Friday July 24, 2009

Day 13 – Venice, Italy

By: Alexa Rinde

Northern Lights 16-1

Around eightish we all managed to drag ourselves out of bed. I think we were all very grateful that we were leaving Pula at nine instead of some ungodly hour like six (which had been known to happen on previous adventures). We ate our breakfast buffet hurriedly especially since there was some more packing to done because why would we pack the day before? We said our last goodbyes to all our new friends then headed off to Venice in our mini coach bus. We all finally got our own seats which was a nice break from being cramped together when it was over 30 degrees Celsius.  

The bus ride was nice and short (about 3 hours) and we finally reached our hotel. It was really nice even though we were sleeping five girls to a room. We set off to lunch a block or two away from our hotel. Tim, one of the coordinators, told us not to expect much from the pizza we were about to have and he was right. After our microwave tasting pizza we went back to the hotel to get ready to venture out to Venice.

When we got there we were given free rein of the city and left to our own devices to find the square somewhere in the maze of alleys and streets and jumbled street signs. The shops were filled with all sorts of wonders. Masks were displayed almost everywhere you turned; some stores where dedicated to the crafting of their masks and others sold them at tourist stands. The hunt was on to find the cheapest masks in the city.

The next most common item to find was Italian glass. They made everything from quills to figurines to picture frames. The varieties and colors were astounding and beautiful to look at. All the beautiful items tempted us into buying more than we bought anywhere else, despite only being there for one day. Ashley, Lisa, Macey, and Kelsey went for a ride on a gondola through the canals in Venice while the rest of us stuck to the shops.

After much difficulty in navigating the winding streets through Venice we all made it to St. Marco’s Square. For dinner we ended up going to a small Italian restaurant where we ate Italian classics like pasta and pizza. Finally we made the long trek back to the buses but not without stopping for one last Gelato run. J By the time we finally made it to the bus stop our legs were dying. It seemed like the walking from the entire trip finally caught up with us.

The bus finally came after waiting for over a half hour. Back at the hotel some of us packed and when straight to bed. Other stayed up till two and three in the morning savoring our last night together. Well there it is, Northern Lights 16-1’s European Adventure, hope you guys enjoyed reading our journals as much as we enjoyed experiencing them J. We miss you all and can’t wait to get back home!!