Venice!

Ciao from Italy! Mom and I have been very busy doing so much I don’t even think I will be able to cover all of the good memories we have made.

Saturday the ship pulled in to Naples and I was so excited to get off the ship and get to my Mom in Venice. We were texting back and fourth once I got there and we both decided that going by air instead of train would get me there quicker and since it wasn’t too much more we decided to go with flying. I looked at prices online but since it was so close to the departure time we thought it made more sense to just go to the airport because maybe I could get on something sooner.

I went outside without a clue where to go and a man yelled taxi? I said yes! He then informed me that the taxi ride to the airport was 60 Euros...which is about $75/80! I said I can’t do that and asked where a bus was. He said he could go down to 50, I said that was still too much so he asked me what I wanted to pay. I said 30 Euros max and he started yelling to the other drivers to see if anyone was willing to take me for that much and one guy said yes! Off I was to the airport and for half the price they wanted.

When I got to the airport I went to the ticket stand and they told me that the plane that left the soonest was 400 Euro, the same flight I saw online for under $200. I then was in quest of internet to find and book the flight I originally saw. I found a computer that there was internet at, put in 10 Euro only to find out from some people I stopped, that the machine ate my money and there was nothing anyone could do about it because the airport was not in charge of the machines. I then decided to see if there was wifi that I could buy a day pass with. I found it, booked my ticket for the price I had originally seen, and was off! My flight to Rome was delayed 20 minutes and my flight from Rome to Venice was delayed 30 minutes, but I eventually made it there.

I then walked about 10 minutes with the 40lb backpack on, to the water taxi and took the hour water taxi to my Mom. I was so happy to see her waiting for me at the dock!! We walked to the hotel which was a quaint little place away from the hustle and bustle of the streets. We set my stuff down and went off to explore Venice. Venice is such an interesting city (its sinking!) the only taxis were water taxis, and the buildings were so tall that you could never figure out where you were going. Pair that with the fact that the streets were never ending and what you have are two mice in a maze in search of cheese, or in our case, PIZZA!

Unfortunately, the best luck with we had with food in Venice were two places that had pizza; and gelato from anywhere. The pasta didn’t seem fresh and the sauces were potently salty. We were bummed about the food but were not about to give up the search!

That night in Venice we took a water taxi from one side of town to the other and back again. It was neat to see the city lights from the water. Mom described it the best way, it felt like we were on a Disney ride! The buildings were all in the water with doors coming right up to the water, and all the buildings were tall, old, and beautiful. The sky was clear, the stars were sparkling it was all so magical!

The next morning we got up and went to explore some more. After roaming the streets for a few hours we decided to splurge and go on a gondola ride! We went by Cassanova and Marco Polos house. It was a very neat experience and we were both very glad that we decided to do it. Venice was great, there was so much to see and there never seems to be enough time to see it all. We got to bed around midnight, looking forward to our next adventure in Verona! Ciao for now!