To Venice we go...

This weekend marked my first European excursion, a two-day trip to Venice! I went with a group of 10 students from class, leaving early Friday morning to catch our train. The train ride was about 3.5 hours, but it was a neat experience! I did learn one crucial thing about the European train system though: you better make sure to validate your ticket before getting on the train! During the chaos of our 10 minute transfer in Bologna, we did not have time to stamp our tickets. Luckly, the captain who came by to check was friendly and gave us a break since we were American. Needless-to-say, we left plenty of time for the validation process on the way back haha.

Train to Venice

Getting into Venice was amazing! The second we walked out of the train station we saw the Grand Canal, full of gondolas and water-taxis and all other things Venetian. The first day we spent just wondering around, making our way through alleys and bridges to Piazza San Marco, the main square in Venice. The church was beautiful, and from the bank you could see other little islands surrounding central Venice. The only bad part about the day was that it was absolutely freezing... by 6:00 PM we were all cold and tired, so we decided to head back to our hostel for the night.

Venice

Bridge overlooking the Grand Canal

San Marco

I was a bit nervous about my first hostel experience in Europe. We booked a 1-star room for 9 euro a night, so at least we knew not to expect a luxury resort haha. It really didn't seem too bad once we got there... the room I stayed in was actually decently clean. Unfortunately, some of the other girls got assigned to a room that had mold growing up the wall, which smelled awful! But out of concern for their safety, they convinced "Uncle George" to put them in another room. All-in-all, the night was a success, and we made it out alive the next morning.

For our second day in Venice, we took a waterbus out to the island of Murano. One of the coolest things about the trip was a glass-blowing show, where we witnessed the creation of a glass vase and horse sculpture. It was really incredible, and I was amazed by the detail he was able to include in his work. We spent most of the afternoon looking around in shops and buying blown-glass souveniers. We then went back to central Venice for more exploring, picture taking, and gelato sampling before catching our train home to Florence. By the time we made it back to the hotel at 12:30 AM, we were completely exhuasted. I have never been so happy to see the Palazzo Ricasoli!

Glass-blowing show

Girls in front of a glass sculpture

We now have one week left in Florence, including a day-trip to Pisa on Friday. We actually have a test this week too, so unfortunately I need to start doing some school work haha. Can't believe that one week from today I'll be saying "ciao" to Florence and "bonjour" to Paris!