March 7 – March 9
After checking out of our B&B, we walked to the train station and took the train to Venice. Taking the train through Italy was such a great decision because it gave us a chance to see the country side, although on the way to Venice we saw snow on the ground and that was a little disheartening, but when we arrived in Venice it was cold, but sunny! When we arrived we took a water taxi to our hostel and checked in before heading back out into the city. It was so refreshing to walk around and not have to worry about getting hit by cars or busses and crossing all the little bridges was so much fun! We walked to St. Marks Plaza which had been transformed into a huge stage for Carnival! Carnival in Venice is absolute madness. People of all ages are dressed up in elaborate costumes to celebrate and at night, St. Marks turned into one big disco! It was so much fun to walk around women and men in 19th Century dresses and suits, while people my age are dressed up in the equivalent of Halloween costumes. We walked past St. Marks and saw the Bridge of Sighs before stopping for dinner and then went back to St. Marks to listen to the music and see everyone’s costumes.
Our next day in Venice was Marti Gras! We got our faces painted which was so much fun, although after a while it started to itch and I would forget that half my face was covered in glitter and paint and it would startle me. After getting our faces painted, we walked to a point across from San Marco and looked at the bay and saw Venice from another perspective. We spent the rest of the day just walking around and taking in the mass craziness that Venice turned into. Every street was jam-packed and it was like one big party. We stopped in San Marco to watch the crowning of “The Maria of Carnival” the only way to describe what it was is to compare it to a Miss America pageant except that the winner was waiting backstage to be brought out. After dinner, the streets of Venice we packed with people around my age and the music was blasting as Venice turned into an even bigger party. At midnight, there is a silent regatta of gondolas to welcome in Lent. It was an amazing sight to see so many gondolas coming down the Grand Canal and they were all lead by a trumpet at the front.
Wednesday we went to mass at the San Marco Basilica where we learned that in Italy, they do not put a cross of ashes on your forehead. Instead the priest takes a pile of ashes and dumps it on the top of your head and then spreads them in your hair/on your head. It was a very interesting cultural shock, something I was not expecting. After mass, we had lunch and then went on a gondola ride!! Although it was so expensive, it was totally worth it! We started in the Grand Canal and then went under the Bridge of Sighs and passed by Casanova’s house and Marco Polo’s house as well. The entire gondola ride was about 45 minutes. After that, we went and sat by the Grand Canal and walked to the Rialto. It was amazing how depopulated the city of Venice was when carnival was over. We definitely went to Venice at the right time, because I think if we went any other time, there would not be a lot going on. That night we went back to the hostel and packed and got ready for London.
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