We're Working On It!

We made it home last Thursday much to the relief of our parents and friends who worried that we would either be "taken" by crazy foreign men or decide to find jobs or husbands abroad and never return. We were a little relieved ourselves that we actually made it home on time with no volcanic interruptions.

Caitlin is off working at a camp for the summer (she'll have to tell you how that one is going), and I'm, well, looking for a job or in other words, soul-searching. I feel like every time I enter this process, I have loads of questions to ask myself. What am I good at? What do I see myself doing? Where do I see myself living? What makes me happy? If these questions were on an exam, I would probably fail. I have no idea or at least not a specific enough one to point me to a specific job. So, I apply to anything and everything I can find and hope for the best.

Well, we all know how that ended up last time...photography studio, screaming children, long retail hours, quitting, and then going to Europe. On the plus side I can now tell a child's age down to the month and make him or her laugh (granted I have a stuffed puppy dog or a ball). I also met some great people, and learned a bit about sales and photography. I knew it wasn't a long term career from the beginning, and this fact along with the screaming children and long hours prompted me to take this trip to Europe.

Moral: Take the best from a bad situation and run with it...to Europe/(insert your dream destination here).

At the beginning of this blog I admitted that I wasn't really expecting to gain anything substantial on this Europe trip: "Unlike my experience in China, I have no illusions that I will emerge from this trip a more job-worthy person or that my life will have changed in any significant way, but I do know that I will be fulfilling a lifelong dream…and since when do dreams count for nothing?" Well, this trip did fulfill a lifelong dream, but I think I underestimated my probable growth a little in this sentence. However trivial it may seem to those who haven't experienced it, traveling abroad is one of the best ways to grow as a person. You are forced to constantly step out of your comfort zone, and in the process you not only learn about other cultures, you learn about yourself. You quickly learn more about your strengths and weaknesses and how to navigate between the two so that you can survive. Traveling is part history class, part language class, part communications class, and part survival class. There is research, listening, observation, navigation, and experimentation involved. Traveling is the ultimate class and you emerge with more knowledge, more confidence, and more memories. This is my fourth time abroad, and I hope it will not be my last.

All that said and my chances for finding a job still haven't really improved, but if there is anything my travels have taught me, it's that worrying won't get you to your next destination...and never throw all your jeans in one German dryer...and never go to Charles de Gaulle airport if avoidable...and never make a mistake on your Eurail pass...and never buy souvenirs in Italy...and never, ever plan on going to one Irish pub for a quick pint...won't happen.

Ok, that's enough traveler's wisdom for one entry. Now, let me apologize for our tardiness in picture sharing. We're working on it! Between camp and job searching, it will take time to go through thousands of pictures, but you will see them. In the meantime, here are a few to wet your appetite. Consider this the salad.

Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

Lady Gaga concert, Berlin

Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy

Basilica San Marco, Venice, Italy

Piazza San Marco, Doges Place, Venice, Italy

Burano Island, Venice

Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence, Italy

St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, Ireland

Vineyards,  Greve in Chianti, Italy

Sunset, Florence, Italy

Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy

Boboli Gardens, Florence, Italy

Park Guell, Barcelona, Spain

Loch Tay/Guinness Lake, Ireland

Monastery in Glendalough, Ireland

Gleann Dá Loch, Upper Lake, Ireland

Cliffs of Moher, County Clare, Ireland

Michelangelo's David, Accademia Gallery, Florence, Italy

East Side Gallery, Berlin, Germany

East Side Gallery, Berlin, Germany

~Lori

Best of the Best

What's a good whirlwind trip through Europe without a methodical comparison of the cities and countries visited? Well, it may not be so methodical, but we would like to write a list for our own sanity. We visited 7 countries (France, Ireland, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and Spain) and 12 cities  (Paris, Dublin, Brussels, Bruges, Amsterdam, Berlin, Munich, Fussen, Venice, Florence, Chianti, and Barcelona--maybe a few more on day tours) in 23 days. Let's just say that our first day feels like a year from our last day, yet at the same time it all seems to run together. Also, this might prove helpful for anyone else planning to run away to Europe for a bit. We want to keep this positive, so here are all the bests of the best:

