The "ano"s (Murano and Burano)

While in Venice, we took the convenient water taxi system to get to a few islands in the Lagoon. Little did I know that this was such an intricate system! We finally figured out how to get on the right taxi and which stop to get off on, and arrived pretty early in the morning to Murano, which is famous for its glass. The island was small and was filled with either seafood restaurants or (what other than) glass shops! We walked around for a little while just to explore before we stumbled on a really famous glassmaking warehouse (I wish I remembered the name). They were letting people in to watch while giving a short summary of the processes that went into making each art piece. Even something as little as a piece of jewelry looked like intense work!!

it was seriously about 2000 degrees in this place!! he's adding little colored pieces of glass
to give a speckled look once it's finished

After that little demonstration, we finally found the "center" of town. I'm putting that in air quotes because it was literally A street with A bridge. Like I mentioned, there was glass everywhere!! Really, anything that could possibly made of glass was there. Tons of wine stoppers, vases, art pieces, plates, and even dice (not so practical if you ask me!). My parents took the opportunity to buy some of it as gifts (which looking back on it, probably wasn't the smartest idea considering we had to haul around breakable goods for the rest of the trip). Anyway, we hurried through the rest of Murano to try to make more time for Burano, which I've secretly wanted to see for a long time. 

The water taxi from Murano to Burano was only about 30 minutes, and when we docked I was so excited! It is a custom to paint your house a wild and bright color. It was so fun to see all of these colors squished next to each other and it made the island (even though it's super tiny) so visually intriguing. Everything was so vivid and my mom and I took a picture about every five steps. 

The atmosphere there was really nice and we had a good time just wandering and snapping our pictures. I think americans should take a lesson from the italians!

Venice

The day that was slotted for Venice was already at the top of my "most dreaded" list. I've been there before and just didn't necessarily love the vibe. I took one for the team when I planned for this to be a stop on the list because I am an advocate for the fact that everyone needs to see Venice once in their life. We actually stayed a little bit outside the island so we took a short little train ride in. Immediately I remembered why I disliked it. It's like the most ridiculous maze where you are constantly searching for a bridge to cross over a canal. Usually this means lots of backtracking and lots of finger crossing. And usually, all of this is done for the end result of getting to Piazza San Marco (which I would argue is the only "must see" on the island).

Now I definitely don't want to sound like a complainer because the island really is beautiful, but one day was more than enough to explore and see what it has to offer. I took my parents around and we stopped a few times for some delicious foods and desserts that seem to be displayed in EVERY window. On our way to the piazza, we took a gondola ride which was really nice. We went on the Grand Canal for just a little bit, but the bulk of the trip was winding through the eerily quiet "backstreet" canals. These are my favorite because you can get away and see Venice from a completely different perspective. The buildings look so much more grandiose from the water! We saw Marco Polo's house and Casanova's mansion before being dropped off back where we had come from.

Eventually we made it to the square and looked around there for a while. We couldn't resist feeding the pigeons (even though they really are disgusting). It was a fun thing to take some pictures of. We ate dinner around there and then headed back to the hotel. At this point we were about two and a half weeks into the trip, so it was nice to get in touch with some family members and relax. 

I know it's gross, but I just can't resist!! 

on the Rialto Bridge, which at one time was the only bridge to cross the Grand Canal

Special Post for a Special Man

Ok, I realize I'm going to sound super weird for even deciding to dedicate an entire post to this man. But hear me out: out of the entire street entertainer paint-my-body-pretend-I'm-a-statue population, this man is awesome. I will actually propose a challenge for someone to find a better one!! I will never stop my search for the greatest of all time, but currently this man tops the list: 

Let me just explain why he's so good:
1. He has his own background!
2. He was stealthily still
3. He added a human touch by showing his face on his money box (check the last picture)
4. He gave some serious personal attention

Now, I'll explain the sequence of pictures. The first is just a close-up. Next is the typical picture...usually you throw in your money and just get close enough to get in the camera. BUT, this man (as you can see in the last picture) motioned me to come back over and took my head in his hands and caressed my head while resting his head on mine. I will most definitely admit it was a creepy encounter, but that only added to the uniqueness of his gig.

His entertainment was most definitely worth the euro change I dropped in the bucket, and the search for the world's greatest continues.....

Firenze

We had yet another travel day (which meant my parents in ASM: automatic stress mode, lugging around entirely too much luggage, and the inevitable heat associated with walking with your entire life strapped to you or dragging behind you) and we were off to Florence!

