Beautiful Venice

Is it possible to be in love with a country? If it is, I love Italy with all my heart and sole! This past weekend a group of 14 of us hopped a train to Venice for a few days of fun in The Sinking City. What a great weekend it was – everything from the weather to the sights to the gelato. It was an overall fun-filled time!

The beginning of the trip was a little rocky since the train broke down somewhere in Italy. But have no fear, Blair had her cards and some creepy “Roll the Piggy” game and I brought out the party favorite “I’m going on a picnic, anyone want to come?” Ever played that game? SO fun! 6 hour trips aren’t so bad when you’re not driving and you’re with 13 of your fun friends! Once we finally arrived, the sight coming out of the train station took me aback. There it was – a beautiful city surrounded by water. There are literally NO cars, NO busses, NO 18 wheelers…only boats and good ol’ walkin shoes! We checked into our hotel (that’s a whole ‘nother story) and headed off for our first drink in Venice! Saturday morning we got up early and hit the streets. Cappuccinos and chocolate croissants galore! We walked all around the city, stopping only to window shop or to buy a slice of pizza or gelato. My kind of day! Wait, did I say window shop or Monopoly money shopping? Yes, Monopoly money...Euros and Swiss Francs are so colorful and fake looking – sometimes I forget it’s real money! I did a bit of both (although the second did much more damage!). I made the biggest purchase of my European adventure (other than flights/hotels)...I treated myself to a pair of Gucci sunglasses! Ciao Bella!

My favorite part of the Venice trip was hopping a boat and heading to the Venetian Islands of Murano and Burano. Murano, the first stop, is famous for their beautiful blown glass. I bought all kind of gifts and even a few rings for myself. ☺ We had a great conversation with a lovely shop owner who gave us the lowdown on how he made his pieces. From there we went to what ended up being my favorite island of them all – Burano. Burano is famous for it’s lace and it’s brightly colored houses. I seriously think they leave their laundry out on the lines to make for good photos (and I love it!). It’s impossible to capture the brilliance of this town, nor the vivid colors that adorn the walls. It was an absolute joy being in this quiet, quaint, yet vibrant area of Italy!

Despite a hotel mishap (one of our very own had 250 Swiss Francs stolen out of his bag that day), Saturday night was a great dinner at a fancy Venetian restaurant. We again took a boat to get there, and nearly missed the last one back. With 14 people it would be hard for this dinner to not be fun, and it lived up to our expectations! The highlight of the night was most definitely the portion where people began playing with their food (which coincidentally came straight out of the lagoon). I’m pretty sure there is a video of me doing my best “Italian shrimp” impression, but I intend for that to never be leaked out to the press!

Sunday was lazy and fun – more shopping and walking around the main island. We saw the Bridge of Sighs (where according to legend prisoners would be led across on their way to be executed, take one last look at the beautiful city and sigh), and the famous Rialto Bridge. I really loved taking pictures of the boats, gandalas, masks, and just everyday Venetian people hanging their laundry out to dry or selling their fruit or handmade scarves on the street. There is such a great mixture of working to live and living to work in Italy. I have a deep appreciation for a culture that works just as hard as they play. They don’t seem to take life for granted and I think we could all slow down long enough to learn from them on that front.

Sunday night I got to Skype with my Noni and John Vallie – I’m so impressed with them getting a camera and Skyping with me! I was definitely going through a hard time not getting to see them in person, so my weekly chats with grandparents, parents, siblings and friends helps me get through the week. I also had a fabulous time in “Jess’ kitchen” with the Austin girls. They all were sweet enough to come over to Jessica’s house in order to have a group Skype European planning session! It’s only a month away now before I get to see the Austin girls, and my original Italy buddies, Candace and Christen. I can’t wait, ladies!! Italy isn’t the same without you! I rounded the weekend off with a great (healthy) dinner at good ol’ Mickey D’s with Allyson and Blair Sunday night. I love Italy, but sometimes…you just need some American junk food and boy over-analyzing time with good friends!