My first night sleep in Italy wasn't great but my first Italian breakfast tasted quite yummy. I had little mozzarella balls (bocconcinni), tomato, and some prosciutto for breakfast. Oh Italy, the way to my heart is definitely through my stomach. And your men. Your very tan, very handsome men. Sigh. I love a man with a tan and bright blue eyes. Now if only they spoke English. But really, who needs to speak anyway when you look that good? Kidding. Well...half kidding.
After breakfast, we boarded a private boat over to St. Marks Square again. It was great seeing it not crowded again, but this time in the daylight. There was scaffolding on St. Marks Basilica which was kind of a bummer, but still awesome to finally see in person.
Most of the group went on a short walking tour, but I opted to do my own thing. Since it was early, there was no line at all to get to the top of the bell tower so I immediately did that. I love a good panoramic view of a city and this didn't disappoint. After seeing every angle of the city, I headed back down and got in line to see St. Marks Basilica. I am not really one for churches, but since the line wasn't too bad, I decided to wait so I could see inside. I didn't bring anything with me to cover my shoulders so had I to pay one euro for a sheet-like shawl to go over them. When I got inside I accidentally got in the wrong line. I didn't want to do the tour of the church but just wanted to see the inside. However, I ended up getting in the ticket line and on my way to find the exit I apparently just waltzed right into the museum free of charge. Oooops. I even asked people where the exit was and everyone ignored me. Since I was up there, I walked around all of three minutes before feeling guilty and knowing well and good I had no desire to see it anyway so I finally found the exit and left. When I got downstairs I saw where I should have entered and went in there to see the inside of St. Marks. Churches just don't do it for me. If I see an important one, I check it off my list, and am satisfied. After I saw the tower and the church I wandered a bit around the square but made sure to just stay on straight paths and not make any turns that would get me lost. When time was up I met up with the rest of our group to go on our gondola ride.
I was in the gondola with Jenny, Lee-Ann, and Sean. An Italian singer and an accordion player joined us. They performed for us the whole ride. It was a very cool experience even though I was partly terrified the boat would tip over. I tried to enjoy it as much as I could without panicking of ending up in the water and it was fabulous. Definitely a must-do while in Venice.
After the gondola ride we all went to a local cafe for drinks and lunch. We had a local drink call an Aperol Spritz. It's made with orange liquor (aperol), prosecco, and seltzer. Nothing like having a drink at 11 in the morning. Jenny and I also split local triangle sandwiches called Tramezzini. We got one with ham and hard boiled eggs and one with mozzarella and tomatoes. I know the first sounds gross, but both sandwiches were surprisingly delicious!!
Jenny and I then walked around for the next hour and a half exploring the half of the city we didn't see yesterday. We also stopped for gelato along the way. Yum! Apparently my life in Europe includes a lot of day drinking and desserts. These are things I really don't do that much at home, but for now, I am rolling with the punches and just enjoying it without trying to feel guilty.
After our second round of exploration, it was time to meet up with the group again to boat it over to one of the islands of Venice, Murano, to watch a Venetian Glass blowing demo. Then we hopped another water taxi to the island of Burano. Burano is known for its seafood and for its lace. The very small town only has about 2000 residents. The homes are brightly colored and make for a beautiful setting along the canals going through town. For dinner, we went to a local restaurant that had a set menu for us. It all began with seafood risotto, then spaghetti with clams, then salad, then fish, calamari and shrimp, and finished with fruit, cookies and a shot of amaretto. Lots of food. And everything was delicious and very authentic to the region.
Because today was such a long day, with no opportunity for bus naps, we were back to the hotel fairly early. Everyone was exhausted! Tomorrow it's another long bus ride to Rome but I can't wait to see that city. I know I keep saying that about each place, but its the truth. I also know I have said this before, but I am so lucky and grateful to be doing this traveling. With the trip about halfway done, my enthusiasm hasn't dwindled a bit. And with more tan, blue eyed Italian men coming my way for a few more days, I am in a pretty good place.
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