Yesterday night, we took two trains from Riomaggiore via Bologna to reach our main destination of the trip: VENEZIA!! When we arrived at the train station, we met our friend Addy who joined us as the sixth member. Together, we went to our Airbnb and fell asleep early to get ready for the exciting day to follow.
Early in the morning, I went out to get groceries for the team and cooked some hot breakfast. Since we stayed in the outskirts of Venice, we had to take the Tram to go into the main city of Venice. And oh boy was it pretty when we first took a step into Piazzale Roma.
It's the Easter weekend, so no wonder why there are so many tourists in Venice, both Italians and foreigners. Obviously we took many photos and made our way to Basilica di San Marco. Navigating through the streets of Venice was confusing but at the same time rewarding. It was great to just aimlessly walk through narrow alleys and enjoy the breathtaking scenery. Surprisingly, we met some of our friends from SYA Italy in the middle of the city, although we didn't know that each other would be in Venice!
To be honest, San Marco wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be. There were repairs being done, which meant that we couldn't see the full facade of the gorgeous church. Also the line to enter was super long that we decided it was not worth our time. Some people in my group who have recently been inside just showed us photos, and I'm sure there are other churches in Italy that are as equally beautiful and significant but less visited because of their locations. Also, there were few public bathrooms near the site, and if available, they were very expensive! Not to mention, the food in touristy areas is not good in general.
But afterwards, we went on a gondola. Although gondolas are generally expensive, they are not that bad when the cost is split in 6 ways. So we each paid our share and hopped on one of the gondolas. There were some sailors around who received tip from tourists by singing beautiful opera songs. And don't even get me started with the amazing views we had from the canals!
