Italy (Venice and Verona)

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Ah Italy, I am in love with you. This trip was one in a million and I wish I had more time to stay in this gorgeous country. It was even worth yet ANOTHER 6:25am flight, meaning we left Dublin on the 1:45am bus Thursday morning. This time five of us travelled to Italy; Bre, Bridget, Erin, Mary Cate, and myself. It was nice to have more than one person to travel with. Our flight was to Bergamo in Milan. The entire time we had been pronouncing the city name wrong, but that's fine we rectified our mistakes. So, once we got to the airport we took trains to Venice, our first stop. I was so exhausted I fell asleep on both trains, luckily actually getting off at the right stop. Venice is unbelievable. It actually doesn't look real it's so beautiful. I wish I could capture how incredible it is to see a city where the major form of transportation is through canals and boats that go through the city. It reminded of Galway in the sense that it was small, and when we walked past a place where we are the waiters recognized us.

When we first arrived we had time for an orange spritzer that actually was gross, but the fact that we were drinking it on a canal in Italy was worth every sip. After we went to our air bnb which was literally the best place I've ever stayed in, it's even better than my place in Ireland. The showers had like three different water nozzles and it had lights and music. The beds were also so soft. After we freshened up we went to dinner and I got to experience pasta in Italy. It was everything I had imagined and more. I wish I could have had more and kept eating, but my stomach protested that.

After dinner we walked around a bit and got gelato, heaven, and headed back to the bnb. I was asleep by 8:30pm, and it was a good thing too because the next morning we got up at 8:00am to start and make the most of our day. We ate breakfast in this little cafe and I got toast that was actually just Italian bread and butter. I ate like eight pieces and could've had more.

That day was so relaxed and wonderful. We probably went into like 600 little leather shops and no matter how many times we were in one we couldn't help but be dragged back in. I decided that I wanted to get myself an Italian leather bag. I mean come on, how cool is it to say that I have a bag made of real leather from Italy? I also just wanted another bag because I seem to have a bag fetish. Just walking through the streets of Venice was incredible. It was so strange to see boats driving by in the waters just as casually and frequently as I would see cars at home. I also cannot express enough how gorgeous Venice itself is. I'm not a photographer and I have never really had an interest in photography. But let me tell you, taking pictures in Venice made me look like a world-class photographer who has had stuff published for years. Even little alley ways could turn into beautiful photos. I almost took a picture of trash because the seagulls looked so cool around it. That day was spent buying way more Italian goods than I should have, but loving every second of it. Lunch that day was probably the best lunch I've ever had in my entire life. Let me rephrase that, lunch that day was the best pizza I've ever had in my twenty years of living. Anyone who knows me knows I have a thing for pizza. I could eat it at almost any time of day no matter how much I've already eaten. It was just plain cheese, but even writing about it is making me hungry. Nothing will ever be able to compare to that pizza, and I am okay with that.

That afternoon it started drizzling and we took life by the scruff and decided to go on a gondola. We had seen so many of them riding around that we absolutely couldn't leave Venice and not go on one. So all five of us squished into one and we went throughout the streets on Venice and learned about the history of the city. It was amazing. I was a little nervous that I was going to get sick, but I only got sick at the beginning and the end of the ride so it was fine.

That night at dinner I got pizza again because I couldn't not. It wasn't as good as lunch, but come on, it was still pizza.

Back at the bnb we all went to bed early because the next morning Erin, Mary Cate, and Bre were going to Milan and Bridget and I were travelling to Verona. We decided to split up because Bridget and I really wanted to see Verona, and as an English major I couldn't not go there and see Juliet's balcony. So, the next morning after everyone else had left at like 7:00am, Bridget and I packed up and went back to the train station. I fell asleep immediately because I didn't have time to get coffee and we all know how that goes. We got to Verona and honestly I was nervous. It looked like such a city that I didn't know what we were going to do until 8:30pm when we took a bus back to Bergamo. We decided our best bet was to get some food and coffee at a little cafe right when we got there. It was really cute and very family oriented. A little girl was there with her mother and it was so interesting to see her and see her interact with her mother, but not be able to understand anything of what they were saying.

