Obligatory Gelato Post

Before I went to Italy, I promised myself that I would try to have gelato at least once a day every day without repeating flavors. For some of you that are friends with me on Facebook, you’ll know I have a separate album dedicated solely to gelato. I thought I would dedicate a post on my blog to the different gelato I had on my trip to Italy. In the span of 8 days, I had gelato exactly 10 times. I tried to take the pictures close to famous landmarks so it would seem more memorable. Click on the pictures to see it close-up and read what flavors they are! 🙂 The only place I remembered to record was the last one I had (That’s in my Pisa post).

Favorite: Kiwi Granita in Pisa. (Not really gelato, but it was that good.) The chocolate and Nutella I had in Rome comes in close second.

Least Favorite: Chocolate from Florence. (It was icy, which probably meant it was old.)

 

Tiramisu&mint choco; Venice, Italy (St. Marco’s Square)

Strawberry that tasted exactly like mushed up strawberries so delish; Venice, Italy

Salted caramel; Venice, Italy

Rose; Vatican City

The BEST chocolate&Nutella; Rome, Italy (Gelateria/restaurant literally across from the Spanish Steps)

Kiwi&peach&pineapple; Rome, Italy (The gelateria is located exactly where my position in the picture indicates; Pantheon)

Chocolate; Florence, Italy (Palazzo Vecchio)

Pistachio; Florence, Italy

Tahiti vanilla&bourbon chocolate; Pisa, Italy

The BEST kiwi granita; Pisa, Italy

Last Night in Italy & Afterthoughts

Our last night in Italy was definitely a memorable one, but not in a good way. Our flight was to leave at 8 am the next morning in Bologna, and we decided we wanted to save ourselves an extra night of costs staying at our home and just go to the airport early and sleep there. After a lot of mishaps, we ended up missing our train to Bologna, and had to schedule another train, but it turns out, it was to the other train station in Florence. We decided to take a bus to the other train station and go to Bologna, but the bus ended up leaving without us because it was full and couldn’t take any more people. Frustrated and tired (it was around 1 am at this point), we crashed at a 24 hour McDonald’s across the street from the train station and decided to take a direct train to Bologna, which was to leave at 4:30 am. That was the worst McDonald’s experience. It was like club Mickey D’s complete with bouncers (I’m not joking), shady people, and ear-drum-rupturing music. After a couple hours of torture, we boarded our train and eventually our plane home to España, ending our week-long trip to Italy.

Now that it’s been a couple of weeks after my first self-planned trip, there are definitely some things I would love to keep in mind when planning my next trip.

1. Travel with a smaller group. We had a group of 7 people, which was pushing it and made it extremely hard for us to go around. Also, it was a big hassle booking train tickets in advance for everyone. In the future, my maximum would probably be 4 or 5 people.
2. Crunch for time. There were of a lot of things we could’ve seen but we didn’t because we didn’t have enough time and we missed quite a few modes of transportation because we were running late. Being a little tired at the end of the day is better than regretting it later on.
3. Pack warmer clothes and COMFORTABLE SHOES. When I checked the weather in Italy, it said around low 70s to high 60s so I assumed it wouldn’t be too bad. I ended up wearing the same pair of jeans and 3 shirts the entire time I was there ( I brought 3 dresses though..). Luckily though, I brought my packable down jacket. I could’ve worn tights with my dresses, but the only shoes I had brought were my Birkenstock’s and a pair of oxfords which I discovered on the first day of walking around in them, were super uncomfortable. I had to resort to wearing my Birkenstock’s the entire time I was there and my feet were often cold. Comfort over style!

Some things that were definitely a plus:

1. Research research research! Before I went on this trip, I was pretty much the designated planner as to what we were going to see and when. I researched the heck out of some places and picked up some useful tidbits of information such as when I should go to certain places and little tips and shortcuts that would make it a lot easier. Also, make sure you know the specifics such as HOW you’re getting to the places you want to go. The app Maps.me is a great app for Android and Apple phones because you can download a map of the country you’re in and use it offline for directions (It’s not free, but the small cost of the app is WORTH IT)

Pisa and Then Some

The last thing on our agenda before we left Italy was visiting the infamous Leaning Tower of Pisa. We hopped on a train and took an hour train ride to the city of Pisa. As soon as we got off, we were looking for food, and I had pizza in Pisa! (I’m so happy I could say that).

