Venizia

Venice was an amazing start to our trip here in Italy. The most memorable moments in Venice, for me, were accompanied by great company and great wine.  After arriving by water taxi from the airport we checked into our hotel and spent some time adjusting before heading to dinner. Dinner took place on the grand canal right by the Rialto, the group all sat together and shared several bottles of wine. When we said “Cheers!” for the first time, it finally hit me we were in one of the most beautiful places in the world, with no responsibility other than to enjoy ourselves. After dinner, Michael, Trevor, and I went perusing for wine and tapas. We stopped at a wine bar near St. Mark’s and had the woman bring us a great red and white with pairing dishes, the service was fantastic and she explained the origin of each wine to us with Michael translating. We finished our night in St. Mark’s at midnight right as the bells were ringing.  Day two will be, in my memory, the monsoon. It poured all day, flooding the streets and st marks square with nearly a foot of water. Some areas remained higher than others and only collected puddles. These areas, Amy and I chose to dance in! I have had so much fun dancing this trip.  Day two mostly consisted of indoor activities, we visited the doges palace and St. Mark’s Basilica. We ended the night as a group bar hopping and dancing. The positive attitude of the group kept the trip alive during the rain storm. Day Three was dominated by the Opera! It was an amazing chance for us to dress up and experience a form of entertainment that was new for most of us. The group looked good!  The Opera for me started out boring, to be honest, I was in a box with a couple and felt like a third wheel and could barely see. After grabbing a drink at intermission, however, The second act picked up and caught my interest. After the Opera, Micheal, Kimberly, Trevor and myself took of in search of some fantastic wine, and man did we find it. We stopped at a small wine bar and ordered an amazing Amarone from Valpocelli. I have been looking for the wine ever since, everywhere we go. Venice was an amazing beginning to the trip and I hope will be a preface for the enjoyment that the rest of the trip will bring.