With parents and children it's frowned upon to choose favorites, but is it wrong to choose a favorite place of travel? Nah. Venice was definitely among one of the greatest places I have ever been to. It may have been the weaving canals, the friendly people, the affordability, or the massive amounts of pizza and pasta, but this place will always have a special place in my heart...and stomach. Many of the places I traveled to on my Euro trip were very expensive. For example, a box of Wheat Thins was 7 euro (about $7)!!! In Venice though, a box of crackers would probably run for about 3-4 euro. This may sound a little silly, but if you know me at all, you know I love to bake...and to eat. For this reason, I would typically compare the prices at the bakeries. All little treats in Venice ran for 1-2 euro, which was dangerous for my waistband, but heck, it's vacation! I ate this bread ball thing that was filled with Nutella, slightly fried on the outside, and dusted with powdered sugar and crystallized sugar. YUM!!!! I limited myself to one, but that was because I wasn't shy in other food senses.
My first night there, I struggled to find my Airbnb. The roads here are for walking and any road that isn't a main pathway, is tiny and narrow. Did I mention that they are super curvy too! Navigation was a bit difficult here, because one second you could be facing north and then all of a sudden, you're facing southwest, yet you didn't think you changed directions at all. When I arrived at the train station, my Airbnb host gave me walking instructions to reach my room. I'm pretty decent at following instructions, but these directions were a nightmare! I ended up having to activate my phone and use google maps, which I usually avoid because international rates are expensive, but I had no choice. It was dark out, I was hungry, tired, and ready to be there. On to more frightening things... my Airbnb. I finally found my place and it was in a DARK ALLEY. I used a code to get inside and then I found a stained little bag with my name on it. I was in a room towards the back of the building, so I got to see the whole place. It was cold, old, musty, and seriously a bit scary. The lights were like in a horror film where they are florescent and slightly blue in color, but they were very old and flickered so I never had a constant stream of light. This was not a good start to my trip. My room was large, had two big beds, but everything was very old and looked worn in to say the least. Thankfully, everything seemed a bit more doable and safe in the morning light, so I decided to stay. I showered on the second day and the shower made me actually cry and I am not a crier. All of a sudden, it burned me and then would switch within seconds to the coldest water I have ever felt. It kept alternating and I no longer cared about being clean, but I had shampoo in my hair... It was quite the process, but lets just say that I only showered one time there, because I couldn't go through that traumatic experience again. No. Way. Although I don't feel like I'm selling y'all on Venice, it was only my housing that was a bit sketchy, not the glorious city. I threw my bags down and ditched the room to find some food. Since I was in Italy, I thought I would go with the classic route and order spaghetti and meatballs and some red wine. On a side note, I ate pizza three times while I was there.... Anyways, I met a wonderful couple in their late 30s, early 40s and we shut the place down. As I have mentioned before, Europeans don't have the sense of personal space that Americans do, so the tables are crammed together, therefore, making me feel like I wasn't dining alone in the first place. Italians were the most friendly in my opinion out of all of the places I had traveled to so far.
The couple that I met decided to meet up with me for coffee the next day. We ended up spending the entire day together and didn't return to our places until dark. The man was part Swedish and part Mexican, while the woman was Swedish and Russian. She grew up in Russia and he grew up all over the place. They now live in Spain and are running an online business for fine jewelry and high-end collectibles, which is why they were in Venice, at a jewelry trade show event. During the hours I spent with them at meals and sight-seeing around Venice, they gave me some amazing advice and insight into the business world. I now have some great book suggestions, along with some knowledge in management, ownership, and even real estate, which I always have been interested in, yet never have had anyone speak to it in a knowledgeable and beneficial way. This couple was so kind and welcoming that I think they definitely made my Venetian stay so amazing. Sometimes no one would talk to me in some countries and would hardly engage in conversation even after I initiated it, but Italy seems to be different. The workers at the shops and restaurants I went to were extra friendly and interested in me and my trip, which was refreshing! The shops were SOOOO great too. The streets were lined with beautiful shops displaying a multitude of Murano glass. Murano is a Venetian island that is known for producing some of the world's most exquisite glass. There was everything from vases, chandeliers, glasses, and plates, to glass animals and figurines in all sizes and colors imaginable. Since I was tight on travel space, I opted for the smaller souvenirs, like the cutest little blue whales, these detailed blowfish, and Murano glass wine stoppers. If I am ever rich one day, I want to buy more Murano glass products. I loved it so much that it's hard to put in words. Another store that I loved was this jewelry store. Everything was hand-beaded and the store was color coordinated. I was in the same store when I was in Rome, Italy back in sophomore year of college when I was studying in Greece and my friend Morgan and I were just as thrilled then as I was in Venice. Although the store was small, about the size of a normal bedroom, I spent over an hour admiring this craftmanship. The employee thought I was a bit loony, but I just thought everything was so cool and each piece was so unique that you could circle the store 50 times and still not have seen it all. You already know that I bought a few pieces, but only one was for myself :)
Saint Mark's Square is the main attraction in Venice and it is quite impressive. It opens up to this huge area where a bunch of people are hanging out. People aren't the only ones hanging out here either; one word, pigeons. Gypsies would come up to you in the square and put bird seed in your hand and then the pigeons would flock all around you and on you. I had around 10 birds on me at once and I was honestly freaking out a little bit. I couldn't stop laughing though. The gypsies then expect payment though. They target tourists and let's just say that me and my camera scream tourist. The gypsies also will come up to you and try to sell you things, which roses were popular in the square. They would shove a rose in your jacket or somewhere on your body and then want to be paid. I didn't want a rose, because why would I need a rose? So I tried to give it back and the man over and over and he wouldn't take it, so I started walking away and then the man followed me trying to get money, so I actually had to just set the rose down on the ground. I've never seen such persistence in my life! I of course was annoyed, but it is in these instances that you have to take a step back and just realize that this is a way of life for them and it's the only life some of them have ever known. The Square was really beautiful though with St. Mark's Basilica and Doge's Palace creating the area of popularity. The coolest thing about the city to me though were the endless amounts of canals. There are around 400 bridges in Venice...400!!!! How sweet is that?! There are only 5 that cross the Grand Canal though. It is wild to think that the main transportation on this island is by boat, very small boats. Some of the only entrances to these places are from the canals. I still haven't figured out the system if it were to flood... I've been asked many times if I rode in a gondola, but I skipped out on this experience, because that's something you do with someone else. It's like 80 bucks too! I'll save that for traveling with a loved one!
Overall, I felt safe once I was familiar with the city. Venice is overwhelmingly beautiful and I think Italy is just one of those places that is known for its beauty. When people talk about some of their favorite places, Italy seems to make the top of their lists and it is easy to see why. I have some news for y'all too! I decided to come home early. I will post my next blog explaining my decision to an extent, otherwise, feel free to reach out to me personally if you have more questions :) You can contact me through my social media links or my email: lauramuren@yahoo.com
Talk to y'all soon!
Stay adventurous,
Laura
