The Streets Are Flooding... In Venice

This past weekend me and 5 other people went to Venice. To sum it up I could say that is was amazing, but that of course is not adequate. We left Thursday night on a night train and got to Venice at about 5:30am. We found the hostel/hotel place we were staying dropped out stuff and went to explore until things opened and it got light out.

We wandered to Piazza San Marco and chilled a bit and it started raining... story of the weekend. We were starving and found a little bar that was open and had some cappuccino and other various things and waited there for a while. We then went back and went to Doge's Palace. Some of us decided to pay a little more to get a guided tour of the Secret Rooms that can only be accessed with this tour and it was definitely worth it. We learned all about the Venetian society in general and got to see the Secret Rooms which the style alone was completely different then the extravagance of the rest of the palace. The Secret Rooms were where the employees such as lawyers, secretaries, and Grand Chancellor who was the head of all the secrets. The whole thing gets very confusing from there. But there were secrets and the rooms where the people who worked with these secrets are were also a secret. The Venetians were not supposed to know of their existence and they were not decorated elaborately because they didn't have to be because the citizens could not freely wonder there. There is a lot more that I learned but if I continue trying to relay it it will continue to be very confusing so that is all I will say about that, but if you want to know more, just ask.

After that we ran in for a quick look at San Marco's Basilica and it was the most gorgeous church I have seen yet (except I have not been to St. Peter's yet). Everything is decorated with real gold leafing and it is gigantic. You are not allowed to take pictures but I took a couple along with everyone else there (that rule wasn't very well enforced) the second time we went in.

When we left Doge's Palace to go to San Marco's (right next to it) we discovered something a tad bit unique to Venice. It had been raining quite hard and the streets were flooded. Like a good 6 inches and even more in some spots. It appears as though San Marco's is set lower than the street around it because that is where it was deeper. Also, the streets flooding is a normal occurrence because they have elevated side walks set up and ready to go for when this happens. We had seen them earlier and had no clue what they were for and assumed it was something they had not taken down yet from carnivale that had ended the previous weekend.

By then it was only about 12:30 by the time we were done with San Marco's and we hadn't slept much and had been walking around since 5 so we decided to head back to our hotel and dry off and nap.We got up quite a few hours later and got dinner at an authentic Italian place and I had some of the best tiramisu ever.

The next day we went to Murano and watched a quick glass blowing demonstration. Watching the guy make a glass horse in literally a couple minutes was amazing. Then we walked around a million glass shops where I went a tad crazy buying things. But it was worth it because the stuff is so pretty and I have some people's gifts done :)

After that we went back did a quick run through of San Marco's again for the people who didn't see it the day before and then rushed on a Vapretto (water bus basically) to get to San Giorgio Maggiore before it closed; we made it. We even had time to go up the campanile and have some amazing views over looking Venice while it was extremely windy and cold.

After that we went back and had dinner and walked around as well as walked around more the next morning before we caught the train back to Rome at 1 for the 6.5 hour train ride.

Venice was so incedible, if you ever have a chance, go, before its gone.

Ciao!