Best city to get stuck in due to a volcanic eruption: Paris, FranceBest people: Ireland (so friendly, humourous, and helpful)
Best landscapes: Ireland (Glendalough, Wicklow, County Clare)/ Italy (Chianti-Tuscany)
Best architecture: Barcelona, Spain
Best nightlife: tie between Munich, Germany and Dublin, Ireland
Best beer: Germany--Austinger beer (sorry Ireland, you are a close second)
Best wine: Chianti, Italy
Best chocolate: Belgium
Best ice cream: Italy (gelato!)
Best public transportation: Barcelona (you can take the metro anywhere and they sell multiple day passes)
Best city to get lost in: Venice (every turn has something interesting)
Best tour guide: Seany (hillarious Irish tour guide for Paddy wagon tours)
Best hostel: Happy Sleep House, Fussen, Germany
Best art museums: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Best naked sculpture: David, Florence
Best city to witness naked people: Barcelona (see previous blog entry)
Best random city icon--Mannekin Pis, Brussels
Best country for wasting money on tourist gifts: Italy
Best sense of history: Berlin, Germany
Best weather: Barcelona, Spain
Best skyline at sunset: Florence, Italy
Best farm animal: Irish sheep
Best music: Ireland (amazing folk music and pub song tradition)
Best dancing: Barcelona, Spain (Flamenco!)
Best tourist trap: Bruges, Belgium (touristy but amazing)
Best country to live in some day: Ireland
Best...

Ok, I could go on forever, but you get the picture. Keep in mind that we only spent a few days in most of these places, and these are just our personal impressions. We found something interesting and amazing about every place we visited. We may have liked certain countries and cities better than others, but every single one them was worth a visit and many of them are worth a second or third visit in the future. We leave for the States tomorrow morning, and, as with every trip, it is bittersweet. It will be nice to come home to friends and family. It is nice to know that we saw, experienced, and accomplished so much in the past 23 days, and that we can now check backpacking across Europe off of our life's checklist. At the same time, however, it is a little sad to leave knowing that there is so much more we could see. It's also sad that we will go back to "real" life when we return home as if this amazing experience never happened. Luckily, we have all of you to pinch us and let us know that it did happen. We have you to thank for forcing us to record our experience, and we have the loads of pictures that we will do our best to post as soon as possible when we get back.

You haven't heard the last of us yet...

Lori

The Final Stop: Ireland

Top Ten Reasons We Love Ireland:

10. They have a female President. And she isn't the first woman to accomplish this.
9. (The obvious) They speak English. Not that other languauges are inferior...We just don't understand them (our own shortcomings) and therefore Ireland is perfect for us.
8. There is a pub on every corner and a sign for Guinness in every window.
7. It is a beautiful country. There are mountains and valleys and volcanoes and lakes and city lights. It's outstanding.
6. It is easy to navigate. The street signs are clearly marked and the tourist sights are always noted. Even if you do get lost any Irishman will stop and give you directions.
5. The Irish men are quite good looking. (One of them will be my husband one day.)
4. Instead of saying "thirty-three"...they say "turty tree". Also "Tanks-a-mil". Hilarious.
3. They've got old stuff. Lots and lots of history. Irish people are really proud of their country, their history and their heritage.
2. They play "Sweet Home Alabama" all the time. We heard it in two pubs and on one of our countryside tours. Guess who rocked out those vocals!
1. And the number one reason we love Ireland...the Irish people are so friendly! They stop and help you when you need something. They are hilarious. Drinking is their favorite hobby. They make fun of themselves and other people. They are so laid back and think life should be simple. We heart Ireland!

Well we are coming to the end of our journey through Europe. Our last two days were spent touring the countryside of Ireland. Let me give you a brief synopsis...

