Day 1: Our day began with a tour around the city. After staring at the same building for 45 minutes we decided we were going to leave the tour and go explore the city ourselves. After walking into many pretty stores, which we could not afford, we crossed the bridge and stumbled upon an outdoor festival. Immediately our eyes landed on a cart that was filled with fresh fruit. We each got a cup of cherries and a slice of coconut. We walked down a little road and found the Grand Canal. We literally sat on the edge of the canal, put our feet in the water, and ate delicious fruit for 2 hours. We had a photo shoot, made friends with gondola drivers, and enjoyed the wonderful weather.
Day 2: Went to breakfast in our hotel and had the best hot chocolate! It was called "cioccolato con cioccolato strong" enough said. We began our day with a ferry ride to an Island of Murano.
My day started off a little rough. The first couple minutes of walking onto the ferry I broke one of my shoes. It was a little annoying walking around with a broken sandal, but at least it was an excuse to buy a new pair of shoes.
Murano is a Venetian Island famous for the art of glassblowing. We watched a demonstration on glassblowing. We were first introduced to "The Master". He is the main creator of the glass products in the factory. In order to become a master you have to learn and work under an older master for at least 20 years. How cool would that be to have your job title on your resume be "The Master"? Within 10 minutes we watched the master make a vase and a horse. It was actually very intriguing. Both pieces were made so fast, with such detail. I wish I could make something like that.
After Murano we went back to Venice for a couple of hours. I thought I would immediately find a new pair of shoes, but instead the first hour in Venice was spent looking for the Jewish Ghetto. The word Ghetto originated in Venice and after 1390 it became used for all Jewish communities in Italy. We got a little lost while looking for the ghetto and we were a little nervous to ask people on the street where it was. We finally came across a sign in Hebrew pointing to where the synagogue was, we then knew we were heading in the right direction. It was very quiet and free of tourists, which was nice. There are only about 500 Jewish people in Venice, and about 30 of the actually live in the ex ghetto.
After leaving the ex ghetto we had about an hour left in Venice which consisted of finding a pair of shoes, getting lunch, and finding a restroom. Oh I think I forgot to add this earlier…most public restrooms in Italy charge an entrance fee, so every time we use the bathroom outside of school, our apartment, or a restaurant costs 1.5 euros (that is the equivalent of a small gelato).
Unfortunately, the only thing I was not able to do in Venice was go on a gondola ride…oh well that just means i'll have to come back.
No comments:
Post a Comment