Venice, Italia!! :)

Dearest Internet!

 

Its official, I have just been to the most beautiful, day in and day out city in the world. Venice, Italy has got to be and or have the most to see, do, and just enjoy! Honestly, I have never had so much fun just walking around and looking up and around where I was. Being able to see everything and just imagine, how 800 year ago, it was relatively the same, and I am walking in the same streets and Leonardo De Vinci, Casanova, the Dodge family, or INDIANA JONES <3 haha (I knew something was familiar about San Barnaba di Venezia, so I googled it, and oh yeah, The Last Crusade? Donnow if you have ever heard of it, kinda the best movie of life...no big deal..kinda shot exactly where I was standing! SO COOL!!! EEP!) (I may have squealed and people may have looked...maybe!) But just being able to learn about where I was and the importance of this city, by itself, was one heck of a journey!

 

Leaving Paris on Monday night, we took an overnight train to Venice. This was fun because, I have never really had a fondness for trains....so trying to sleep on a 12 hour one...was...difficult? Impossible? Didn't really happen? haha instead Juliette and I played little games of, switch the ipod and judge each others songs, sing every word to every eminem song that we know, along with the occasional disney , and try and it still for as long as possible before the force of the train made your body shift...this went on for...twelve hours.

 

Upon arrival, we may have been totally exhausted and utterly gross looking, BUT when we got out of the train, and walked out of the train station only to come face to face with Venice and the Grade Canal, none of that mattered! Because we were in Venice. And due to the contribution of being overtired=overexcited=over expressive, my reaction to the city was fairly...lets just say I thought it was really really really really really really really reeeeeeeeeeeeeally wonderful, and I had a need to express that, and so I did! :D This awakening feeling lasted for about 20 minutes until we realised, oh god, we are going to be walking all day an can barley count to 10, so, we hustled on over to the hotel, situated right on the Canal, and ordered four pipping hot cappuccinos! BAM! AWAKE!

 

Along with arrival that day, I also walked around Venice for the first time! Not only was it my first day in Venice, but it was also the last day of Carnival, and everywhere you went people were wearing masks, amazing costumes and smiling away! It was quite the sight! Also, in every corner of every little street, colourful confetti could be found! It was like a whole city in giant joyous celebration! hehe loved it!

 

Later, I was able to experience my first pizza and pasta! Italian <3 So good! To be specific and to best describe how good it was, I am not supposed to have anything with dairy products in it, ever. This pasta was made with a cream sauce and drowned with Parmesan cheese, and the pizza has mozzarella, Gorgonzola and Parmesan all over it... and I ate every last bite! Delish! And this was only to be complemented after by Tiramisu! Which, yeah, just as awesome. No doubt.

 

Upon other first experiences I was able to have...one that was..well different. I was told previously that Italian and Spanish boys like to whistle at girls for fun, and so I told myself that if that ever happened to Juliette or I, I would whistle back, just for fun, and then run or speed walk in the opposite direction! Full proof plan right? no! false! idiot. I didn't actually think that any whistling was going to take place, so when someone whistled at Juliette, I whistled back....Well...apparently...they spoke English, and..apparently I look like I speak English ( I was offended! I was totally going to the french look! Darn it!) but yeah, so they began to approach us, but thank god that Juliette, after giving me a look I probs deserved, pretended that we didn't know English and thank the good lord that they didn't speak french. And even though they were TOTALLY cute, my plan totally backfired, once again that I should really leave situations like this...not up to me.

 

ANYWAY, Other then that, Juliette and I toured around the whole time, looking at everything eagerly and taking in every step! which is important on trips such as these because, quite honestly, they really are not every day trips! But yes, So we also visited the Dodge Palace and were able to go on a "behind the scenes" tour of the palace! This was special because not only were you able to see the interior, along with everyone else, but with the guided tour, we were able to go into all the blocked off areas! I felt so special! HAHA, I know sad right? but there was like locked door that said tours only and everything! lol No but the tour was based around the extraordinary escape of Casanova, and how he oddly enough, to escape walked right through the main and fully guarded entrance! Along with that, we were also to see a lot of weapons used in the glory days of said palace, the torture room (ohh goody) , the prison cells, and the exact route taken by Casanova himself.

 

Now, to give you a little background about Casanova, or what I could make out from the French tour guide who was speaking at aaaaaaaaabout 345746385873 miles an hour...ok that en exaggeration...but it was still way to fast! Anyway, so basically, Casanova with his genius mind, was imprisoned for (he had no idea) being thought to be a spy...among other things related to witchcraft and wizardry conspiracies of that day and age of which he was believed to preform. But yeah, to keep it short, for his first attempt, he used a spoon for about three or four months to dig a hole under his bed into the roof beneath him ( unknowingly, this was the roof of the judges who decided the fate of the prisoners..one of which Casanova later became...after escaping and returning to Venice... :/ says a lot about their security...)

But yeah, so right when he was done, they decided to move him to a different room....BUMMER... and his little hole was found by the guard! THANKFULLY Casanova was a little bit of a quick thinker and before anything could be done he told the guard that if he said anything he would tell the judges the guard helped him... how else could he have gone for so long without being noticed ? So nothing was done, but his new prison was checked regularly for holes... :P. So, to end this, and try to explain his escape..in which I should really google before telling cause I'm probably wrong, but something about a bible used to hide something that helped their escape...someone important in the church who was imprisoned beside him and they escaped together, nice clothes so that they wouldn't seem like they were prisoners...the famous big black hat that I think Zoro is known for wearing...and walking out through the main entrance quietly and calmly, having glided past the entire (and best) army or guards, detectives and policemen in the whole of Venice... I think a job well done was in order! haha

 

Juliette and I also were able to go and see a mansion of one of the hundreds of families who were inscribed in the "golden book", which was basically a book, that started in the ... 16th or 17th century..sorry not too sure, and said who the rich families were...and this house happened to belong to them..unfortunately no pictures were taken! BUT THAT IS WHY YOU ALL MUST GO TO VENICE AND SEE HOUSES LIKE THIS! Too magnificent! Paintings on every ceiling, painted by true artists, some more famous then others of the Renaissance time, all relating to specific morals and beliefs that the family had... (or something like that... sorry...french tour...you only catch so much! lol) No, but in all seriousness, and I know I keep on describing thing with words that aren't exactly sufficient, but breathtaking! every room!

 

To end off, because this is getting way to long, Venice, aside from its residents, who...when they want to get somewhere will really get somewhere, is just beautiful and even though every street looks the same upon first glance, or in pictures, if you look more closely, and take the time to examine, just like many paintings or sculptures that I saw, you will really see that there is so much more then the same street!

 

OH OH OH AND TO REALLY END IT OFFFF!

GUESSSS WHO IS SO SPOILED as to be given the opportunity to, in Italy, in Venice, in one of the older churches, watch nationally famous violinists preform Bach and Mozart to an audience of 30? sound boring and old person like? yeah no, that's wrong, I sat, so happily for two hours being able to listen to the best violin performance I will most likely ever here! It was so ... AWESOME!! ;)

 

Anyway, until next time something awesome happens..which will probably be tomorrow..and I will probably be to lazy to write...but yeah! UNTIL NEXT TIME

 

Bisous! Jenny :)