Day #1 Take a tour of the Moher Cliffs with a company called Paddy Wagon. No seriously...that is the name. We woke up at 7 a.m. and waited for the bus to arrive. And of course we were early and it was late. Finally we see the huge, green tour bus with a leprechan and sheep plastered on the side of it. Nothing screams tourist like a giant green bus with sheep. We hop on and hope for the best. Our tour guides name was Shaunie and he was freaking hilarious. The whole trip he was singing Irish tunes and telling really bad jokes. It was quite a long trip but he kept us entertained. Once we reached the cliffs, we were blown away. The view was breathtaking. We stopped at a few castles and little towns along the way. Overall, the day was a success.

Day #2 Take a tour to Brun a Boine. Unfortunately, Lori and I were the only ones who wanted to see this historic site so our tour was canceled. Glendalough it was! We headed through the countryside. Our tour guide had a different kind of humor than Shaunie but still witty nonetheless. We saw bogs, glacial lakes, a monastery, and so much more. I cannot even describe the views we got to see. It was beautiful. We also got to see where they filmed Braveheart, P.S. I Love You and Leap Year. While we were walking through the monastery I had a "War Eagle" moment. There was a guy wearing an AU hat and of course I had to yell it! Come on ya'll. It's tradition!

So we spent the final two days of our trip seeing maybe some of the most beautiful spots in the world. The weather was amazing and the food was good. Not a bad way to end this whirlwind flight through Europe. Of course the night is young and I think we may be headed in the direction of one last authentic Irish pub. Maybe we will enjoy a pint of Guinness and rehash the events of the past few weeks. It's been a short ride but it was a hell of a good time.

- Caitlin

Anything Goes But Clothes

We had come to expect the unexpected over our first two days in Barcelona's vibrant streets. Between Gaudi's free-form modernista influence on the architecture, and the liberal, laid-back attitude that gave it a hippie beach town vibe, we soon had the notion that anything could happen. This cultural intuition was reinforced over and over again as we walked down the famous La Rambla street and saw the muriad of creative ways people had devised to make a living here. Every few feet was a street performer dressed in his best grotesque costume from grim reapers to severed heads hoping sensationalism would draw attention, a desire for a picture, and a few coins in his tip hat. Others sat in chairs, on steps, and in the metro playing music ranging from Spanish guitar to reggae--cases open awaiting some euros of appreciation. As in Italy and France, African men with portable bundles of fake designer purses, sunglasses, and watches moved with the crowds and kept a wary eye out for the police as they peddled their wares. There were even random guys doing acrobatics near the outdoor restaurants while people munched on tapas for what we assumed was money, although they never stopped flipping enough for us to tell.

We decided to spend our third day in Barcelona relaxing on the nearby beach, and we were not surprised when we found men building sand sculptures near the boardwalks, a few coins already tossed in the sand-carved bowls in front of their creations. Embarassingly, we were surprised, however, by the amount of nudity on the beach. I have heard of topless beaches in Europe, but growing up in the conservative American South never quite prepares you for hundreds of topless women--young and old, but mostly old (the younger women seemed to coverup more)--laying out and walking around without their bathing suit tops on. Tops for them are like bathing suit cover-ups for Americans--only to be worn on the walk to and from the beach. Laying on the beach, listening to our iPods, and soaking up the sun, we would almost forget we were in Spain until we opened our eyes and saw naked breasts everywhere on the extremely crowded beach. It did start to grow on us the longer we stayed on the beach. Afterall, we spent a lot of time staring at naked statues in Italy, so this was just the next step up. However, Caitlin and I soon both decided that breasts have more allure in their tops--less is more people!

After about three and a half hours on the beach, our skin was beginning to fry, so we packed our bags and headed back to the hostel to change (after stopping for yet another gelato of course). We then headed along the beach to the other side of the bay where we had seen an advertisement the day before for an hour and a half sail boat tour. Along the way, just as we thought we had reconciled our minds to the sight of naked breasts, we came across a fully naked man sitting on the edge of the boardwalk. A few steps later another man was laying spread eagle on his towel in the sand in his birthday suit. Even that wasn't really shocking at this point, and then while walking through a crowded pedestrian street lined with cafes along the harbor, a man exited a restaurant buck naked except for his glasses and his backpack and squeezed by as if on a normal stroll through the street. Here we did gasp and eye bulge. We never really figured that one out. He obviously wasn't trying to get a tan--a nudist maybe? Even so, is that allowed on the street? We just had to shrug; it's Barcelona.

