Carnevale in Venice

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Carnevale in Venice

We left saturday morning around 10 to Venice for a day of craziness. We knew it was going to be an exciting day just from what we saw outside the train station in Venice. There were face painters, mask venders, confetti on the ground, and hundreds of people right outside of the main entrance to the station. We started wandering our way to San Marco Square. Once we got close to the Rialto Bridge we started to move slowly due to the crowds. And once we got to the bridge it was almost impossible to pass because of the amount of people. Once we finally made it to San Marco Square we were an exhausted, patience tested, and hungry group of people. We found food and then walked around the square. There was a medieval parade, a group of "Halloween dress" european college students, and a stage for a concert that was going on later that night all within the square along with the hundreds of thousands of people. We pretty much hung out there the rest of the day because it took so long to get there, and so long to walk from one end of the square to the other. The people of Venice prepare for this holiday (month long) all year and many dress up with the masks, and colonial style clothing. Many people buy masks, colonial hats, wigs, and confetti, making it quite a big tourist attraction as well. There was confetti all over the place and a buddy of mine named Frankie bought a bag of it for 1 euro to throw around, which was quite entertaining. Overall, Venice Carnevale was an incredible experience and an experience I would recommend people to experience once in their lifetime, but only once. The paths to get to San Marco square can only handle one person to pass through some of them at any given time (narrow), so with over a million people in one small town, passing back and forth through the city is a complete nightmare. Overall, a fun and incredible experience. I managed not to spend very much money either which is always a plus.

This week is a short week. I have a half day thursday and all friday off for our first travel weekend break. I am going to Rome to learn the meaning of the Anchorman quote and popular saying, "when in rome." It is a surprisingly quiet weak in school for me so it should go by quickly. I hope all is well back home.

Buonasera!

Description of Photos:
Photo 1 is of Venice from the Rialto Bridge. Notice all the people on either side of the river.
Photo 2 is of a couple that dressed up and walked around to show off their costumes
Photo 3 is the crowd that I had to pass through to get to the Rialto Bridge
Photo 4 is of a medieval style parade in San Marco Square
Photo 5 is of the narrow walking paths that are ever present in Venice

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Comments

[Joanne Huston]

The crowds in Venice
Hi Sean, Thanks so much for the great pictures - were you standing up on something or is that your view of the world from your height? Your pictures are worth the hassle of fighting your way through the crowds - sometimes you feel like a salmon swimming upstream, right?! The crowd shot looks like what has been going on at the Capitol for the last two weeks. Enjoy Rome - and know that I think about you every day. Love, Aunt Jo

[Dad and Mom]

miss you!
We love your blogs and photos- thanks for sharing with all of us! Love, Mom, Dad and Elizabeth

[Aunt Ann]

Cortina time?
Hey Sean, Glad you survived the carnevale - and the crowds! Thanks for posting! I just googled the location of Cimba and see it is about 2 hrs south of Cortina. Hoping you can get in a day of skiing- either there or where your dad and i skiied outside of Innsbruck, Austria! Of course if the weather ever gets warm and dry, there is always the adriatic sea! Love, Aunt Ann

[Laurie Hentges]

I loved seeing your pictures. I think I might have had a problem with that many people in such a small area!:) Looks like it was worth the time and effort. Keep having fun and updating your site. I am living vicariously through you - lol.

[Sally]

Great photos, Sean! Much appreciated...they really give us a taste of where you've been.