We are in Venice, Italy, and let
me tell you: this place certainly lives up to its reputation of gorgeous Roman
architecture and weather-worn city buildings. There are nine of us here (me,
Thomas, Sarah, Emily, Anastasia, Emma, Becca, Katie, and Margo). Last Friday
morning, each of us woke up early in the morning, grabbed our bags, and headed
over to the airport. I said goodbye to my host family at the airport, who had
graciously agreed to drop me off. They wished me Bon Voyage, and I rushed to
meet the rest of the group in the airport terminal.
We arrived in Venice at
approximately 11:30am on Friday morning. We took a boat over to the main island
of Venice, as we quickly learned that boats are the only form of transportation
in this land that is slowly sinking into the Adriatic Sea. We checked into
our apartment for the weekend, and quickly made our way around the beautiful
city streets. I learned that in the city of Venice, there are over 400 bridges
that connect the crowded city sidewalks and allow passengers to cross. We quickly found a good place to
stop and eat lunch. I ordered a ham and artichoke pizza. I'll never forget it either, because it was my very first true Italian meal. Of course, it was unbelievable. And the best part, is this was only the beginning. We would have so many more amazing meals, that I thought I'd save you the grief of having to read all the adjectives I could think of to describe the food, and just list my appetites below.
Friday afternoon: artichoke and ham pizza
Friday evening: pasta carbonara (hands down, the best)
Saturday morning: some fresh fruit and a chocolate croissant
Saturday afternoon: spaghetti with meat sauce
Saturday evening: homemade lasagna
Sunday afternoon: pomodoro with rigatoni noodles
Sunday evening: gnocchi with bologna sauce of the day
Needless to say, we ate pretty well.
An afternoon on the Rialto Bridge; Left to right: Anastasia, me, Emma, Thomas, Becca
Much of the other time in Venice, was spent exploring the island and seeing some of the really interesting sights. We saw the large Marco Polo's city square, surrounded by the gigantic Doge's palace and St. Mark's Basilica. After first arriving on Friday Becca, Katie, and I took some time to explore some of the less-touristy areas of the island. We took lots of pictures together, but were careful to drink lots of water because it was over 90 degrees Fahrenheit that afternoon. I enjoyed being able to see some of the beautiful Roman and Byzantine style architecture, while also noticing the endless rows of bridges spanning across the canals. We met one of Anastasia's friends, Sara, who is studying abroad in Venice for the summer, just like us in Nice! After sitting down at a restaurant and devouring what had to have been the best pasta carbonara I have ever contemplated (Thomas and I are still talking about it to this day), we walked with Sara to drop her off at her boat stop. Since it had been raining, Emily and I didn't waste the opportunity to swing dance in the city square, while the familiar notes of accordion music hung in the air.
The next morning, Emily and I went for a morning run. As we ran through the empty city sidewalks, the fragrances of freshly baked pastries swept past my nose. I had to tell every muscle in my body to refrain from stopping to purchase one. Somehow, I succeeded. We ran down by the docks, and I swear, up and down every single set of stairs in that city before coming to a beautiful city park. Despite eventually becoming lost and turning what was supposed to be a 30 minute jog into over an hour run, I really enjoyed the time that we got to spend together and getting to know Emily more. Something about sweaty foreheads and cramping calves can really bring about a good conversation.
Saturday afternoon, we visited two different Venetian islands: Murano and Burano. Would anyone else fault me if I accidentally got them mixed up? After all, who names these things anyway? You may not know in advance, but Murano is world famous for its glass production. We were able to see several demonstrations where the glass artists worked their magic to produce a beautiful vase or a majestic horse. I wasn't about to spend 60 euros to give that trusty steed a home, but I did pick up a small bracelet to bring home to my sister. After all, it was made in Italy.