Pizza in Pisa!

Wifi deprived

The tower will be smaller than you think, so don’t be surprised if you’re a bit underwhelmed. It’s kind of a tourist trap in my opinion, but one you should probably visit at least once in your lifetime.

And of course, there are the obligatory pictures where you’re keeping the tower from falling or your pushing it over or something. My friend actually researched on Pinterest the different poses, and she knew exactly which one she wanted to do. Don’t be embarrassed, everyone is doing it haha.

Afterwards, we went to a gelato shop that was quite famous in the area. The name of the shop is Gelateria De’ Coltelli (I actually remembered this time). The gelato is good, with interesting flavors that are made fresh, but GO THERE AND GET THE GRANITA. The kiwi one will change your life forever. (Yes I had both gelato and a granita). My friend had two granitas. We also witnessed a magnificent sunset, and all was right in the world.

Art, Art, and More Art

Halls of the Uffizi

We began our next day in Florence early, hoping we could brush off the events of the previous day. Our day began at the Uffizi gallery as soon as it opened at 9:00 am. If you plan on going to see the Uffizi, morning time as soon as it opens is the best time to go. We didn’t have to wait in line at all for tickets and security check in. We made a beeline straight for the famous Birth of Venus and Primavera by Botticelli first, and we shared it with about 6 other people. It was fantastic. The paintings I had seen only in books and movies were right in front of me. I then wandered through the different galleries guided by Rick Steves’ audio tour. It was definitely a plus to go early. Also, a forewarning, when you see a sign that says exit on the top floor, it actually takes you down to a whole other floor of art before you actually get to exit. Overall, we spent about a good 2 ½-3 hours in the gallery, which was plenty of time for us.

Birth of Venus

Primavera

Venus

Bust of Socrates (?)

Ponte Vecchio as seen from the Uffizi

Sleeping Arianne

Doni Tondo – Michaelangelo

Venus of Urbino – Titian

After we exited the building, we went around looking for some food and ran into a restaurant, which was famous for its Panini. We decided to give it a try as it seemed to have a lot of awards. All 7 of us squeezed into the tiny restaurant and I decided to be daring and order a gorgonzola and walnut bruschetta as well as a tripe Panini. The bruschetta was too…cheesy. Usually, I have gorgonzola cheese in a salad with walnuts and apples. But the cheese by itself without anything sweet to balance it out was a bit overwhelming for me. (My friend had a gorgonzola and pear risotto, which sounded better than it tasted. Koreans don’t do well with heavy food).

Meh.

I was also very disappointed by my choice in panini because I thought tripe would be more meaty rather than rubbery, and it was just too salty. My friend loved it though. After that day, I learned that I’m not really adventurous after all. The tiramisu was on point though. Good ol’ dessert. I could’ve eaten a whole pan of that thing.

YESSSS

Duomo

After our meal, we decided to explore the Duomo. After looking around for a bit, we sat on a bench inside and just people watched. It was very relaxing and also interesting to see people from all over the world.

Duomo

Candles inside the Duomo

Murals inside

Interesting clock

Bell Tower

Unfortunately, we didn’t want to pay the 10 euros to climb the bell tower, and we made our way to our next destination, the market next to the Medici chapel. If you are looking for a open air market to bargain for all sorts of goods, go to the market adjacent the Medici chapel. It was a lot of fun and I bought a couple of things for myself and my family.

The last thing on our agenda was going to the Academia to see Michaelangelo’s David. A word of advice for those who want to see David, go right before the Accademia closes at 6:30 pm. We went around 5-5:30 pm, and there was virtually no crowd. (We all got pictures with David without other people in it.) An hour to two hours is plenty of time to see the Accademia.

