Our journey first began at 7:00 A.M. when my roommates and I woke up to get ready for the long day we had ahead of ourselves. However, excitement soon kicked in as we were about to embark on an incredible journey to the beautiful city of Venice!
I diligently put on each layer of clothing, as I did not want to have the slightest bit of skin showing, as the forecast for the day was a high of 32 degrees with 30mph winds. First, I put on my first pair of socks, then the jeans (leggings underneath was just not happening--although it would have been a nice touch), followed by the second pair of socks. Next I slipped on my uggs, my turtleneck and a thick black knit sweater, which I purchased only days earlier. I then put on my Barbour jacket, a birthday present from my boyfriend Will (thanks again, it has come in handy thus far and has kept me oh so warm in these chilly temperatures), followed by my black puffer jacket, mittens, and earmuffs. I put my scarf on last to ensure that every part of my neck was covered.
As we made our way down the stairs and out into the "cold" Florence weather, we knew we were in for a treat. Venice would only be colder. The winds picked up and the dark clouds started rolling in. It was apparent that on this particular Saturday, every city in Italy was in for a cold day.*
We briskly walked to the train station--we found a shortcut that cut our walking time in half. Thank goodness for roommates with a sense of direction! We made a quick stop at McDonald's to grab something to drink--I was craving orange juice and was desperately trying to get over this nasty cold. We then followed our instructions given to us by our trip leader, which took us all the way to the end of platform 16, where we then checked in and loaded the busses.
(On the way to Venice with my roommate Kristen)
Boy, were we in for a treat.
A three hour bus ride suddenly turned into five hours due to the inclement weather--We left at 9:30 and arrived in Venice around 2:30. Winding our way through the mountains, I have truly never seen so much snow. Snow covered mountains. Snow covered streets. Everywhere I looked, it was white. There was no evidence of activity anywhere. However, it was sort of magical and calming despite the freezing temperatures.
After a 20 minute bathroom break, where I purchased gummy bears to tide me over until lunch, and a few random stops along the way, we finally made it to Venice. And by Venice, I really mean the bus parking lot on the "outskirts" of Venice.
My roommates and I actually thought we had boarded the wrong bus. Where were the gondolas, the grand canals...the masks?!
After a 15 minute trek in the freezing cold, not to mention the harsh winds blowing in our face, we finally made it to the Venice we had been dreaming of--canals, side streets, vendors at every corner.
(First taste of Venice--after the long walk)
But, first things first.
I needed a mask. And, not just any mask. A mask that said, "Yeah, I'm American but it's Carnevale so I want to blend in and live in the moment--I also want a REALLY cool souvenir to take home."
After debating whether or not I should get a black and gold one, a purple and white one, or a pink and gold one, I finally decided to go with the pink and gold one. (It was only natural that I to stick with my signature color--I later found out that the bright colors were actually the more traditional ones, while the muted colors for just for "show." Thank goodness I LOVE pink). Note: Aside from lunch, that mask stayed on from 2:30 to 8:30.
(Me and and my roommate Kelly with our masks)
Alright..now off to Piazza San Marco.
Ok..so do we go right or left here.
Wait, maybe we need to go straight.
After crossing several bridges, that began to look the same after a while, we finally began to see more and more people. After what seemed like a 45 minute walk**, we finally began to feel like we were going in the right direction. In fact, despite the crowded streets and giant mass of people, we ran into our friends from Florence on the way (small world), who then directed us in the direction of San Marco.
Ok, this must be it.
We're getting closer.
Ah-ha! Piazza San Marco!
(Piazza San Marco)
(Finally here!)
Alright, so now we're freezing what next.
Lunch.
Perfect, we can enjoy a hot meal and start to regain the feeling in our toes and face. After a leisurely lunch at an overpriced "ristorante"--it was in the middle of San Marco so the price was inevitable--we made our way outside to brave the cold and take part in the festivities.
Music played from a grand stage in the center of the Piazza and people decked out in masks and capes roamed the busy streets occasionally posing for pictures, like the one below.
We eventually made our way through the crowds and ventured to the center of San Marco. We listened to music through our thick earmuffs and ate Italy's version of carnival food.
Carnevale is Italy's version of Mardi Gras so the food is oh so delicious (and plentiful) and of course oh so bad for you--but it's a week or so before Lent--INDULGE! So..that's exactly what I did. I'm going to call what I ate for lack of a better word, fried dough, because essentially that's all it really was. It was the size of a small clementine and covered in sugar. The inside was warm and moist and it tasted absolutely heavenly.***
Alright, enough food, time to get warm.
Perfecto.
Bar Americano. Note: Bar simply means Cafe.
It was right in the middle of the Piazza and provided enough heat to warm ourselves up for a couple of minutes. There, my roommate Kelly bought a chocolate filled doughnut type thing (again, sorry for the unappetizing descriptions. But, please note, they were all delicious)!
Right before the sun began to set, we found ourselves on other side of the Piazza and stumbled upon this lovely view!
(Solo pic for my mom, she loves these pictures).
(Bellini)
And now, for the fun stuff.
The nighttime atmosphere.
While, we all had a fabulous time hanging out with our friends and sipping on Bellini (A grapefruit cocktail with Prosecco--an Italian staple), Venice Carnevale shuts down around 10 P.M. Thank goodness we decided not to stay the night!
Here are a few pictures from the nighttime festivities...
But, of course, all fun must come to end. Around 7:30, we started our walk back from San Marco to the train station where we were meeting the group to go home. Note: They told us to allow an hour to walk back and thank goodness we did! After several wrong turns down several side streets--everything looked the same at night--we finally got the directions we were looking for from a woman who told us to simply follow the signs that said--completely blanking on the name, but I will get back to you on this one (I got a "follow the yellow-brick-road vibe)!
After a few stops to get my Nutella Crepe and gelato from Grom for my roommate, we eventually made it back to the train station, and with time to spare.
(Nutella Crepe)
The walk back to the busses seemed even longer, but it felt amazing to sit down on a warm bus and sleep. The ride home seemed to last all of 5 minutes. We got back in Florence around 1:30 A.M. and in bed by 2 A.M.
The day was absolutely freezing but completely worth it. I had so much fun and would love to go back to Venice again when the weather warms up. But, until then...
XOXO,
Meggie
*My mom told me there was a "cold front" in Charlotte on Saturday--finally, y'all can relate to this insanely cold weather we are having over here!
**We made several stops in the side shops to warm up. At one point, I think my hands we're purple--I took my gloves off for 1 minute to adjust my mask and suddenly I thought my fingers were going to snap off.
***I wish I could say my indulging in sweets stopped there but... I bought a Nutella Crepe for the ride home. And, for future reference, Nutella Crepes are a staple in this apartment. If it's not gelato, it's a Nutella Crepe.
Meggie , I felt like I was with you every step of the way in Venice! Thank you for sharing your day with me!
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