Today our group had the pleasure of taking a day trip to the floating marvel of Venice.  The city was just as impressive as we expected, and we had wonderful weather to go with it.  The city is inaccessible by car, you either walk or boat in the canals, which are just as numerous as the streets.  The city is also built on a so-called man-made island over what used to be a swamp.  We had the luxury of being able to take both a water taxi and a gondola around the canals, both were very enjoyable.  The city was covered with bridges, I heard that there are just three less than in Pittsburgh, and each one was its own scenic overlook with a view of the timeless canals and traditional architecture.  It was amazing to see the buildings that were built so long ago still standing fast despite the weathering water of the canals.  Venice is a true testament to the skill of the renaissance Italians.

In addition to our boating tours, we also had a walking tour of the city.  The streets were similar to those of Florence and Verona, but maybe a little more narrow, and a little older looking.  I also got the chance to eat some authentic Venetian seafood, which to be honest, was a little too authentic.  I love some good crab legs or lobster, and even the occasional shrimp or fish, but much of what we tried today was much more adventurous than that.  Regardless, the food was prepared very well, and tasted pretty good too.  Later in the evening I had some safer looking gelato, which was much more to my taste.  After that, the group had some more time to spend, so we checked out a few of the shops.  Noah and I even went into the Hermes store to look around.  I asked him why there weren’t any price tags, and he told me: “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.”  That pretty much sums up my fashion shopping in Venice, but we also took some time to look at the world famous Venetian glass.  I can see why it is so well known, it was very beautiful, and could be crafted into so many different things.  Overall, Venice was another beautiful city.  The canals make it truly unique, and it has an atmosphere unlike any other city I’ve ever seen.