David was actually quite larger than I expected him to be. He commands your attention, standing majestically at the center of a dome that was specifically constructed for him. I sat for a while listening to Rick Steves describe David and offer some interesting information about his history. (I had no idea a crazy person actually attacked David and damaged his feet!). After we finished gawking at this masterpiece, we took a quick look around the rest of the Accademia and bought some Cannoli (too sweet for my liking) to have with our hot chocolate back at our Airbnb.

Street artists in Florence

Rape of Sabine

A “Fine” Way to Start our Time in Florence

We began the next day in high spirits. We got to sleep in and we took our time getting to the train station to go to Florence. We happily boarded our train, eager to experience the cultural wonder that is Florence. When we arrived, following the directions of our Airbnb host, we boarded the tram in front of the Santa Maria Novella train station and then met her at the designated stop. She then advised us to take a bus and meet her 3 stops later.

A little background before I tell you about our little mishap: Buying tickets for public transportation varies depending on the city and mode. After you buy a ticket, it must always be validated. In Venice, we found out that we had to buy our tickets in advance at a tobacco shop before riding the bus. In Rome, it was a mix: metro tickets could be bought at an automated machine when we entered the metro, and buses varied.

To be fair, we honestly did not know what the ticket situation was in Florence, but we didn’t really bother finding out either. As soon as we entered the bus, two gentlemen began going around asking to check tickets. I was sitting towards the back and didn’t really know what was going on, but after I saw the faces of my friends who were sitting towards the front and were the first victims, I knew we were in trouble. All of us ended up getting off the bus a stop early, and we each had to pay a 50 euro fine on the spot for not having a ticket. A word of advice: buy a ticket. It’ll be a one in a million chance that you’ll be on a public mode of transportation where they check, but when they do, you’ll be thankful that you didn’t risk it. Also, when they do ask to check, make sure you ask them to see there badges first because it could be a scam. (A girl I met and had talked to lived in Florence for 3 years, and she said that she always had them mail her ticket to the US, but they never did because they were so lazy.)It was pretty funny because one of the Italian ladies on the bus kept motioning to us in the back to get off early because the men apparently didn’t know we were all together in one group, so at least half of us could have avoided the fine.

After that, Florence pretty much became the worst city on the trip for everyone. The rest of the day was spent sulking in our Airbnb and going out to the supermarket to buy food.

“I Wish Everything Wasn’t So…Ruined”

We spent our last day in the eternal city exploring its most famous and ancient attractions: The Colosseum, Roman Forums, and Pantheon. We were expecting a walk after exiting the station leading to the first two places, and needless to say, we were quite surprised to find that the metro exit was only a couple yards away from the actual Colosseum. The ticket line for the Colosseum was quite daunting, but luckily I had done my research and decided it was best to see the Roman Forums first, which were right next to the Colosseum.

A word of advice for those who want to go see the Colosseum and the Roman Forums: The ticket you buy at either booth applies for both the Colosseum and the Roman Forums, so it’s best to buy your tickets at the Roman Forums rather than the Colosseum. The line was SIGNIFICANTLY shorter, and we only had to wait about 10 minutes. Better yet, see the Roman Forums first while you’re there.
Another piece of advice: Download Rick Steves’ free app and download the walking tours for Italy. I downloaded some for the Colosseum, Roman Forums, and other places during my stay in Italy and if you can get past the cringe-worthy puns he sometime says, its actually very informative and interesting. I shared headphones with my friend, and we wandered around the Forums together, immersing ourselves in the history.