The gang on the island of Burano (or was it Murano? I can't remember)
Left to right: Margo, Katie, Emma, Emily, Anastasia, Becca, and Thomas
After Murano, we ventured over to Burano. Don't worry if you're confused-I was too. Since Murano is world famous for something, it only makes sense that Burano makes something for itself too. And that something just so happens to be lace. Yes, lace...the frilly white stuff that people wore around their necks in the 1700's or the decoration on fancy wedding cakes. Yet, to my surprise, it was actually very interesting when we went to the lace museum and watched several older women hand stitch lace garments. We learned that one women had been practicing her trade for almost 80 years. It's easy to see why people have come to appreciate this form of art over the decades. Even so, I still couldn't find myself to buy any lace. I suppose grandma will have to stick to the crochet and knitting.
On the boat ride on the way back, Becca and I spoke with a young Italian woman for a little while. She spoke English well and told the story of the time that she studied abroad for a semester at Wake Forest University and is now practicing law in her native country of Italy. Becca and I told her a little about our program and what we were learning this summer. She seemed to be very excited to hear what he had to say. She recommended some good Italian restaurants to stop by (as if I hadn't had enough food already). But I did notice that earlier she had been listening to Coldplay. Apparently, European kids aren't much different than American kids in terms of understanding good music. Before we had to say goodbye, I made sure to ask her name. Although I'm not sure if I'm spelling it exactly correct, I'll never forget Italy, long boat ride conversations, and Licia!
After returning to the main island, the nine of us found a nice restaurant to celebrate the birthday of our friend, Becca. It was very nice, since the restaurant prepared a private room for us. I had always wanted to taste real Italian lasagna, so at this meal, my dream became a reality. I'm pretty sure that it goes without saying, Italians know how to cook. Becca turned twenty and our bellies were full. The only logical thing to do next was to get some Italian gelato. And of course, we did.
Everyone together celebrating Becca's 20th birthday. Your smile looks great, Emily.
Sunday was our final day in Venice together. The temperature cooled down a bit, but the spirits were still high. We spent the morning visiting the Doge's palace, bordering Marco Polo's square. I learned that back when Venice was a principality, before the time of Napoleon, it was governed by a republic, with the doge holding the highest power. We visited the countless rooms of the palace, and I was amazed by the immaculate art and gold carvings on the ceilings. It truly was a place fit only for the most important people. However, just when I thought that the beauty and intricacy of the palace was second to none, we migrated over to St. Mark's Basilica. Although my camera battery died and I was unable to take pictures of the Basilica, I have never quite seen anything so immense and breath-taking. A depiction of Jesus on the cross carved in marble hung above the altar at the front of the chamber, while one hundred foot ceilings, etched completely in gold depicted the twelve disciples or the Virgin Mary. I paused for a brief moment to light a candle and kneel at the altar, before rejoining my friends.
Of course, when one thinks of Venice, their mind immediately jumps to the city in the water, with canals and gondolas. There remained yet one thing to do in order for our Venice trip to be complete. Dividing into two boats, we boarded the gondolas, and rowed down the peaceful city canals. I tried to snap lots of pictures for my host mother, since she is currently writing a theater piece set in Venice and is in need of a photo for the cover. We were very fortunate to have the gondola in front of us pay to have an accordion player and Italian singer accompany them during their ride. I felt like we got the full experience too, but didn't even have to pay for it. What luck!
On board a Venetian gondola with Becca and our conductor, Antonio
(sorry about cutting out your head)
They say all good things must come to an end eventually, and unfortunately this was the case with our Venice trip. We did a few more things here and there, such as visiting an old book library and buying what probably seemed like ungodly amounts of gelato, but ultimately, after eating one quick last meal together on Sunday evening, we packed up our baggage, checked out of the apartment, and made our way over to the dock to catch the shuttle boat to the airport. Just as we started pulling out of the harbor, and everyone began to tell stories, highs, and lows from the trip, I made sure to take one last look back across the Grand Canal to see the Rialto Bridge peering out over us. This was the place that together we started our adventure in Venice. It only made sense to glace out the stern of the boat as the bridge slowly became faint in the distance, realizing that although we were saying goodbye to our time together in Venice, we were welcoming buongiorno to many more adventures to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment