Murano Glass Blowing

Somehow, we managed to get up this morning at 8:30 a.m. to get a head start on our only full day in Venice (maybe it was the crappy beds we slept in?). We decided to take the LONGGGGG voyage on the water taxi over to the island of Murano, infamous for it's glassblowing craftsmanship. After 45 torturous minutes on the boat we finally made it to the island and sat in on a glassblowing demonstration. It was truly amazing to watch this man take a ball of glass and maneuver it until it became a beautiful glass horse. He also made a vase which took him all of of thirty seconds to craft - unbelievable even after seeing it with my own eyes. After weaving through the shops filled with huge chandeliers and amazing glass sculptures I finally decided to purchase a glass charm necklace with the letter "J" painted in the center along with a decorated glass for my souvenir collection.

Campo Santa Margarita

We just received our check at Della Madonna and were debating our next move when we decided to ask our waiter (the same one who thought we were worthy of a complimentary tiramisu) where we should venture to. He was so thrilled that we asked that he immediately volunteered to leave work and walk us to Campo Santa Margarita, the college main street of Venice. He lead all 20 of us like a flock of geese down the maze-like roads and over tiny bridges for what seemed to be an hour before we finally reached the square. It was as if we found the cheese at the end of the maze when we caught eye of the booming night-life scene flourishing in the square full of University of Venice and Ca' Foscari University students. We stuck out like sore thumbs before we found Madigans, a small Irish pub where our waiter friend was quaint with the owner. We were quick to order the "Italian flag" shots which consisted of Absinth, Malibu and Strawberry liqueurs (GROSS). As usual, we had to 'leave our mark' by coloring a paper square to hang on their wall filled with hundreds of past study abroad propaganda from around the world (keep an eye out future Madigan's visitors).

The square shut down around 2 a.m. and we treaded (with no sense of direction) back to the hotel where we finally crashed to get some shut eye for the next day. Tomorrow evening our bus heads back to Volterra so we need to get up as early as possible and see the rest of this beautiful city!

Dining the Venetian Way - Della Madonna

WOW! The only way I can describe the cuisine at our restaurant tonight in Venice. Of course we had to get Seafood (it's the only way to go here) but I was never expecting my dinner to be this amazing - especially after my crappy lunch earlier today... here we go:

Someone in Lauren's sorority spent last semester abroad in Venice and recommended we try (her opinion of) the most authentic restaurant she found while studying there. We decided to go for it so we took the Vaporetto down to the Rialto bridge where the restaurant was close-by. The bridge was lit up beautifully with blue Christmas lights and it really reminded me of something out of a movie. I hear the Rialto isn't as beautiful during the day when you can see it's flaws - but I didn't care. It was gorgeous at night! We found our restaurant, Della Madonna just off a side street and were greeted with staff dressed-up like executive chef's at the finest American restaurants.

For the menu we decided to do it BIG! First we split an appetizer of half-shell king crab with fresh lemon and a seafood risotto that was TO DIE FOR! I would even venture to say that it competes with the Mushroom risotto we made at the Tuscan cooking class. I am really going to need Risotto when I get back to America. The crab was delicious and none of us could get over how much time it must've taken to pick the meat out of the crab. It was a small dish though and it didn't last very long. The seafood risotto had a mixture of shellfish, fish and squid in it but I honestly couldn't even recognize the different consistencies or tastes. I am not a big fish person and I've never had squid so I'll admit I was nervous to try it. It would've been a huge mistake not to, that's for sure!

When dinner came I received my spaghetti and clams which was light and not fishy at all. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the dish and couldn't believe how close I came to finishing it even after eating two dishes and sampling everyone else's plates! Lauren and Meredith each tried a fried fish mix with fish, clams and calamari. It was funny to watch Lauren try to de-bone her fish filet - they certainly don't serve it that way in the states. Rachel also had bones in her fish but our waiter (knowing we were American and had NO clue) de-boned her grilled filets for her and showed her how to do it. I watched closely incase I ever need to impress someone later on in life. hehe.

Just when we thought there was no room dessert. The waiter decided he really enjoyed interacting with our table and brought us a complimentary Tiramisu to share. Once again, I'm glad I didn't pass up on it. It was so creamy and the sponge cake wasn't soggy or too strong. Man, I love this meal... Man, I love Venice!

No Toilets?

This was an interesting find at the expensive restaurant that charged me 15 euro for my cafe and fries... I decided to hold it.

