Soon after I woke up in the morning at the pensioni in Mestre, I hopped on the train for a 10-minute ride across the lagoon into the island of Venezia, otherwise known as Venice. The minute I stepped off the train, I could sense the magic of Venezia. The train station was, like other train stations in Italy, packed full of people, tourists and locals alike. The first real task of the day was to find an affordable room in a hostel. After 30 minutes standing in line at the hotel reservation office at the train station and battling with hawkers, I decided to strike out on my own. With my backpack weighing me down and the heat of Italy adding to my load, I started a trek toward the plaza where I would have to
... read more
