venice day 1

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After some minor issues at the train station, we left on our direct train from Munich to Venice at around 11:30. Seven hours later, we arrived in Venice. (On the way I saw scenery that mirrored what is on the Olive Garden menu the whole time). We were in a little train room with a German who spoke very little English but we found out he was going on what little vacation he had from his job to visit his friend. We painlessly left the train station, bought a vaporetto pass (we had to buy a seat for our luggage, too) and got off the vaporetto at the Accadamia stop. Venice is exactly how everyone pictures it and it is beautiful! We were told to follow the signs to the Guggenheim museum, so we did that and then thought we'd passed it when we got to the gate for the Guggenheim, but actually our house was attached to it and the door was right in front of us. We were let in, given a tour of the house, and invited out to dinner with the crew. I'm sharing a triple room with Jessica, but it's only the two of us. We went to a little restaurant where I had pizza with salami on it, which is their form of pepperoni pizza since the word pepperoni is literally a pepper. Also wine is cheaper than water, so we had some of that first at the restaurant and then after unpacking at the house, we headed out to the bars where I had white wine for 1 Euro. I'm relieved to leave the land of beer b/c my body was tired of it. We went to two bars... both with Americans about our age. At the second bar, some guys tapped me on the shoulder and said hi. At first I was really confused but then we figured out it was three of the eight people on our Neuschwanstein tour. They were in Venice for the night celebrating one of their 23rd birthdays. Again, it's a small world. After we closed down that bar, we walked back to the house, where I sit now in the library typing away on the internet... but soon to go to bed. Although it is only 10 p.m. at home, here it is 4. Goodnight all... I have to read 27 pages of law tomorrow for Monday's class... yes I'm in a mansion on the Grand Canal... but I still have work to do.

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