Venice is magical

Venice was beautiful in a completely different way than Florence. Its beauty sprang from its mystery. The magic of the waterways, its rich color, and unknown, twisting side streets speak to the yearning for adventure in every traveler. I am going to apologize in advance for this post being completely saturated with pictures, but there is no other way to really show my experience in Venice.

We arrived on the island of Venice via train around two in the afternoon, and promptly could not find our hotel. Why? Because it was down a street that looked like this:

See the space between those two buildings? Yep, that is a street. And most streets in Venice are about that wide.

That first afternoon we were taken on a two hour walking tour of the city. As we wound down the twisting Venetian streets, I was glad we had a tour guide because it would be easy to get lost in such an incredible place.

The Bridge of Sighs: Prisoners would be led through this covered bridge on their way to the gallows. It was said that this sight of Venice was he last thing they would see.

Wells such as this one are everywhere in Venice. Before the 19th century, Venice had no access to fresh water and so wells were set up to trap rainwater.

St. Mark's square. The Lion atop the column on the left is the symbol of Venice.

Venice is an island, but, as with any larger island, Venice has smaller islands surrounding it. Marano which we visited in the morning, is especially known for its glass making. Burano, which we visited in the afternoon, is known for its lace.

We spent 18 euro on a day pass for the Vaporetto (or water bus, because yes, Venice's buses are boats), and took an incredible boat ride out to the island of Marano.

Here is a video I took on the Vaporetto. Hopefully it can give you a taste of the beauty of Venice.

On Marano, life was much quieter. While there were still tourists, there were far fewer than on the mainland. We wandered from shop to shop, marveling at the beauty of the glass that for centuries has been a centerpiece of European royalty.

We got to see live glassblowing.

He made this in about 45 seconds. It was incredible.

Marano glass earrings I bought. They matched the scarf I bought in Florence.

Insanely beautiful and insanely expensive glass chandeliers.

Light houses are some of my favorites things in the world. It looks kind of wonky because Venice is slowly sinking.

After a wonderful morning spent on Marano, we hopped back on the Vaporetto to Burano, an island even smaller and less touristy than Marano. It was also filled with cats.

Our group split up and wandered the island. The afternoon spent on Burano, and its neighboring island, Mazzano, was probably my favorite afternoon of the entire trip.

Burano was the most colorful place I have ever seen.

Genesis and I crossed over to Mazzano. Down this path we found a beautiful old graveyard. 

The tower is crooked because Venice is sinking.

Genesis and I wandered on to Mazzano, Burano's neighboring island, which was even quieter than Burano. The only people we saw were locals. As we were walking, we stumbled upon a tiny church built in the 1400s and still in use today.

Finding this church was my favorite part of the afternoon. It was such an unexpected pleasure, and I felt as if I had discovered something, something not everyone who came to Venice got to see. 

That evening, because we wanted to get all the use we could out of our pass, we rode the Vaporetto just to see the sights.

Rialto bridge at night from the water

Venezian Night

Our last day in Venice was spent simply wandering the city of such incredible beauty, stumbling upon forgotten streets and nooks and bridges. Here are a few more pictures just to drive home the wonder of Venice.

My mom has been taking pictures of her feet in front of different locations by water since I was a kid. This one was for her.

 

A water ambulance.

There really are no words to describe Venice. Words are simply not adequate to encompass what makes Venice Venice. It really is something you have to experience for yourself to understand. That is true for all of Italy. No matter how much I had read about or seen on TV of these cities, nothing could have ever prepared me for what I actually encountered. But I would not change my experience for the world.

Florence was beautiful

Sorry for my severe lack of catching up on blog posts - it isn't even like I've been extremely busy. I am more lazy than anything.

Florence was definitely beautiful. I cannot begin to describe how ridiculously excited I was to be able to travel via train from Rome to Florence. Not only are trains AWESOME, but I was able to see the beautiful Italian countryside passing outside my window. As we traveled, we were blessed with a warm, sunny day, a welcome break from the rain we had experienced in Rome.

The sun waited to greet us as we arrived at the train station in Florence, and emerged into a city very unlike Rome. Florence is maybe a quarter the size of Rome, and, though it is a city, it retains a quality of small town life that is impossible to find in a place like Rome. In Florence, everything was quieter, calmer, and much more relaxing.