The shock wore off as we walked by more and more clothed people and approached the dock where we soon became the awkward owners of two tickets on a romantic sunset jazz tour of the bay via sail boat. Ok, so romantic wasn't in the title, but we feared it would be us and all couples. We had already seen enough PDA in Spain to last a lifetime, so we were relieved to see a good mixture of families, single people, and couples board our boat. We managed to secure a spot on the coveted, comfortable nylon netting at the front of the sail boat. Lounging in the cool sea breeze to the sounds of lapping water and a saxophone and catching the last few rays of evening sunlight, we forgot to care how single we were or how random this outing was.

Random and spontaneous are words to live by in Barcelona, and who better to exemplify this than Modernisme's prolific and eccentric architect, Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926). We decided to spend our last day in Barcelona visiting one of his masterpieces, Park Gruell. This city park sits atop a hill overlooking the city and is filled with winding paths, mosaic tiles, and buildings/structures like something out of a Dr. Suess book. Nothing that Gaudi did was geometrical, and the curves and imaginitive patterns are spellbinding. It was a perfect end to our Barcelona trip. Sitting on the late afternoon bus to Girona to catch our evening Dublin flight, watching the rolling hills, distant mountains, and unknown towns pass by, I knew that Spain would have to make it back onto my intinerary one day--although it's probably best if I don't expect it.

Spain: Sun, Tapas and Flamingo Dancing?

Let me just preface this blog about Spain by telling you that the flight attendants were selling lottery tickets on our flight from Pisa to Barcelona. That was my first impression of the country. Turns out first impressions sometime hold true.

Lori and I got off our plane around 9 p.m. The flight had been short but annoying due to a screaming Italian baby whose parents did nothing to shut her up. But we were in Spain! Yeah! Warm weather, hot beaches and cold drinks here we come! We followed the flow of people from our flight and ended up on a mysterious bus labeled "Barcelona". Apparently we weren´t the only ones unsure of our destination since two other girls backpacking and a couple sitting behind us were all questioning their decision to hop on the first bus we saw. Turns out it was the right bus but it took us 45 minutes to get into the city. Lori and I weren´t expecting this and weren´t exactly sure if our hostel had 24 hour reception. What if we get there and we are locked out? Sleeping on the street/beach didn´t seem like a probable option with all of our luggage. So once the bus dropped us off we frantically set off in search of the metro. Once we failed at that we decided to try a cab. Maybe the driver would know where we wanted to go. No such luck. He barely spoke English and neither Lori nor I are fluent at the whole Spanish thing. So with his little understanding of English and our little understanding of Spanish we met somewhere in the middle and managed to find our destination. The door was locked but luckily there was a night guard who let us in.

Our first day in Spain we walked around the city. Since we had four full days here there was no pressure to fit everything in or go at a fast pace. So we wandered around the city in search of the famous places. We found the pedestrian street La Rambla where you can buy anything from post cards to necklaces to live chickens. We fumbled into the Mercat Boqueria which sold fresh fruits, meats, chocolates, candies, etc. There were people sitting down for drinks while others were bargaining over prices. It was wonderful and exciting so Lori and I decided we would eventually make a quick trip back for some provisions. We then toured the gothic area where we saw churches, palaces and columns erected for some reason or other. They all start to run together eventually and most of them are usually under construction. Old stuff tends to fall down I guess.

Later that afternoon we decided to visit the Barcelona Zoo. It was something different and less stressful than fighting the tourists. So we followed the hoards of screaming school children and spent the afternoon staring at animals from all over the world. One of the highlights was the dolphin show. Standing in line for 30 minutes we had high hopes of watching these fun loving creatures jump and flip and do all sorts of tricks. We weren´t disappointed. Of course we couldn´t understand anything that was going on because the dolphin trainers were speaking Spanish but we enjoyed it well enough. After the zoo, we headed back to the hostel to attempt to do laundry. Getting down to your last pair of undies is a scary thing when you are travelling and all of the washer/dryer directions are in a foreign language. After three hours, we finally had fresh clothes and hit the sack.

