They say Rome wasn't built in a day, but neither was Venice. Could it be the new Atlantis? Sure has my vote. My friend Nick, Dr. Lindsey (our other sponsor) and I decided to take a spontaneous day trip to the city I have dreamed about visiting since I was 10 and a read a book called The Thief Lord that took place in Venice.
I didn't know what to expect, really, nor what to really feel other than pure excitement. I'll admit that I was a little nervous of being disappointed, like when The Hunger Games came out and they basically left out all the major parts. I'm a detail kind of person, and by that I mean, in my head when I picture something I see every little thing and when it's portrayed on the big screen, I would rather watch an 8 hour movie that has everything included and is just as I had imagined. Make sense?
So anyways, back to Venice. That's what was going through my head the night before we took off for our adventure. I went to bed pretty early knowing that I was going to have to wake up, yet again, at the crack of dawn and be downstairs ready to leave by 6 am. Yes, yes, you read that right. SIX IN THE MORNING. Just because I'm on "vacation" doesn't mean I get to sleep in haha, because I know that's what most people think of when they see the pictures I post. Yeah I get to see all these beautiful places, but there's always a price to pay -- lack of sleep and exhaustion. But I'm not complaining, I wouldn't have it any other way.
OKAY ANYWAYS, again. I woke up the next morning with extreme excitement, got ready (and by ready I mean I did my hair, make up, everything...the whole 9 yards) and was downstairs on the dot at 6. I was pretty dang proud haha. I met with my two fellow partners in crime for the day and our tour guide, Alexandra, who was taking us to the train station. Before I go any further, let me just tell you how important it is to know how international transactions work. Because EVEN THOUGH your parents may deposit money into your account on a Saturday, remember that in Europe you are anywhere from 7-9 hours ahead which means it is no longer a business day, the next day is Sunday, and you have to wait until Monday at 8am U.S. time which may be 4-6pm Europe time for your transaction to go through.
Yes ladies and gentlemen, I was the victim of such story and it was awful. Luckily, I still had quite a bit of American money left to exchange which worked in my favor when we arrived to Venice because I was able to exchange it. Okay so lets back track.
It's 6 in the morning and we are walking to the train station, watching the sun-rise over the city of Milan without a footstep or car to be heard in the streets. We walked inside, bought our tickets for the 7am departure, and I listened intently to the instructions that Alexandra gave me for what to do upon arrival (this was all in Italian btw). We loaded the train, waved goodbye and took off on our 2 our ride. Between dosing in and out of sleep, traveling through the different cities of Italy and watching it slowly change from country-side to a bit more coastal view was incredible.
We arrived to Venice around 9am where we bought our round trip tickets to take the Vaporetto around the Grand Canal to San Marco. These were some of the things I spotted along the way...
I didn't know what to expect, really, nor what to really feel other than pure excitement. I'll admit that I was a little nervous of being disappointed, like when The Hunger Games came out and they basically left out all the major parts. I'm a detail kind of person, and by that I mean, in my head when I picture something I see every little thing and when it's portrayed on the big screen, I would rather watch an 8 hour movie that has everything included and is just as I had imagined. Make sense?
So anyways, back to Venice. That's what was going through my head the night before we took off for our adventure. I went to bed pretty early knowing that I was going to have to wake up, yet again, at the crack of dawn and be downstairs ready to leave by 6 am. Yes, yes, you read that right. SIX IN THE MORNING. Just because I'm on "vacation" doesn't mean I get to sleep in haha, because I know that's what most people think of when they see the pictures I post. Yeah I get to see all these beautiful places, but there's always a price to pay -- lack of sleep and exhaustion. But I'm not complaining, I wouldn't have it any other way.
OKAY ANYWAYS, again. I woke up the next morning with extreme excitement, got ready (and by ready I mean I did my hair, make up, everything...the whole 9 yards) and was downstairs on the dot at 6. I was pretty dang proud haha. I met with my two fellow partners in crime for the day and our tour guide, Alexandra, who was taking us to the train station. Before I go any further, let me just tell you how important it is to know how international transactions work. Because EVEN THOUGH your parents may deposit money into your account on a Saturday, remember that in Europe you are anywhere from 7-9 hours ahead which means it is no longer a business day, the next day is Sunday, and you have to wait until Monday at 8am U.S. time which may be 4-6pm Europe time for your transaction to go through.
Yes ladies and gentlemen, I was the victim of such story and it was awful. Luckily, I still had quite a bit of American money left to exchange which worked in my favor when we arrived to Venice because I was able to exchange it. Okay so lets back track.
It's 6 in the morning and we are walking to the train station, watching the sun-rise over the city of Milan without a footstep or car to be heard in the streets. We walked inside, bought our tickets for the 7am departure, and I listened intently to the instructions that Alexandra gave me for what to do upon arrival (this was all in Italian btw). We loaded the train, waved goodbye and took off on our 2 our ride. Between dosing in and out of sleep, traveling through the different cities of Italy and watching it slowly change from country-side to a bit more coastal view was incredible.
We arrived to Venice around 9am where we bought our round trip tickets to take the Vaporetto around the Grand Canal to San Marco. These were some of the things I spotted along the way...