San Marco Square

We left the hotel and headed across the bridge at Accademia to get to the other side of the Grand Canal. We could've easily hopped on the Vaporetto, but that wouldn't be as fun! We decided to take the longer "scenic" route to San Marco by navigating the narrow and few roadways that we could take to get there. We walked through Campo S. Stephano and Campo S. Angelo which were immersed in Carneval masks and costume shops. Walking through these plaza's makes me wish we were staying longer... Carnevale is in February and is one of the main celebration and attractions in Venezia. Too bad we'll be back states-side by then :(

Our trip over also included walking down some amazing shopping streets. There is such a wide variety of designer merchandise, Murano glass, fine jewelry, Burano lace, you name it - they got it! I must say though, most of the shopping there is really ridiculous is price because Venice is now known as a tourism city. There are only a few true Venetians still living there. I wonder what it would have been like to walk around the city before the Venetians left.

Back to my adventure
We arrived in Piazza San Marco and the first thing I was attracted to was the beautiful bell tower. It's as if it's staring at you when you first walk into the square. It easily triumphs everything around it in height. The famous bell tower is called the St. Marks Campanile and when I found it in my guide book I read that they offer group admission for a reduced rate. One of the girls got into the line and of course they told her they didn't do group discounts - fail. Being as persistent as I am, I took it upon myself to climb to the front of the line and ask again - this time they agreed that instead of 8 euro, it would only be 4 euro. BIG DIFFERENCE especially when that equates to the value of my next meal. The bell tower (thankfully) features an elevator to take you to the top where you feel like you're standing on top of Venice. You can see the rows of Gondolas stacked next to the canal, the islands neighboring Venezia, the hundreds of small canals through the city and the gorgeous bridges arching over them.

Next we went into the San Marco Basilica and immediately noticed the Eastern European influence. The Basilica featured some Latin but also some other language that we determined to be either Greek or Arabian. Venice has such a history of influence from those two cultures that it was really hard for us to determine. As a matter of fact, I think I'll need to 'google' that now! We didn't spend too much time in the Basilica because we were all getting so hungry... we walked over to get the best view of Doge's palace and to walk along the water. It felt comparable to walking along a boardwalk back home - only without the boards and with still, crystal water. For lunch we decided to check out this restaurant in a back alley hoping to get an authentic dish for a reasonable price but we quickly learned that it's impossible to find either in Venice. I ended up paying 15 euro for a Cappuccino and a split order of fries by the time I paid "the sitting fee" and the "tip." This place has definitely been taken over by the tourism industry. :(

After lunch and some continued shopping and exploring, we finally end up back at the hotel to get ready for a nice dinner.

"You Get What You Pay For"

We got off the Vaporetto at the Accademia stop and after a quick left it was pretty simple to find the hotel for check-in. After checking in, we learned that our hotel was actually across the street and acted as a separate entity of the hotel we checked-in at (almost like a sister hotel). When our group went outside, none of us could spot our hotel entrance. The doorman told us it was "right across the street" but we certainly didn't see anything. After decoding the Venetian house numbering system we stumbled upon a small, solid wood door. This was the entrance to our hotel, of course. Going into the trip we knew we booked a budget hotel to keep the price low, but this was really "getting EXACTLY what you paid for."

Our rooms were up a tiny hallway and into a short corridor. We had one king size bed and a set of bunk beds that looked like they hadn't been touched since the 1970's. I could already tell that the three of us girls would be doing our best to squeeze into the bed and avoid the bunk bed dilemma altogether.

We dropped off our bags and quickly made plans to escape. First stop - Piazza San Marco!

Hello Venezia!

As if the staying up last night packing wasn't bad enough, our bus left this morning at 7 am for Venice. It was certainly a struggle getting everyone set on the bus for the 5 hour trip (whew). Our bus was suited for 50 though so it was really nice to get to stretch out and sleep. Although, I didn't sleep much, I was too captivated by all of the gorgeous mountainside we passed on the way there. I even got to see my first snowflakes of the trip. :)

When we finally arrived in Venice I could hardly believe that the city had no roads and no automotive transportation! It's something you always hear about Venice, but until you're standing outside the city staring at the never ending canals of water it's really hard to understand. Truth is: it was unbelievable! Our bus had to drop us off at the outskirts of Venice where the Waterbus (Vaporetto) would pick us up. The water bus is comparable to a metro in a larger city, only it takes FOREVER. If you've ever been on a boat you know how it can take quite some time to dock... well just think, the Vaporetto docks at dozens of 'stops' along the Grand Canal. We were on the Waterbus for quite some time, but I really didn't mind sitting back and taking in the beautiful gothic architecture.