Italy. So many moments that will last a lifetime.
Completely unreal.
The only bad things about Venice were the intense heat, humidity, and the Venetian mosquitoes (with their giant mosquito bites). Other than that, Venice was perfect, and I vow to make it back there again one day and hopefully share the experience with others. Rachel and I were admittedly starting to feel a little home sick in the most gorgeous city we have ever seen. Little things kept reminding us of home and we almost cried a few times.
Now we’re going through our last week in Barcelona and we have our nose to the grindstone if we want to get everything done on time. We’re excited for the Spain/Paraguay game this weekend and we’re excited for a little more time in Barcelona. The Picasso and Dali museum are certainly on the menu. And Rachel and I are planning on venturing up to Tibidabo (we were told we could not leave Barcelona without seeing it).
