Venice In 24 Hours- Part 1 of 3

Tuesday morning we were off to the metro bright and early to make our trenitalia train to Venice. Termini train station in Rome has the level of chaos of the main Philadelphia train stations during rush hours. The train ride was long, about 4 hours, but it was exciting to take the train across so much of the country. We had with us a member of the staff from the Pantheon institute who made our travels much easier because she's a resident of Italy.

I went to Venice in high school and enjoyed it more then than I did on this trip. We were only there for about 24 hours and didn't make the best use of that time to see the entire city. My professor took us through the Doge's Palace in St. Mark's Square, which brought back memories of AP Euro in high school. We also stumbled upon the University of Venice and strolled through their campus, which was beautiful. A lot of us wandered around the city in the afternoon and evening, taking in the uniqueness of a city situated on water. Venice has beautiful glassware that makes for perfect window shopping. My favorite part of Venice is the countless bridges connecting the complicated streets of the city. They make for beautiful photos. I did a double take in front of a hotel and realized it was the hotel I stayed at in high school! Being in the cities I visited in High School this time around brings back memories I haven't thought about in years. I think that two trips to Venice is enough for one person for a long time.

We were told that checkout time was 730am Wednesday morning so my roommates and I woke up extra early, checked out, and then had nothing to do for 3 hours because it was pouring. It turned out that our professor forgot to tell us that check out time was actually 3 hours later and she had the chance to sleep in while we didn't! Though frustrating, we actually had fun in the cafe we spent all morning in waiting until our train to Florence departed. I am now a regular purchaser of cappuccinos and growing to like them very much.  However, I still think that steamed milk tastes like soap when it's foamy on top of a drink! Probably the best part about drinking a cappuccino is the style in which they are served; in a small cup on a saucer with a spoon on top of a bar. I have noticed that many Italians drink their morning cappuccinos standing at the bar only for a few minutes. This replaces America's coffee that is served in to-go cups, which i have rarely ever seen in Italy. I think this reflects the slower-paced lifestyle of Italians. I enjoy it, but it's definitely an adjustment!

After a rainy morning in Venice I was headed to Florence, which I will write about in another post soon!!