After 6 short stops made by the driver, we reached San Marco.
We walked through the Art District, saw all the Gondola's, their drivers serenading them away, while tourists walked around taking pictures and buying souvenirs. In case you haven't picked up on this, I LOVE to people watch, it's so fun and interesting to see what other people do, act like, talk like, walk like and just interact. You should try it sometime.
We ate some paninis while in line to check off things from our tourist list where we were encountered by one of the funniest things that may have happened on this trip.
As Dr. Lindsey was holding his panini in his left hand, a pelican flew down, stepped on Nick's head as kind of a boost, and swooped down in front of Dr. Lindsey, taking his panini OUT OF HIS HAND, ate it, and flew away. The only thing I could really do was laugh hysterically along side Nick just thinking about what had just happened and laughed even harder at the sight of Dr. Lindsey's confused/sad/shocked face.
Haha, after that series of events, we took a tour through the palace, the Basillica, and a modern art museum that was originally another palace. It was kind of a weird mixture to see modern art mixed with such classical figures, but it was interesting nonetheless.
We walked through the Art District, saw all the Gondola's, their drivers serenading them away, while tourists walked around taking pictures and buying souvenirs. In case you haven't picked up on this, I LOVE to people watch, it's so fun and interesting to see what other people do, act like, talk like, walk like and just interact. You should try it sometime.
We ate some paninis while in line to check off things from our tourist list where we were encountered by one of the funniest things that may have happened on this trip.
As Dr. Lindsey was holding his panini in his left hand, a pelican flew down, stepped on Nick's head as kind of a boost, and swooped down in front of Dr. Lindsey, taking his panini OUT OF HIS HAND, ate it, and flew away. The only thing I could really do was laugh hysterically along side Nick just thinking about what had just happened and laughed even harder at the sight of Dr. Lindsey's confused/sad/shocked face.
Haha, after that series of events, we took a tour through the palace, the Basillica, and a modern art museum that was originally another palace. It was kind of a weird mixture to see modern art mixed with such classical figures, but it was interesting nonetheless.
I then voted on buying some gelato as we walked through the city, taking random turns at random bridges just getting lost in this indescribable place. I don't even know what to say about what I saw. I had seen millions of pictures and heard countless stories about what it was like, but truth is, you don't really know what it's like until you're really there. Think about it for a second: a city built on top of water, with it's roots underneath the sea. How rad is that?!
I walked through local shops and bought cute little things to bring back to my family and closest group of friends, before stopping at a little pizzeria for a late lunch before heading back to Milan.
(ps, as you look through these photos, keep in mind that one of the first and most important rules when traveling is: DON'T DREAS LIKE A TOURIST. Please, just don't. You'll enjoy your trip so much more if you look cute. Trust me ;). It's true.)
We only spent about 6 hours in Venice, but it was enough to experience the beauty of such a mysterious city. Around 4 pm we jumped back onto the Vaporetto, taking the Grand Canal once again back to the station where we would depart at 5. Did I mention that I got to drive the Vaporetto for like .5 seconds?
Hahaha kidding, picture only. I might have gotten the two hundred people on the boat killed if I had driven the Vaporetto.
I walked through local shops and bought cute little things to bring back to my family and closest group of friends, before stopping at a little pizzeria for a late lunch before heading back to Milan.
(ps, as you look through these photos, keep in mind that one of the first and most important rules when traveling is: DON'T DREAS LIKE A TOURIST. Please, just don't. You'll enjoy your trip so much more if you look cute. Trust me ;). It's true.)
We only spent about 6 hours in Venice, but it was enough to experience the beauty of such a mysterious city. Around 4 pm we jumped back onto the Vaporetto, taking the Grand Canal once again back to the station where we would depart at 5. Did I mention that I got to drive the Vaporetto for like .5 seconds?
Hahaha kidding, picture only. I might have gotten the two hundred people on the boat killed if I had driven the Vaporetto.
We arrived back to Milan around 7:30 in the evening ready to eat, once again. We found yet another local but high-rated restaurant to eat dinner at. We had Prosecco, pizza appetizers, an amazing bottle of white wine, and pasta before heading back to our hotel for a great night's sleep.
Beauty can't be described nor can it be portrayed through pictures. It can only be seen with eyes which yearn to understand the beginnings of complex natures. That's how I felt about my trip to my dream city, Venice. It was amazing, breath-taking, mysterious, completely mesmerizing and at the same time easy to understand. It was the trip of a lifetime, even if it was for 6 hours. The best trips sometimes are the shortest and the ones you can't explain ;)
It's a trip worth making, and I hope all of you go if you have yet to experience the city of Venice.
Until next time bellisima Venezia.
XOXO,
Ana
Beauty can't be described nor can it be portrayed through pictures. It can only be seen with eyes which yearn to understand the beginnings of complex natures. That's how I felt about my trip to my dream city, Venice. It was amazing, breath-taking, mysterious, completely mesmerizing and at the same time easy to understand. It was the trip of a lifetime, even if it was for 6 hours. The best trips sometimes are the shortest and the ones you can't explain ;)
It's a trip worth making, and I hope all of you go if you have yet to experience the city of Venice.
Until next time bellisima Venezia.
XOXO,
Ana