 

Arch of Titus

Temple of Romulus

Temple of Antoninus and Faustina

Temple of Vesta

Ruins

Senate house

Temple of Saturn

Arch of Septimius Severus

Arch of Septimius Severus

Atrium of the House of Vestal Virgins with 2 pools

One part of the Forums I found particularly interesting were the ruins of the House of Vestal Virgins. The Vestal virgins were priestesses of Vesta, the goddess of the hearth. They were very important women because they kept the hearth burning in the temple of Vesta at all times, which signified the power and strength of the city of Rome. These women were specifically selected at the age of 10 and were required to dedicate the next 30 years of their lives to serving at the temple and of course, remaining a virgin (you were buried alive if you didn’t follow celibacy). As if to make up for the next 30 years of their lives as well as their love lives, they had posh living conditions in a 50-room palace complete with an outdoor atrium and double pool. To be considered a Vestal virgin was a high honor and came with many significant privileges, which included a pension after your 30 year term as well as the freedom to own property, vote, and make a will as well as a  special place of honor practically everywhere.

House of Vestal Virgins

Sweeping view of the Roman Forums

After seeing the Forums, we made our way back to the Colosseum. (If you have your tickets from the Roman Forums, don’t bother standing in line and make your way straight for the turnstiles 🙂 )

At the peak of the Roman empire, this incredible feat of architecture could hold 50,000-80,000 spectators who came to see gladiator battles as well as public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, as well as reenactments of famous battles and dramas based on mythology.

As seen in the picture above, there was usually a stage made of boards which were then covered with sand to soak up all the blood. The tunnels underneath (which are what we see now) are the remains of rooms used to house prisoners and animals who were to be used in the games.

Throughout the day I kept on wondering what these places would have looked like at the height of the Roman Empire. My friend even remarked with a tone of regret, “I wish everything wasn’t so…ruined.” All we were seeing was the skeleton of an Empire that ruled for almost 450 years and I began to have an immense respect for their people in the past as well as their descendants in the present.

At the end of our visit, my friend Tiffany convinced all of us that she had found the perfect location for a Colosseum picture, and we all proceeded to stand in front of the Colosseum one-by-one for one more picture. We then took a group picture, and made our way to find something to eat.

While at the Colosseum gift shop, we took a peek inside some of the books and took note of some of the recommended places to eat. However, we struck out, and the famous pizzeria ended up being closed. However, we ran into a hole-in-the-wall pizzeria, where I had the best slice of pizza.

I WISH I HAD WROTE DOWN THE NAME OF THE PLACE. All I know is it was in the area of Trastevere, which doesn’t really help 😦  It turns out, this place had about a million awards, and I stopped feeling sorry for myself that our original option was closed.

Best tomato and pepper pizza ever.

This is actually a picture of my friend’s pizza because I inhaled mine in about 5 seconds. Funny story, when I got my slice, it was cold, and they usually reheat it for you before they give it to you. So being the silly tourist I am, I went and asked them if they had a microwave or something where they could heat it up for me. The owner looked at me with a “silly tourist” expression and retorted that it was fresh tomato, which doesn’t taste good if its reheated. So I ate it cold, and I probably could have eaten a whole pan, hot, cold, or whatever the temperature. It was that good. Afterwards, we went over to a nearby cafe to have dessert and rest a little before we stopped at our last site.

A delicious and adorable strawberry tart I had.

After getting our fill of food, we headed to our last destination: the Pantheon. By the time we arrived there, it was drizzling and already dark outside. Nevertheless the Pantheon was still magnificent.

Pantheon

The Pantheon was built to be a temple to the pagan gods of Rome and is now one of the best preserved ancient buildings in Rome. One of the main reasons why it is so remarkably preserved despite its pagan history is because it was later converted to a Christian church. Its architecture is particularly interesting because of its dome and oculus, as well as its slanting floors, which serves to drain rainwater that enters through the top.

The Pantheon also houses some famous tombs, including that of the renowned artist Raphael.

After touring the Pantheon, we grabbed some gelato (no day is complete without gelato) and made our way back to our Airbnb, satisfied with our last day in the Eternal City.

A Roman Holiday

It seems like forever since I wrote here and even longer since my Italy trip! With the amount of planning for my winter trip (MY SISTER IS COMING!), doing insane amounts of homework in a language I don’t fully understand, and preparing for my medical school interviews, it’s been a pretty hectic couple of weeks. 