I was looking forward to this city for a few reasons. Number one, Laura, my teammate and good friend from Gonzaga was studying abroad in Florence and number two, it was the first time we would be out of a big city and have a chance to relax a little bit. When we got there we had a little bit of an issue finding our hotel. It was near the train station, but we took a wrong turn somewhere and had to backtrack a little bit. We got there and were welcomed by our guesthouse manager. He helped us settle in, told us a little bit about the city, and sent us on our way.

We met up with Laura (which was SO nice!!) and we headed to the outdoor market that mostly consisted of scarves and various leather goods.

We planned to head to dinner, which was across the town from our hotel. In the meantime, we accidentally stumbled into pretty much all of the sights of the city. We came to the Piazza del Duomo and didn't expect to see anything that significant on our little walk. It was awesome! A huge white, green and pink church with an adjoining dome. It was impossible to take pictures that did it justice, but we tried!

This church really was impressive, and eventually Laura and I tried to climb the dome. It was a fail because the line didn't move an inch in a long long while. Anyway, we took in the sights and then headed to dinner. We had overdone the pizza in Rome, and now I was looking forward to some delicious pasta. We also couldn't pass up an appetizer that is specific to the Florence area. Don't ask me what it's called but to sum it up, it was pretty much doughballs, cream, and prosciutto. Sounds awful, but it was delicious!!

we also couldn't resist some fresh bruschetta. 

Dinner was delicious, and it had good conversation. It was nice to catch up with Laura and it was fun to have someone join our party.

The next day we woke up and headed to the Ponte Vecchio to cross the river and head to Piazza San Michelangelo, which gave us a great view of the whole city. On the way we came across some cute little stores (we're suckers for little artsy things), and in the meantime we came across these clever street signs:

We thought they were fun, but didn't really think too much about it. We continued the hike up to the piazza, and were rewarded with an awesome view! This was finally the chance to see the magnitude of the Duomo.

There were a few vendors up there selling all of the typical Florence souvenirs, and of course we grabbed a couple. We stayed up there for a little while, and then headed back down. As we were making our way back to the Ponte Vecchio, I spotted this little tiny gallery that looked very intriguing. My parents were up ahead so I called for them to come back, and it turned out we just so happened to stumble upon the studio of the street sign maker! He had a few other projects he was working on, and some little things for sell, but more importantly he had a collection of signs and sketches for future designs. We thought it was awesome, and took a picture (I loved how the reflective signs went crazy with my camera flash)

Eventually we made it back across the bridge, and then it was time to meet up with Laura (by this time she was finished with her classes for the day). Next on the agenda was to go see the David statue. We waited in what seemed like an endless line, and finalllllllly made it in. I hate to say, but none of us were "museum people", so we pretty much breezed by everything on a mission to find the statue (although we did take a minor pitstop in the musical instruments section). We snaked our way through the museum and then turned one corner and AHHHHHHHH: there it was! Down the end of a long hallway was Michelangelo's statue of David. It was truly a work of art. Laura told us that she learned in her classes that it was considered to be such a success because of the detail in his eyes and hair. Once she pointed it out, I realized that it actually was incredible how much attention was paid to these features. We couldn't take pictures so we just marveled before making a pretty swift exit out. On the way we bought a postcard and called it a success. For a closeup of his face, click here and prepare to be amazed. 

The rest of our time in Florence was spent just wandering around and soaking up the energy of the town. It was much more laid-back than anywhere we had previously been and was also very relaxing, even though there was a certain excitement with people buzzing around everywhere. 

I can't end this blogpost without mentioning the celeb spotting that Laura and I had. We were casually minding our business when the Jersey Shore cast casually passed by. Of course this caused an uproar with everyone, but we were able to snap our picture (we're so cool! haha) before being moved by security. 

Rome--Day 3

The third day was a day of endless piazzas, street performers, and quirky sites! We started at Piazza della Rotunda. This is where the Pantheon is, and we just did a little cruise-through. The piazza had a beautiful fountain in the middle, with the Pantheon as a backdrop. 

