Monday, 3.10.14:
After the night train we finally made it into Venice at 5:30 in the morning. After wandering for a bit at the station we realized, with the help of a worker, that we had to go to the Venice station that is not on the main island. So we boarded the train to back track a little bit. At this train station we walked to our hotel. Up until this point we had big hopes that they would let us check in early and we could get some sleep - our exhaustion was ridiculously high at this point. We were completely disheartened when our receptionist told us that was not possible. To say that Shawn was a little mad is an understatement. We convinced the guy to let us drop off our bags and to call our friends that were already staying there. We called to their room and had Erica come down so we could coordinate. We quickly set up a plan so that Erica could go back to bed (we envied her). After the plan was created we caught a train to the main island and searched for a McDonalds to get some wifi and food. Like I said in the, McDonalds is ever America Study Abroad student's biggest savior. Although we couldn't access wifi we ate some croissants and took turns sleeping. Once we felt like we had over stayed our welcome we decided to walk around the city before meeting up with or other friends. We picked up some souvenirs. I got a scarf so that I didn't feel as gross about wearing my clothes for the second day in a row (we were unable to change when we dropped off our bags). Angie and I also decided buying some deodorant was probably a good call. We looked extremely ratchet putting it on in the store we bought it from, but at this point we really didn't care. We then met up with our friends and went on a free walking your of Venice. Here are some pictures from the tour as well as some fun facts from the tour guide:
After the night train we finally made it into Venice at 5:30 in the morning. After wandering for a bit at the station we realized, with the help of a worker, that we had to go to the Venice station that is not on the main island. So we boarded the train to back track a little bit. At this train station we walked to our hotel. Up until this point we had big hopes that they would let us check in early and we could get some sleep - our exhaustion was ridiculously high at this point. We were completely disheartened when our receptionist told us that was not possible. To say that Shawn was a little mad is an understatement. We convinced the guy to let us drop off our bags and to call our friends that were already staying there. We called to their room and had Erica come down so we could coordinate. We quickly set up a plan so that Erica could go back to bed (we envied her). After the plan was created we caught a train to the main island and searched for a McDonalds to get some wifi and food. Like I said in the, McDonalds is ever America Study Abroad student's biggest savior. Although we couldn't access wifi we ate some croissants and took turns sleeping. Once we felt like we had over stayed our welcome we decided to walk around the city before meeting up with or other friends. We picked up some souvenirs. I got a scarf so that I didn't feel as gross about wearing my clothes for the second day in a row (we were unable to change when we dropped off our bags). Angie and I also decided buying some deodorant was probably a good call. We looked extremely ratchet putting it on in the store we bought it from, but at this point we really didn't care. We then met up with our friends and went on a free walking your of Venice. Here are some pictures from the tour as well as some fun facts from the tour guide:
Fun fact: There are 180 islands in Venice. Not all of them are natural.
Fun fact: There are 400+ bridges in the city.
Fun fact: The symbol of the city is a winged lion.
Fun fact: The city is sinking one cm a year.
Fun fact: The pigeon is the symbol animal of Venice.
After the tour Catie, Becca and I decided to explore the San Marco Square and get some lunch before heading over to our Venetian rowing lesson. On the walk over we picked up some authentic Carnival masks from this little shop.
Now it's time for our rowing lesson. If anyone reading this goes to Venice - do this! Don't just go on a gondola ride, they suck. Our instructor taught us the correct method to rowing a gondola and some of the history behind the different types of boats and the evolution of the transportation in Venice. We then had a chance to do it ourselves. She would row in the back while Becca, Catie and I all took turns rowing at the front. We rowed through a couple of the canals and then we had an opportunity to row in the Grand Canal. In the Grand Canal we learned how to row at the back of the boat - this was a lot of difficult than the front. Here is a video of my instructor singing while we rowed:
Fun fact: She hates water taxis.
After the Grand Canal we made our way back to the starting point. By the end of the whole lesson we concluded that I was probably the best of the three of us. Guess my little stint as a rower for the STL Rowing Crew paid off. I really do wish I had kept with the crew :/. We said goodbye to our instructor and made our way back to our hotel. Back at the hotel, Angie and Shawn were fast asleep. I took what felt like the best shower and brushed my teeth and then passed out. The three woke up for a bit and said we were gonna sleep for 30 more minutes then go get some food - what a joke that was. The three of us slept through dinner. The two of them ended up getting 14 hours of sleep and I got 12. It was glorious and much needed.
Cheers,
Jenny
Cheers,
Jenny
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