Having lived in Berlin for the past two months, none of us were prepared to realized just how small Florence actually was. We decided we would not try to find the Duomo the first day, because it looked far away on the map. As we set out wandering, we turned the first corner from our hostel, and the incredible beauty of the Duomo stretched into the brilliant blue before us.

 Construction was begun on this massive structure in 1296, but because of money issues and the fact that no one knew how to complete such a large dome in a way that wouldn't collapse, the Duomo was not completed until 1436. The incompleteness of the dome became a source of political embarrassment for Florence, until finally the genius sculptor Fillipo Brunelleschi came up with a design.

Inside the Duomo, the 45 story high Dome is covered with paintings.

 One of the coolest things we did in Florence was to climb the 436 steps of the Duomo, all the way to the cuppola.

The stairs were very narrow. Not good for anyone claustrophobic.

We panted and wheezed our way up the steps, stopping to rest every now and then on a landing, or pin ourselves against the old, damp walls to allow another climber to descend past us. In the end, it was completely worth it.

I could have stayed up there for hours, basking in the warmth of the sun and enjoying the view. 

Florence is known for its high quality leather and extensive leather markets. Stalls selling leather bags, gloves, bracelets, jackets, journals, and almost anything you can imagine stretched for blocks, and shouts of "Ciao Bella" (hello beautiful) followed us throughout the market. 

Me with the scarf I bought in the leather market

If you have known me for any length of time, you know that I do not go anywhere without a notebook, pen, and book. I am a complete sucker for journals, and so I found that I could not resist the temptation to buy a leather journal. Undoubtedly, it is the single best thing I have purchased in Europe. I adore it and have been using it profusely since I bought it. And, the best part is that the paper inside is replaceable, so I can use this for years to come. 

LEATHER JOURNAL

 Of all the cities we visited in Europe, the food in Florence was the best. I tried pizza and pasta an gelato in all three cities, but the other two paled in comparison to everything we ate in Florence.

Pizza!

 I met up with Elizabeth Early, Emily Lloyd, and two other Grove City girls in Florence, and they introduced me to the wonders of a good Italian meal. We visited Trattoria Quatro Leoni, home of what is probably the best food I have ever eaten in my entire life.

In spending the evening with Emily, who has been in Florence for about a month now, I learned a very important lesson about how to really enjoy a meal. Italians do not view food as a vehicle of energy, but rather as a way to spend time with friends and cultivate relationships. In America, and even Germany, we scarf down our meals as fast as possible so that we can go on with our day. Italian meals typically last two to three hours, sometimes more. It is very important to mix the correct flavors together.

At Trattoria Quatro Leoni, we started with a nice glass of the house wine, and an appetizer of four different cheeses dipped in honey. I cannot even begin to describe how heavenly the taste was as the sweet and savory tastes of the cheese and honey melted in my mouth.

For the main course, I tried Quatro Leoni's specialty dish, pear ravioli. While such a combination sounds strange, I can declare that it was the best food I have ever eaten. I ate my pasta as slow as I possibly could, savoring every bite, before our waiter returned and we ordered raspberry cheesecake. The meal was expensive, but it was worth every penny. We were at dinner from 8 to 11PM, and people were still going as we left. While I enjoyed the food, it was the fellowship of that meal I will most remember.

Our last day in Florence, we climbed to Piazza Michaelangelo, a piazza high on a hill and surrounded by gardens that overlooked Florence.

Arno River

 It was difficult to believe that this view of Florence was more beautiful than the one from the Duomo.

View from the gardens below Piazza Michaelangelo

Florence from above

While I highly enjoyed the historical sights of Rome, there is something about basking in the quiet hospitality of a slow moving small city. I felt like I was able to relax more as we explored Florence, many times with no place we specifically needed to visit, and no time we had to be anywhere. Florence's beauty was astounding, but nothing could prepare me for the winding pathways of Venice.

Rome is historical

Throughout our Italy trip, my friend Sophia repeated the way her dad had described the three most well-known cities in Italy to her, and after visiting all three I completely agree with him: "Rome is historical, Florence is beautiful, and Venice is magical."

Rome is certainly one of the most history-filled cities in the world. Unlike Berlin, which was completely destroyed after World War II and everything is relatively new, everywhere you turn in Rome you are met with something incredible old. My mantra for our four days in Rome was "look, old things!" 

