Venezia

While I write this, Mom is flipping through the Italian TV and translating what she thinks it says. Apparently there is a “big problem” with trash in Italy, and people are very worried about it. There is also a “very big problem” in Verona with a man and his cat. If any of you have ever seen how my mom gets when she is laughing so hard that she cries and rolls around, you understand what I’m experiencing at the moment.

Our adventures in Italy started a bit rough. We woke up before the sun to catch the train to the airport and got in the longer than usual line for EasyJet. We still had no it reached the front of the line only 20 minutes before our plane was scheduled to depart, but an employee assured us that the plane would not leave until the line was gone. We got on the plane, took a nap, and landed in Venice without a hitch. The problem started at baggage claim when the belt stopped and about 25 people were left wondering where their luggage was. My mom got hers, but mine was missing. Everyone quickly got in line at lost luggage only to be told that an entire cart of luggage was just left at the airport in Paris and we would have to wait until the next day to have it delivered to our hotel.

So ok, just roll with the punches right? Well I really did try. We made our way into Venice and had a nice lunch on the canal while they got our room ready. The location of our hostel was fabulous, just off of St. Mark’s Square, and we spent the first evening exploring the tiny streets of Venice. This place is incredible, certainly the most romantic and picturesque place I have ever been. It was just quite unfortunate that we had to share the experience with about 2 million other tourists. It felt like a herd of cattle moving inhumanly slow through the tiny streets, all speaking different languages of course.

After the first night in our hostel, we ventured out towards the Peggy Guggenheim Museum. At 2p.m., my bag still had not arrived, and I was quickly becoming the most unpleasant person in Venice. Thankfully, I received a call saying it had arrived at about 4 and after a long shower and clean clothes; I was an infinitely happier Hannah. The rest of our time in Venice was fairly uneventful, although we did take a guided tour of St. Marks Basilica which was incredible. It’s so hard to get an understanding of historical time living in America. Everything in Europe is just so much older and full of history. We also visited Murano island, where all the famous Venetian blown glass is made.

So this is what Italy means to me; surreal scenery, distinctive culture, monstrous tourists, fabulous fresh pasta, and gelato unlike any other. I will certainly be back…

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