We decided to take it easy on our second day in Rome and not do too much intense site seeing. We hopped on a bus, metro, then walked to see our first site of the day: the Trevi Fountain. Legend holds that in 19 BC, thirsty Roman soldiers were guided by a young girl to a source of pure water outside the city of Rome. The discovery of the source led Emperor Augustus to commission the construction of a twenty-two kilometer aqueduct leading into the city, which was named Aqua Virgo, or Virgin Waters, in honor of the legendary young girl. The aqueduct served the hot Baths of Agrippa, and Rome, for over four hundred years. This scene is actually depicted on the fountain itself. For those of you who have seen The Lizzie Mcguire Movie, you will recognize this fountain in a famous scene where Lizzie throws a coin into the fountain and turns around and is met by a handsome young Italian man named Paolo who mistakes her for another girl Isabella. For weeks, my friend Kylia and I had anticipated this and practiced saying “Isabella” and “Paolo” in our Italian accents, but when we arrived, we were disappointed to find that the FOUNTAIN WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION.

We were definitely disappointed, but on the bright side, we had the opportunity to walk along the scaffolding and take a closer look at the statues. I had seen the fountain before when I came to Italy with my family when I was in Middle school, but I felt bad for the rest of the girls who had come to Italy for the first time. I saw that people still felt the need to throw coins into the fountain.  An estimated 3,000 euros are thrown into the fountain each day.^[1] The money has been used to subsidize a supermarket for Rome’s needy; however, the amount of coins in the fountain also attracts its fair share of thieves.

Empty fountain, but not really.

Spanish Steps

After, we walked for a bit to the Spanish Steps, which was made famous because of the movie Roman Holiday starring Audrey Hepburn. No visit to the Spanish Steps is complete without getting gelato and sitting on the steps as you watch people pass by. I also had the most delicious chicken patty panini. I took a picture of it, but I decided to save myself the embarrassment of posting a picture of a half-eaten panini.

Creepin’ with my chocolate&nutella gelato

Being silly

Spanish steps from afar

People watching.

Afterwards, we wandered the streets ogling all the brand names we couldn’t afford as well as the very attractive men who worked inside. Once we hit a more affordable shopping area, we split up to do some shopping. Needless to say, we didn’t get to see the Pantheon, and after grabbing some dinner and tiramisu (YES YES YES), we headed back to our Airbnb to call it a day.

When in Rome…

The train spit us out in Rome at 6:15 am and it was brutal. The night train turned out to be compartments with 6 seats, 3 facing each other with side pillows to lean on. It was cramped, hot, and the train stopped at a couple of stations before we arrived, jolting us awake. After we all converged together, we had to take the metro to a station where we would take a bus to our Airbnb, which was in a town called Fregene on the outskirts of Rome. When we arrived at the bus station, our host, Fabio, even had a paper-protector sign with my name on it. It was super cute. The house was bigger than we thought it would be with beds for everyone, but it turns out that was the only good thing about the house, as the hot water ran out after the first or second person, and the wifi was horrible (It was a hotspot from a mobile phone).

Vatican museum entrance

After unpacking and resting a little, we set out to see the city of Rome. We had reservations at the Vatican Museum, and as we were walking towards the entrance, we were stopped by a man who convinced us to take a tour. We gave in and spent €21 on the tour (special discount because our group was so large). There were some pros and cons of taking the tour, but it was worth the money.

Pros: LINES. You can bypass all lines including the notorious queue for the entrance and buying tickets and also waiting for famous exhibits such as the Sistine Chapel. You also get direct access to a special tour group exit from the Sistine Chapel to St. Peter’s Basilica, which is normally a 20 minute walk around the city walls after you exit the museum. The tour guide was also very informative, and we thought the 3 or so hours we spent in total there was just enough time because we were so tired from the night before.

Cons: If you’re on a super tight budget, a tour is probably not for you. Rick Steves has a nice app where you can download a free tour, and you can listen to it as you walk around, and most of the major exhibits have informational plaques. Also, I was sad I couldn’t see all the exhibits in my own time. We had to move with the entire group, and sometimes that was a little faster or slower than I wanted it to be.

