Venice

SO I went to Venice and guess what was there....CARIVALE 2009!!! HA! Went just to pick up a friend arriving there but it happened to be Carivale so it worked out. And it is true...once you get off the train station there is water EVERYWHERE!! Well not everywhere but the streets are literally made of water. You have to walk about a mile out of your way to cross the river. Still amazing! Anyways, once we got to Venice we checked in and left to see the town. There were people everywhere and one could not stop without a domino effect happening. I had my mask and hat ready but there were unique, colorful more eccentric costumes to enjoy. We headed for St. Marks square expecting to see thousands of pigeons and was happily awaited by a stage surrounded by thousands of costumes. No pigeon in sight!! On stage they were dancing and performing different Carnivale traditions. We could not see because of the capacity so we decided to leave and find a gondola. Best decision before the sun went down. The guy also spoke Spanish so we got a special tour. He also gave us a bottle of wine/champagne (couldn't decide which one) for the trip. Cruising the streets of Venice at dusk was a memory I would never forget. Our guide said we passed the house where Mozart used to live in which was an interesting fact. Once the ride was done we tried to run to a museum which closed as soon as we got there. Oops! Next day we went to Murano which is an island of Venice where glass making is a specialty. If you have glass in Italy, its from Murano! Exploring the island was fun and seeing all the random glass structures. Had to buy some glass. Left the island and went straight to the Peggy Guggenheim Museum. The permanent collection is comprised of masterworks of Cubism, Futurism, Surrealism, and American Abstract Expressionism. Among the artists represented are Picasso, Braque, Duchamp, Kandinsky, Ernst, Magritte, and Dali. It was incredible and the story of Peggy was heard a little from the English tour guide who we followed until we had to leave. HA! We left to catch the train to Florence which was one of the worst rides I have ever taken in my life. Besides that, the trip was memorable. Until next time....CIAO!

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