The next day we planned on going to the beach but much to our dismay, it was cloudy. So museums were plan B. Our first stop was the Picasso museum. This was one of my favorite museums so far. Picasso´s work is revered yet it is so elementary. You look at it and think "Hey, I could probably paint that." That´s what I love about his work. It seems more relateable. After the Picasso museum we ventured over to the Temple of the Sagrada Family. We literally spent ten minutes here. Not that it wasn´t amazing architecture or anything. Don´t get me wrong, it was beautiful. It was just too expensive to go into and it was under construction. So we went on a search for Caso Batilo. I am not going to lie...I have no idea what this place even is. It is a pretty cool looking building but once again too expensive to go in to. I should probably google that. Next we stopped at a tapas bar for some tasty appetizers and traditional Spainish food.

That evening we saw a flamingo (flamenco? ha!) dancing show. It is amazing how fast the dancers could move their legs. I was sore after just watching it. They would bend and tap their feet to the music like it was no big thing. I would be on the floor crying after two minutes of movement like that and they did it for a solid fifteen minutes at least. Bravo crazy Spanish dancing people! More power to you. After the show of amazing calf muscles we went back to the Mercat Boqueria and spent a heinous amount of money. Everything just looked so good that we had to sample it all. We bought fruit (which was reasonably priced) and candy (which was ridiculously overpriced). Once the shock set in over how much money we had just spent on perishables, we needed a drink. Sangria it was! We were in Spain after all. So we sat down and enjoyed a nice pitcher (or what seemed like a pitcher it was so big) of Sangria. Later we strolled down to the beach to check it out. I seem to be spoiled by Florida beaches because the one we were on just didn´t measure up. But we headed to the hostel with thoughts of spending the next day lying on the sand and soaking up the sun...little did we know what we were getting into...

The Great Italian Robbery

Our first view of Florence is the graffiti covered walls leading from the train station to our hostel a few blocks away. Is this a joke, we think as we wonder how some urban montrosity has managed to swallow what we had envisioned as an artistic and grandiose Italian relic to the Renaissance. We soon discover that the streets are narrow and maze-like, much like Venice, but with more layers of old and new. The old doesn´t seem as well preserved as we had imagined, and the new is like any other big city--glass-fronted, over-priced shops and concrete walls without distinction. As you walk through Florence you do come to the light at the end of the tunnel when you emerge into the various piazzas filled with buildings from a time when efficiency and the economy didn´t matter as much as art and expression. The best of these piazzas is the Piazza San Giovanno containing the famous Duomo and the Cattedrale di Santa Maria. The buildings are both pieces of exquisite architecture and the facades, containing paintings, sculptures, and intricate detailings, are works of art. If you can ignore the hordes of tourists crawling like ants around these buildings like they are giant cupcakes, then you can see some breathtaking art for free.

Free is not a word I would often use to describe our experience in Florence, or Italy for that matter. We felt robbed at every museum. We would blindly shell out 10 and 12 euros a piece without really knowing what to expect inside. We only had two days in Florence so we prebooked tickets to the two most famous museums, the Uffizi and the Accademia. Wittnessing the lines that snaked around the buildings and hearing the stories of tourists waiting for hours, we assumed the 10 euros must be worth it, right? Well, the Uffizi has quite a collection thanks to the Medici family, but it is small in comparison to, say, the Louvre in Paris, which costs much less and has smaller lines, and the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., which is free.

