Today we saw the wonderful city of Venice! Venice is a city I have long heard of and seen in movies and video games alike. Obviously, it is very unique because it is built all on water. Immediately upon arrival to the city I was blown away by the views (and the wind too). We got to get a true Venetian experience by going on a gondola boat ride through some of the streets, which I feel like is the most proper way to enjoy the city. Aside from just being built on water, the architecture is stunning. The cathedral we saw was very impressive. To me it looked somewhat like a more eastern church than what I saw at both Milan, Como, and Verona. Throughout our time in the city, I kept wondering what Venice would have looked like many years ago when it was at the height of its power. It is cool to see that some very old buildings from that time period remain to this day.

Later during our tour of Venice, the guide mentioned how the cathedral is built in gothic style which is the reason why it looks different from typical Italian Cathedrals. The tour took us to many interesting parts of Venice. One location we saw was a contemporary art museum that had some cool design pieces. Another location we saw was a ghetto. The ghetto was pretty lively when we were there, with kids playing soccer and running around. Learning the history behind the ghetto was interesting as well, specifically the story about the Jewish doctor who sacrificed himself for the Jewish community of the ghetto.

All in all it was great to see such a historic city as Venice today, even if we again brought cruddy some Pittsburgh weather with us.