Shhhh don’t tell! They absolutely do not allow pictures in the Sistine Chapel.

The torso.

Nero’s Bathtub

Panorama of the Sistine Chapel we looked at before we entered.

Hall of Statues

I didn’t take too many pictures because I didn’t bring my camera, and was a bit lazy. A definite plus of taking a tour was going straight into St. Peter’s Basilica without having to wait. After our tour guide dropped us off at the front, we were on our own from there.

La Pieta

A whole bunch of chairs were set up in the square because every Wednesday, the pope would come out to hold a papal audience. You can get free tickets to reserve a seat and they also usually let people stand on the outskirts of St. Peter’s Square. We actually forgot to pick up tickets (mainly because our tour guide forgot to tell us where) and were super bummed we missed out on a chance to see the pope 😦

A fun fact I learned: Since Vatican city is virtually it’s own country, it has it’s own postal service and even mints its own money! If you send a postcard from Vatican city, the recipient will have the stamp of the Vatican on their postcard, which I thought was pretty cool. And their postal boxes are cute.

After finishing our tour of the mini country, we made our way to eat dinner and turn in early to get the sleep we desperately needed.

Murano Rhymes with Burano

Our last day in Venice started off on the wrong foot. We checked out of our hostel and walked with our backpacks to the bus stop to find that the buses weren’t running because of a marathon that was taking place. So, we had to walk all the way to the train station to catch a train or bus into the main city of Venice. We waited practically over an hour for a bus, which didn’t even stop at the bus stop because it was so full. We then had to do some more waiting for the next train that would take us into the city. After leaving our bags at a luggage storage area, we ventured out into the city. By this time, it was already getting close to 3 pm, and we had wanted to see Murano & Burano Island, as well as the Doge’s Palace before we left for Rome. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to the Doge’s Palace, but we got a little glimpse of both Murano and Burano Island.

Vaporetto stations

The city of Venice is virtually an island, and the best way to go around the city is on foot, or by water, using the vaporetto (water bus) system, or water taxis. My friends and I bought a vaporetto pass for €20 (each individual ride one-way is €7) before we ventured out to the adjacent islands of Murano and Burano.

If you do end up going to Venice, riding the vaporetto around the city is a must! Take the slower scenic route 1,  it gives you a whole new perspective on the city of Venice.

First, we visited the island of Murano. Murano is an island 15 minutes away by boat. In 1291, all the glassmakers in Venice were forced to move to Murano due to the risk of fires and kind of stayed there. Murano is famous for it’s glass blowing, and sometimes, you can see glass-blowers in action in their respective shops. Unfortunately, we went on a Sunday, which is when almost everything interesting is always closed, and also, we went a little later in the afternoon. We mainly walked around looking for something to eat, and wandered into various glass shops to admire the jewelry, glass-blown figurines, and artwork.

Murano lighthouse

Murano

Interesting glass statue

Glass garden

Pizza in Murano!

I had originally only wanted to go to the island of Murano, but thanks to the recommendation of my friend (Thanks Tabs!) we decided to go to Burano also. Our time in Murano was cut short by the sun setting, and we quickly got back on the boat to take a 40 minute ride to the island of Burano.

We arrived just in the nick of time, and the sun was out enough for us to see what would be the highlight of my trip.

Burano is a ridiculously picturesque place. Everywhere you turn, it looks like something straight out of Pinterest. Before, the fisherman of Burano used to paint their houses in bright colors to be able to distinguish them from their neighbors amidst the heavy fog, and this tradition has stayed. Burano is also famous for its beautiful lace-work and cute little leaning bell tower.

I just couldn’t get enough. The other highlight of the day was unexpectedly meeting our fellow friends from ACA!

A pretty epic selfie in Burano (creds to my friend JJ and his long arms)

After saying goodbye to this beautiful place, we rode back to Venice, where later we had to sprint to get our luggage by 8 pm before the store closed and then take the night train to our next destination: Rome.

Leaning tower of Burano and a sunset.