Apparently the Italians think very highly of their art or they´ve discovered a way to sucker us all into thinking very highly of their art. I will admit Le Primavera by Botticelli, which resides in the Uffizi, is a beautiful piece of art that I´ve always wanted to see, but I didn´t like the smugness that surrounded my experience there. If we were hoping for more at the Accademia, we were soon sorely disappointed. Accademia is home to Michelangelo´s David, and not much else. David is one magnificent and large and largely endowed sculpture...but that was no secret from the magnets, t-shirts, boxers, postcards, and everything else that can be screen printed that we saw in numerous shops in town. There were several other sculptures, but not enough to fill the 2 hours we had planned for the museum.

After about 45 minutes in the museum, probably half spent admiring David, we left to catch an earlier train to Pisa where we hoped to absorb as much tourist cheesiness as possible by visiting the leaning tower of Pisa and taking an obligatory photo holding it up. Pisa did come through for us, and we had a good laugh watching tourists from all over the world, old and young, smiling at cameras while holding their hands up to an invisible wall like a loosely instructed Tai Chi class. A friendly chat with some fellow American tourists over a pizza, and a gelato to wash it all down did us some good as well.

The hour and a half train ride from Florence to Pisa, however, was not so satisfying. For all of those out there with Eurail passes, do not under any circumstance scratch out or try to change a date. Caitlin and I were under the impression that we had somehow paid for our train from Venice to Florence since we had to pay a reservation fee and they didn´t stamp our pass, which they had done in every other country. So we changed our last entry date to the current date to Pisa so as not to waste a day. Subsequently the rude Italian train attendent yelled at us in badly broken English as we stared blankly at him until the words "100 euro fine" came out of his mouth. We tried to argue that we would just write in another day and pled ignorance and innocence, but it was to no avail. Italy once again robbed us of 50 euros a piece.

Our budget suffered more in Italy than any other country we visited combined, and we could not wait to leave. We constanlty felt suckered and cheated and taken advantage of by the Italians, but what can you expect from a country that thrives on tourism and has to contantly deal with ignorant tourists. Luckily we bought a plane ticket to Spain a day earlier than expected due to the cheaper price on flights. To give Italy credit, we really enjoyed our time in Venice even if it was expensive, and our two day whirlwind in Florence wasn´t all bad. Even if we felt that the museums were overrated, the same cannot be said for the Tuscan countryside.

Our first full day in Florence we took an afternoon trip to Chianti about 45 minutes outside of the city. Of course we had to shell out 42 euros for the tour, but it was the one thing that we later felt was worth the price. We weren´t so optimistic at the outset because it was raining, but the rain did cause our tour group to be small--Caitlin, me, and two girls from Mexico in a van with a driver. The driver was friendly, and as we drove to the edge of the city along the winding road to the wine country of Chianti, Florence´s city walls and narrow streets finally gave way to a relief of open, rolling hills textured with the deep greens of the tall cypress trees and peppered with terracotta, cream, and sunburnt villas. Even in the rain the Tuscan countryside was everything I had dreamed it would be. It is not overrated in any way, and seeing its colors and inhaling its vastness is something that must be done in person.

The actual town of Chianti was quaint but touristy. We only stayed an hour before heading to Vicchiomaggio, a castle and vineyard, for a tour of the winery and a wine tasting. The view from the castle was spectacular, and the castle, it turns out, is actually more of a resort complete with pool, hotel, restaurant, and church. As you can imagine it is a popular place for weddings. With some wine, bread, salami, and olive oil in our stomachs, we thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon drive through the countryside back to Florence.

That night in Florence we did see the best thing that Florence has to offer, and it was free. The view from Piazzale Michelangelo is probably the most reproduced photo of Florence, and we made it just in time to watch the sunset. From the Piazza you can see the whole city and the Duomo sits prominently near the center reminding you why so many people come to see Florence. We sat on the steps of the Piazza watching the sun, observing the other tourists, taking pictures, and absorbing this confluence of cultures that only a tourist attraction can unite.

Gelato Crazy In Venice!

We stepped off the train into the warm, sunny Venetian air and practically jumped for joy. Finally we found sunlight! I was beginning to think Europe was a cold, depressing wasteland void of anything involving light. It had literally been eleven days since we had seen sun. So after traveling by night train from Germany, Venice felt like a breath of fresh air.