After some sustenance we felt much more alive so we figured out how to go to Juliet's Balcony. We stumbled upon this giant, ancient outdoor theatre that was spectacular. It was one of the theatres that I had learned about, the ones Shakespeare would have his shows performed in. Bridget and I were like, lets go in, so we go in line and then got ushered to the front by this Italian family that wanted to pay with us so we could all get the group discount. We didn't speak Italian and they didn't speak English, but somehow it all worked out and we got an Italian family for 0.3 seconds. The inside was everything the theatre person inside me could have wanted. We had all of our bags with us so we took turns watching our belongings and then walking around the outside of the structure at the top. It was beautiful. I could just imagine what it would be like to see a performance in that space, or even for me to be performing in it. We spent longer in there than I would have thought, but it was so worth it. By the time we left we headed to Juliet's balcony and ended up on this really posh street with tons of high end stores. Of course what did we see? The Louis Vuitton store. I knew I had to text my mom and give her another chance to get the bag because my dad had said that since I was in Paris she hadn't stopped talking about it.

We got to Juliet's Balcony and it was packed, but the actual tour of the house wasn't at all. It was only six euro for the house and the tomb so we decided we might as well do both. There was a place in the house where we could write letters to Juliet on a computer. Of course I had to take advantage of that and I wrote her a letter expressing all of my concerns that I have been harboring since I first read Romeo and Juliet in eighth grade. It was really cool seeing things that were so fresh in my mind from the play I did last fall. I would say that Romeo and Juliet frustrates me as a story, but I cannot deny the genius that was put in to create this production. After the balcony we walked to the tomb and walked around that for a little. It was as interesting as I would have expected, but it was still cool and for that cheap we had to go.

It was time for the bag. I was instructed to go to the store and check the price of the bag and the wallet and report back to my mother. So after Bridget and I warmed up with some coffee, we set out to the store. Now keep in mind that we had our giant backpacks on and we looked terrible. Bridget had to buy trash bags because the bag she was using was breaking. We definitely did not belong in a store like Louis Vuitton. However, we had to do it, and thankfully we got a really nice woman who helped me and completely understood the craziness that is my mother. I successfully purchased the bag, after sweating and my heart racing when I gave her the credit card even though I knew that it was not my money. I carried that bag around like it was a part of my body. There was no way I was letting it out of my sight.

Even though Bridget and I had had a late lunch, pizza again for me but this time with french fries on it, we had to get pasta as it would be our last meal in Italy. We treated ourselves well and got wine, pasta, and dessert. It was great.

We made it to the bus and back to Bergamo. Here is where things get a little hairy. We got off the bus and it was nighttime, and the only directions we had were ones the the air bnb guy had sent me. We looked like such tourists it was impossible for us not to stick out like a sore thumb. I literally covered the bag with my scarf so I wouldn't be targeted. At one point we were walking through the town and got surrounded by three guys who were calling to us and then laughing when we started walking faster. It was scary being two girls in a foreign city at night with guys laughing at you. But, we stayed close together and got away from them as quickly as we could. We were meeting the air bnb guy at the pub he worked at and as we were getting closer we noticed a guy was sort of following us. Thank goodness we found the pub because we could tell he was getting closer and honestly I'm convinced that if we didn't find the pub when we did he would have tried to rob us. Maybe it was me being paranoid, I don't know. But we were still scared. Anyway, the man was so nice and he asked us to wait a few minutes. He gave us wine and there was a woman playing live music. It was actually really nice. After that he led us to the bnb. It was interesting because he lived there too, even though we wouldn't see him because we had such an early flight the next morning. He also had a dog so we got to play with him for a little. He looked up bus routes for us to the airport and then he left to go back to work. Bridget and I fell into bed and I will say I slept with the bag in my arms because there was no way I was leaving it alone for the night.

We woke up early the next morning and it was a good thing we did because the bus system was, well, interesting. We got on the bus intending it to be like the ones at home where you pay when you get on. Apparently that is not the case and we had to get off because Bridget asked about payment. This woman tried to help us, but she didn't speak English. It was the thought that counted though. We got off the bus, got tickets, and then waited ten minutes for the exact same bus to circle around again. Thankfully we were early so the time didn't really matter. We got to the airport in plenty of time and then met up with Erin, Bre, and Mary Cate. We got on our flight quickly and easily and just like that our trip to Italy was over.

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