Hello friends! A few posts back, I mentioned about my trip to three secret destinations. It’s taken me some time to write a post about it. I’d like to say the delay was a result of how long it took to organize all of my pictures. However, I think that I stalled because writing this post would be a reminder that the trip was over and my one, big adventure had come to a close. When I came back from this trip to Venice and two other destinations in Europe (which I will be posting in the next few weeks), I had no idea how lost for words I would be in describing my experience. Even right now, I can’t conjure the right words to tell you how much this trip meant to me. I could say that it was fun and amazing but it just wouldn’t be enough. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. So, I guess the best way to share with you my experience is through these pictures.
On February 13, I left the US with other teens from my high school and embarked on a very long flight to Zurich, Switzerland. From Switzerland, we flew to Italy and took a boat to Venice, since the only mode of transportation in Venice are boats. We arrived in Venice at night and had to drag our luggage up and down countless stairs and bridges. This was definitely no easy task, especially because the ground in Venice is not paved.
In Venice, be prepared to have tired feet because no cars means more walking. The great thing about walking everyday is that we burned the calories of the delicious meals we ate, and by the end of the our stay in Venice, we knew where we were going.
This is St. Mark’s Square, where there are plenty of museums, shops, and a cathedral to visit. Everything about Venice is a reminder of how the Old World once was- the architecture, especially.
In St. Mark’s Square stands the campanile, which translates to bell tower. For just a small fee, you can take an elevator to the top of the tower and witness a gorgeous, bird’s eye view of Venice and its coast. I can’t imagine how much more beautiful it would have been on a sunny day.
Everywhere you turn, there are picturesque alleys and bridges. I had to stop myself from taking a million of photos like these ones as we walked around the city.
The food in Venice is out of this world. On the first of our two days there, my friends and I ate at a restaurant bordering the water. The seafood spaghetti, which does not have our typical tomato sauce, was the best thing that I have ever tasted. Ahh just writing about it makes my mouth water. During the trip, we had fixed meals for dinner. A full course Italian meal includes complementary bread, appetizer, pasta, meat plate, and dessert. Prior to this trip, I thought that I was a big eater. I was wrong.
We had the option of attending a mask making class. I’m not sure that I mentioned this on my blog before, but I collect masks from various places that I visit. To actually design a venetian mask in Venice was an awesome experience.
Gondolas! You can’t leave Venice without riding a gondola! We paid for an hour long ride, and our gondolier rowed us through the waterways between houses and under bridges. It felt like I was part of a movie. It was one of the most surreal experiences of the trip. Unfortunately, our gondolier didn’t sing for us ;).
Venice’s beauty stems from its Old World charm. It is so different from the American cities that we are used to. When our group was leaving Venice for our next destination, you could feel our disappointment. We fell in love with Venice’s intricate meals, streets, and waterways. However, Venice was just the beginning of our indescribable adventure.
Thank you so much for reading! I am so very grateful to have had the opportunity to go on this trip of a lifetime. These aren’t the only pictures in Venice that I took.
You can check more out here: https://flic.kr/s/aHskuTy33S
Stay tuned for a post on the next city that we visited!
Love, Blaze Ann