Ciao Italia! First Day in the Floating City

After we returned from our Andalucía trip, we found ourselves hastily doing our laundry and repacking for our Fall Break, which happened approximately 4 days later. After much planning and wrestling with Trenitalia and Airbnb, me and 6 other friends set out to Italy. Our itinerary would include Venice -> Rome -> Florence -> Pisa during the span of roughly 9 days.

From the beginning our trip was full of “adventure”. The person we had paid to take us to the airport had to rely on GPS (a very old one at that) to take us to the airport, and the 20-30 minute ride to the airport took us about an hour. We arrived about 45 minutes before our flight was scheduled to take off, and we hurried through security and finally boarded our plane. We flew in to Bologna Airport, and then had to take a bus to the train station, where we would take a train to Venice. Something I learned the first hour in Italy: It’s better to speak in Spanish and try to communicate rather than talking in English, because the bus driver will get mad at you for trying to speak in English and tell you that he doesn’t speak it (when he clearly understands what you’re trying to say).

Although we had booked most of our train tickets in advance, two of our girls ended up misplacing their ticket confirmations, and had to repurchase their tickets at the train station, and ended up taking a different train. Our train arrived earlier, and we waited for their train, which would arrive about 30 minutes after our train. However, their train got delayed, then it came and went, but with no sign of the girls. In Venice, there are two train stations: Venezia Mestre, which is on the mainland, and Venezia St. Lucia, which is on the actual island of Venice. We had to get off at Mestre, because our hostel was on the main island. We ended up waiting for about an hour and a half in the surprising cold, and mind you, some very interesting characters come out at night. We decided to wait at our hostel until the girls arrived and they finally arrived to our relief. We all hit the hay dreaming about the week to come.

The view we saw as soon as we got there.

We had a late start the next day and walked to the bus station to take the bus into the main part of the city. It turns out, we had to buy the bus tickets in advance at a tobacco shop, and we learned from another group of guys who climbed onto the bus in front of us and were soon turned away by the bus driver. We ended up going to Venice together and having lunch.

Old and new friends.

We actually lucked out on our first meal in Italy! We were drawn in by the free wifi and cheap Margherita pizza, but it turns out Gino’s Pizzeria in Venice was a highly recommended place amongst travelers and locals.

Interior decor.

Cheap and delicious.

After eating, we decided to explore the city and got separated from the rest of the guys except two, who we ended up spending the whole day with. We explored the many canals and streets as we slowly made our way to Piazza San Marco.

Displays

Sigh, Venice is so dreamy.

Rialto Bridge

View from the Rialto Bridge

After reaching Piazza San Marco, we went into the Basilica, which is famous for it’s onion shaped exterior and its golden-mosaic interior. Unfortunately, they must have been restoring the edifice, so we weren’t able to see its true onion-ness.

San Marco’s Basilica

San Marco’s Basilica details

Inside San Marco’s Basilica

Details

Doge’s Palace

Piazza San Marco

The line we bypassed.

A tip for those who want to go inside the basilica: check in your bags first at a check-in place near the entrance to the piazza (there’s a large clock over the entrance). If not you’ll have to wait in a huge line to be told right at the entrance that you need to go check in your bags. After checking in your bags, they’ll usually give you a card to reclaim your bag and you can show security this card and they’ll wave you through. One of the guys we were with knew this and told us to check in our bags first, so we did, and we gained direct entrance into the basilica.

In the basilica, there’s a museum upstairs as well as a outlook point of the entire piazza, but we all didn’t feel like paying the €5. But one of the guys we were with told us it was so worth it and promised us we wouldn’t regret it. In order to show us how worth it it was, he ended paying for all our entrances! (Mind you, there were 9 people). Thanks to him, we got a stellar view from the top, and a little enjoyment from seeing all the different artifacts and the golden murals up close.

After, I had my first gelato in Italy (I’ll probably do a separate post dedicated to gelato at the end if you haven’t seen my album on Facebook already). We took our gelatos to the water and watched the boats go by. It was the perfect end to our first day in the floating city.

Half eaten gelato and a view