Venezia!

Ciao!

(Note: Making two entries at once, since I couldn't find internet in Venice. See entry on the rest of Munich and train ride to Venice below)



Currently on the train from Venezia to Firenze. Venice was absolutely amazing - wish I had more than a day and a half there. I got in at 18:40 a couple nights ago, and followed the signs through the city to eventually reach St Mark's Square and my nearby hostel. I ran into a guy I hung out with in Munich on the way. My hostel was actually a single bedroom located down the street from the main hotel, in a small alley.



I then set out to explore the area. I got a couple typical italian foods - a slice of pizza (almost half the size of a whole US pizza) and some gelato. Many parts of St Mark's Square were flooded, as expected with the water issues there. But it was very lively - small groups playing italian music throughout the square, street vendors aggressively selling ripoff purses and other items, and tourists wading through the masses of pidgeons.

The next morning, I headed off to see the attractions. I first walked through Doge's Palace, gazing at extravagant cealing paintings before crossing the Bridge of Sighs into the prison. These two pictures show the view from outside of and inside of the bridge, respectively:





I then went up the Campanile bell tower and saw a great panoramic view of Venice.



I walked through St Marks Basilica briefly, then headed out to wander aroud the city and explore the shops. It reminded me of a giant mall - narrow hallways, no cars, and TONS of shops. After this, I took the water taxi through most of the grand canal to the train station, where I got a reservation for my train to Firenze.

One thing I've noticed about Italy so far, is that there are tons of rules, but they are very rarely enforced. Examples include: no bags in museums, no eating or drinking in St Marks Square, no wearing backpacks on the water taxi, and no feeding the pidgeons (Three of the four I routinely broke, with no desire to break the fourth and be swarmed by birds.)

I'll update more in the next couple days, and report on my time in Florence.

Ciao!
Colin