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Published: June 23rd 2008
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Venezia!
Just recovering from train ride :) Well I finally ventured outside the walls of Vicenza and took my first trip to Venezia (Venice). Awesome! I woke up at 7:30 to catch the 8:30 train. The station is a bout a 10min walk. I got my ticket but for some reason the ticket guy gave me a ticket for the 9:00 train that had a connection in Padova...so I called Cristina concerned and she just told me to get on the 8:30 and if they said anything to just act like a clueless tourist. So I did just that with no problems! About 10 mins into my train ride I started feeling very nauseaus and looking for a bathroom sign in case I had to make a quick run to puke. It was horrible! The AC wasn't too great so feeling hot and sweating was making me even more sick. I managed to make the hour train ride. Still feeling sick I went outside and sat in front of the station and took a 30 min nap . BINGO! After that I was ready to go! Once you cross over the Grand Canal, Venice is a maze. The paths are very narrow and there are many, many, alleys
The Maze
Many streets were more narrow than this that criss cross and are dead ends. There are many other canals through out the city all filled with little Gondoliers! Anyways I kept making my way through the narrow alleys until I emerged into a great open space known as Piazza San Marco....WOW. I think it's in the movie the Italian Job...where all the pigeons are! Anyways it is AMAZING! Right on the water, the Basilica di San Marco, Torre dell'Orologio, Procuratie Vecchie, and many more make up the Piazza. The line into the Basilica di San Marco was pretty long but I got my happy little but right in the back and surprisingly it moved pretty quickly. No bags or photos were allowed so I got all my important belongings (passport and money!) and made my way in I was then shouted at by a guard and motioned to a woman who was selling wraps for people who were showing too much skin..apparently my shorts were a little too short for San Marco..my bad it was hot out! Anywho so I wrapped my orange garb around and walked through the most beautifu church I have ever seen. The entire ceiling was made of gold mosaics made in the
GONDOLA!
I wanted to ride...too many euros though..cost 80-100! 11th century! The original Basilica was built in the 9th century but by two Venetians who stole San Marco's remains from Alexandria and smuggled them in pork meat past Arab Officials...crazy crazy times! You could then go upstairs to look out onto the entire Piazza. The stairs to the top were scary...very narrow and very steep :/ The view was great though and you could stand right next to a recreation of the Cavalli di San Marco (Horses of St. Mark). The original ones were brought inside around 1970 to better preserve them..which unfortunately I couldn't take a picture of. Anyways I went through pretty quickly bc I was nervous leaving my back pack down stairs. So I get to where I left my bag and it wasn't there! Uh I about freaked and that damn guard started yelling at me again bc I was standing in the way of the entrance..thank San Marco I saw it outside the gate and nothing was taken...that would have sucked very much. But anyways I made my way back to the train station and was looking forward to some AC after sweating for 5 hours when I realized I was on a train
CHURCH
Some awesome church...sorry didn't catch the name :/ with no AC...so I got to sweat for another hour but I am nice and cool now back in Vicenza. Next trip..Verona
Ciao!
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erin
non-member comment
scandalous
That is so funny about your shorts...and i am now on the search for tickets because you can have all this fun without me! I miss you