Our first stop was our hostel. It was 7 a.m. and we weren't exactly bright-eyed since our sleeping quarters had been cramped couchettes on a train. We dropped off our bags and headed into the city. Of course the first thing we do is get lost. That is an easy task to accomplish in Venice. The streets twist and turn and just when you think you are headed in the right direction you hit a dead end. So we stood in a remote corner reading our giant tourist map that was in Italian and no help whatsoever. We roamed around the city for an hour while Italians stared at us and wondered why tourists were awake so early. Eventually we gave up and hopped on a boat.

The public transportation in Venice may be the slowest and most expensive mode of travel I have ever experienced. For one hour of travel by boat it costs you a whopping six and a half euros. That is about eight U.S. dollars. Of course, it is by boat through a canal filled with a thousand other boats so needless to say it takes you at least an hour to reach your destination. The maximum capacity of these boats is about 200 smelly Italians. I'm pretty sure they crammed at least 250 on there. To give the Venetians some credit, the view was beautiful and the wind in my face was a nice change.

Anyway, once we were robbed by the transport people, we headed to the tourist spots. Our first stop was the Piazza San Marco, which is the biggest square in Venice and home to the Basilica di San Marco and the Palazzo Ducale. We walked around enjoying the shops and tourist traps. We decided to stand in the mile long line to get into the Basilica which was extremely ornate. We then ventured into the Piazza Ducale which housed an old prison and some former government rooms. After this brief history lesson, we walked across the street for a ridiculously overpriced piece of pizza and bottle of water. Apparently the Italians think alot of their precious water. We also stopped for a nice gelato because that is the one food in Italy that is affordable and on every corner.

Our next task was a gondola ride. We knew the price was going to be astronomical so we went over there with our bargaining hats on...and we got suckered. Eighty euros for a 45 minute ride through canals with five million other tourists. The gondola rower even stopped the boat so Lori could get money out of the ATM to pay him! He did sing a little and he showed us some of the hidden sights. He pointed out the former home of Casanova and the birth place of Marco Polo while Lori and I sat back like celebrities and tourists on bridges took our picture. At least now I can say I have ridden a gondola in Venice. Was it worth 80 euros? Questionable.

Once we were on land again, I snapped a picture of our gondola rower and we headed in the direction of the Venetian artists. We bought paintings of city scenes and tucked them away for a later day. We yet again bought a gelato (it's so freaking tempting!) and soaked up the sun while we soaked up the best tasting calories in Italy. We decided to head to the hostel to shower and get ready for dinner.

That evening, we ventured back into the city in search for pasta. Restaurants in Italy are abundant and competetive. They station hosts at the door to cajole you into eating at their restaurant because it is so much better than the others when in reality most of them are exactly the same. We picked the least annoying with the cheapest price. We enjoyed a glass of wine and discussed our next stop which was Florence. A nice Australian couple overheard us and told us about the trip they just came from in Tuscany. We in turn warned them about the evil gondola rowers. When dinner was over, we headed back to our hostel...but not before stopping for a gelato.

The next day we decided to take a tour of the neighboring islands of Murano and Burano. Murano, which is famous for its glass blowing, was only about twenty minutes by boat. We took a tour through a glass blowing factory and watched as one of the craftsmen created a small glass horse. We stopped by the factory shop and bought a few overpriced trinkets. Burano, which is famous for its lace anf fishing industry, was just a short ride from Murano. We watched a woman make lace and then roamed through the brightly colored city. Fisherman paint their houses bright colors so incoming boats will know which building to look for. This was my favorite island. It made for a beautiful picture.

After our tour, we ate lunch at a little place named Gino's. We enjoyed our pizza and beer in the true Italian fashion. Gino himself was there talking to patrons and enjoying the day. Afterwards, we browsed some more shops just wasting time before our train departed. Venice was a quick but enjoyable stop. The city was beautiful (and so were its men). We enjoyed the nice weather and the friendly people. Overall, it was a great two days. We departed feeling refreshed and hopped on a train to Florence...but not before we stopped for a gelato of course...

- Caitlin