The eight of us arrived in Rome around 11PM and had to take the bus from the airport to Termini, Rome's grand central station, where we would walk to our hostel. Around midnight, our bus rounded a corner and an audible gasp went up from the drowsy passengers. The colosseum! The ancient ruins arched majestically into the night right outside our window, a haunting reminder of the city's past and how quickly such a great Empire can disappear. It was truly a moment of grandeur.

The next morning dawned gray and torrented rain, but that did not deter us from setting out into the downpour to set foot in some of the most famous places of ancient Rome.

The Colosseum in the rain

I bought this umbrella from a street vendor who shoved it in my face. It disintegrated throughout the day.

We spent the morning in the Colosseum, the single place in Europe I had been longing to visit since I was thirteen. It was chilling to think I was standing in a place that had been dedicated to making death and gore into entertainment, as well as to remember those who followed Christ who were fed to lions on the floor directly behind me. It made me wonder if I would have been brave enough to stand up for my faith as they did.

The afternoon was spent browsing the ruins of the Roman forum, where, despite the rain, we were greeted with stunning views of the city spread out behind the ruins . . .

. . . as well as with creepy visions such as the one pictured below.

If you are a Doctor Who fan, you will understand why this is the creepiest thing I saw the entire trip.

Back row: Julia, Sara, Sophia, Alicia
Front row: Meghan, Heather, me, Genesis

Of the entire trip, the most incredible and historical moment was our visit on Sunday to the Vatican. Not only did I attend mass in what is probably the most visually stunning church in the world, but I was also present for Pope Benedict's final blessing.

St. Peter's Basilica - Those chairs are where we had mass.

The Baldaccino in St. Peter's Basilica

Michaelangelo's Pieta

100,000 people filled St. Peter's square, waving flags and waiting excitedly for the appearance of the Pope. Though I am not Catholic myself, it was such an incredible experience to be there among so many people who clearly loved and respected this man. The energy in the crowd was infectious. As excited chants of "Benedetto! Benedetto!" rose from the crowd, I found myself filled with anticipation as the hour the Pope was to speak approached. It was incredible to be part of such a historical event, witnessing the final blessing of a Pope who chose to retire, which has not happened in 600 years. Not only did he address the crowd in Italian, but he also spoke in English, German, French, Polish, and a number of other languages.

Margaret and I waiting for the Pope.

Pope Benedict

Here is a news report about the event if you want to see how insane the crowd was. I'm pretty sure you can see me by the pole on the right at 00:17. I'm famous.

And here is a video I took as Benedict emerged and began to speak.

My friend Margaret Wormer from Grove City is living in Rome this semester, so I spent all of Sunday with her wandering the city where we came across things like this:

And this:

Trajan's column!

and this:

Roman Capitol and the biggest building I have ever seen. Built by Mussolini,.

. . . completely by accident.

Me at the top of the Spanish steps

We also wandered to the Spanish steps which gave an amazing view of the city.

Monday was spent at the Vatican Museum where we were bombarded with incredibly painted rooms, including one entire room painted by Raphael. I found out later that I had walked directly past the School of Athens by Raphael without realizing it was there. I felt really dumb after that . . .

The Sistine chapel was definitely worth paying to see, as well as the rest of the museum.

The Sistine Chapel

Another of my favorite sites was visiting the Pantheon. This structure possessed the largest standing dome in the world for a good 1000 years, until technology caught back up to Roman era building in the Renaissance.

Outside the Pantheon

Inside the Pantheon

Every night, the eight of us trekked twenty minutes to the Trevi fountain and ate gelato while sitting in front of the massive work of art. To be able to casually walk to something like this ever night was truly an unfathomable experience.

Trevi Fountain

 Rome has been the city I had my heart set on visiting for many years. The city exceeded my expectations in many ways, but was also completely different than I had envisioned. Rome is a completely different animal than Berlin with its jarringly ancient buildings and ruins around every corner. To have experienced a city with so much history absolutely blew me away, and I can come away from the experience affirming that Rome is definitely historical.

More to come on my adventures in Florence and Venice, two of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen, in the next few days!

Here is a link to a list of videos I took on the trip. I'm still working on uploading them, so keep checking back to that page for more!