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Published: December 3rd 2012
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VeniceToday we were entering Italy! Venice was one of the places I was the most excited for. Filippo was very excited because Venice is his hometown. The scenery on the drive today was beautiful. It was all green rolling hills and castles and it looks like something out of a movie. At the rest stop I got spaghetti which was delicious but the price was almost double what I’d been paying at previous rest stops. This morning when I woke up I had the worst sore muscles in my legs which I figure must be from the constant partying, being on my feet, and the paragliding. What I didn’t realize was that it would get much worse. After a few more hours of driving we arrived at our campsite in Venice. Well, it isn’t really in Venice, because you have to take a boat to the actual city center, but the campsite was nicer than I was expecting. The beds were comfortable enough, and we had a private bathroom in the cabin. I was rooming with Chelsea and Haley tonight.
When everyone was ready we hopped on a boat that would take us over to the city. It seemed to
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Me in Venice take forever, but that is maybe because I was so excited. There is a very slow speed limit for boats coming into the city, so that the waves they create won’t erode the sides of the buildings. We got off near St. Mark’s Square, and those going on an optional walking tour with Filippo left with him. Me and Emily decided to explore on our own. One thing we noticed right away were the many gypsies selling fake bags everywhere. I really wanted to buy a bag, but I knew it was illegal for them to sell and for me to buy. I figured maybe if we saw one on our way back I would buy one.
First we went to St. Mark’s Square (which was packed) and had a look at the churches there. The intricate detail on all the sculptures on the churches is really incredible. We didn’t go inside because it was very expensive. It was a really nice day today, one of the first sunny days we’d had. We decided to try to find a post office and the Rialto Bridge, but we ended up getting very lost, and although we found the post office,
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Beautiful views from the Campanile Bell Tower we didn’t find the bridge. It was still cool to see the tiny streets of Venice, though. I’d heard from people that Venice was a huge letdown, that the water was disgusting and smelly and it wasn’t fun at all. I agree that the water was disgusting, but it didn’t smell, and I had a great time in Venice. It is so unique, and although I wouldn’t want to live there, it was amazing to be there for that day. We eventually returned to the waterfront but the gypsies had disappeared, so I was unable to buy a bag.
We got in line to go to the top of the Campanile bell tower. The wait wasn’t too long, and soon we were at the top seeing the beautiful views of Venice. The city looked completely different from the top of the tower. The only drawback was that it was freezing cold and windy at the top and I only had on a light T-shirt. By the time we got to the bottom I knew I needed a sweater so I bought a blue Italia sweatshirt from a vendor nearby. I attempted to barter but only ended up getting €2
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Ready for our gondola ride! off the price. As we were standing in the square, it all of a sudden started pouring down rain. There was even thunder and lightning! We were all pretty disappointed as we had our gondola ride in half an hour. It was too late to get our money back. While we waited under cover for the rain to stop the gypsies came back and I ended up buying two bags – one fake Fendi and one fake Prada.
Luckily the rain had pretty much stopped at this point, so we left for our gondola ride. The boat was wet, and it was drizzling during the ride, but it was still a great experience. Melissa and Candice had bought a bottle of champagne, and they shared it with me, Chivonne, Danielle, and Stephanie. Our gondolier was very funny, and he sang for us. It was so cool to just be floating along a canal in Venice; it was very peaceful. Once the ride was over, Filippo took me, Melissa, and Candice on personal walking tour of his favourite spots in Venice. We tried some Venetian specialties and a drink called Spritz, which was very strong. By the time we arrived
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Filippo, me, Melissa and Candice back at the boat we were all slightly drunk, which made for an interesting ride home.
Back at the campsite we got ready in our rooms then went to the bar. Filippo taught us some game with witches, werewolves, and farmers, which I can’t really remember, but I was the first out. Oh well! We just danced for the rest of the night, and we all went crazy when our day song (Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen) came on. I eventually made it back to my room at who knows what time. It was my favourite night so far.
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