This past weekend we went to Venice. We figured why not go to Venice during Carnivale? I mean, how many times are you going to be in Italy for Carnivale season anyway.
We took an overnight train being that our hostel had 24 hour reception. We arrived in Venice at about 6am, after an awfully uncomfortable 8 hour train ride with two large ethnically ambiguous women. We walked down a few sketchy streets but finally found our hostel, which was not in fact, open 24 hrs. We banged down the door until the owner removed himself from the couch (which we learned is his bed). We got put in an available room which was less than impressive but hey, we knew what we were in for. The worst part about the entire place was how cold it was. I’m not kidding, I couldn’t sleep at all due to how cold it was. I think sleeping outside would have been warmer. We woke up at around 11 and decided to head into town. Once we got off the train we immediately realized that this place was most likely the cutest we had been.
We decided to get some real food since we all pretty much hadn’t eaten since dinner the night before. While on our quest to find a place to eat lunch (cheaply), we couldn’t help but pop into all the specialty mask stores. Everything in these stores were handmade, usually by a family that had a long history in Venice.
We found a quaint pizzeria that had components of Vintage Americana artwork. It was here that I had the best pizza I will ever eat in my life. In my (almost) 21 years of experience on this planet, I have gathered a good deal of pizza exposure. This was a personal pizza, nothing like the stuff you’d see in the states. It wasn’t some sad looking personal pizza that was maybe the size of a small plate, no. It was a beautiful creation, the size of a small table found in your living room to support a mid-size table lamp. It was simple, but that’s what made it so beautiful. It was pizza margherita, with added gorgonzola (my favorite cheese). This was something that I couldn’t handle, and I’ve already informed Ryan that we’ll have to go back there when he visits because there’s no way I’m going back to Venice and not having that sublime substance enter my mouth.
Moving on, we then walked around some more. The town was adorable and fully equipped with shops full of Venetian glass and masks. While making our way to St. Mark’s we stumbled across a gondolier that offered us a discount ride around the canal. We hadn’t previous wanted to pay 20euro a person for a short 10 minute ride, but he knocked the price down to 15euro each and the four of us hopped on this dark and adorable gondola. Our gondolier began to push us from the safety of the street and we began our journey through the Venetian waterways. It was so serene and positively beautiful. He began to hum and sing pieces of classical Italian songs. At one point, he had stopped and I asked him if he would please keep singing. He stopped navigating, took my hand and sang to me while peering into my soul (I was so embarrassed cause serenading me was not what I intended and I’m super awkward). He then kissed my hand and went on to row us out to the canal. When we rounded the corner of the building and the canal was out in front of us, it was almost too much to take in. The whole city seemed to be alive with people in masks and others enjoying some wine and the gondola experience. We headed back to the small side street where we boarded and said our goodbyes to the lovely gondolier and went on with our day.
We eventually made it to St. Marks which was crowded beyond belief. I guess I didn’t realize that there would be a concert there too. The piazza was filled with people in costumes, some more elaborate then others but all impressive nonetheless. St. Mark’s was closed by the time we got there, but we did show up just in time to catch the sunset. I think it was just about the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
We then headed back towards the train station and got dinner at a tiny little restaurant that was adorable (like everything else) and headed back to the hostel. Kelsey and I left the next morning because we ran out of money(lol) and I had a presentation the next day but all in all it was a wonderful trip. I plan on going back again when it’s a little warmer too! :P