On our way, we stopped by the Colosseum, because the tram stop was a good place to start the day. Apparently on Sundays they close the street to traffic and allow tourists to roam the streets. This was awesome because it brought out all of the street performers. You all know how I'm a sucker for those weird, painted, sometimes creepy, people who dress up and do their little gig. Sometimes they decide to be still, other times they decide to do some tricks....anything to get you interested enough to snap a picture. While most people just glance and ignore, I am always ALWAYS thoroughly intrigued by these people. The creepiest/best one I've ever seen was in Florence, and I'll definitely tell you about him when I eventually get around to that blog post. Until then, here are the ones that I loved in Rome: 

Sarcophagus man ROCKED! Seriously perfectly perfectly still, to the point of wondering if he/she was real, or just a joke.  I also have to give credit to the statue men because they had the "aged statue" painting scheme down to a science. They totally blended in with the rest of the aged metal of the statues. Keep up the good work, people! 

After the fun of that, we headed to to Piazza Campo de Fiori, which means "field of flowers". This was a very fitting name because there was a market that took up the entire piazza, most of which were little flower stands. It was really pretty, although it made it very difficult to see the bones of the actual piazza. I'm sure there were some pretty buildings, and a fountain...but I couldn't see it! We took a time out to grab a cappuccino (I swear a cappuccino in any other part of the world doesn't hold a candle to a true Italian cappuccino!) and then did some shopping at the little stands. It was getting windy and of course I chose this day to wear a skirt, so I bought some much needed leggings. We also bought a few little gifty things, and then a delicious cup of fresh fruit. Then it was ciao to Piazza Campo de Fiori, and onto Piazza Navona. 

Piazza Navona was beautiful! There were two huge fountains, and the buildings that made up the square were typical Euro buildings that oozed the charm that I love. It started sprinkling at this point in the day so unfortunately we didn't stay long. Just long enough to soak up (no pun intended) the sights and get outta there! 

If you're wondering about why we are standing with a random clown, it was all in the name of charity. We donated money to a children's fund and in return we got some clown noses. I wish they made a reappearance at some point in the trip, but they got lost in our bags. Could have been fun to take a picture with them in each city. 

The rest of the day went rather quickly due to the unfortunate weather. We left the piazza, went over to grab some lunch at an awesome restaurant called Rosso Pomodoro, bought some umbrellas from the ever-popular "umbrella men" who make themselves available upon the slightest trickle of rain, and set out. Our final destination of the day was to the Boca della Verita, or the Mouth of Truth.

We searched and searched for this place, and it was definitely out of the way. This wasn't the most fun trek ever, considering we were balancing maps, cameras, and umbrellas. Eventually we found it after walking in a few slight circles. There was a longer line than I had imagined, but there were strict rules which moved the line along very quickly. According to legend, this is an old sewer gate and if you stick your hand it and you have told a lie it will bite your hand off. Well guess what!? I passed the test and am happy to say that I still have both hands accounted for. 

We toured the church that this is attached to, including the crypt before we schlepped through the rain to get to the nearest tram stop. The rain was coming down pretty hard so we took it as a sign to call it an early night and just hang out at the hotel, which would allow us to rest up for our big move the next day...we were on to Florence! 

Rome--Day 2

We hit the ground running on our second day in Rome. First up was the Trevi Fountain. We tried to get there early to beat the crowds, but we got sort of lost on the way. We finally ended up there and took our fun tourist pictures and then headed on to the next. Our big project of the day was to get to the Vatican, but we took a few little side steps to see some sites on the way.

It was already pretty hot, even though it was only around 10am, so my mom wanted to stop and get some "lunch", which was a huge cone of gelato! (Talk about a diet I could get used to!! haha) After that we went to see this tower with very intricately carved patterns. It was cool, but I had never seen anything about it in my research for traveling, so I just kind of ignored it. We were also too busy eating our gelato to take a picture. Oops! At least we have a mental picture...

Our last stop before the Vatican was the Spanish Steps. I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting, but certainly expecting more than just a few flights of steps. Maybe they would be more decorated? Or have some sort of great story behind them? Unfortunately, neither of these were the case and to me they just seemed like ordinary stairs littered with lots and lots of people. I'll let you decide for yourself:

can you spot me?! 

After these little pitstops, we were finally on our way to the Vatican. We used some tips provided by Ron In Rome and they proved to be a lifesaver! We weaved our way through, highlighting everything and yet saving ourselves tonnnnns of time! First, we headed into the Vatican Museums. There were tons and tons of statues, busts, and antiques that belonged to the vatican. From there you were sort of shuffled from room to room, until you were eventually led out to a little courtyard. In the courtyard, there was a sign with all of the artwork from the Sistine Chapel. Unfortunately, it is forbidden to take pictures in there, so I guess the next best thing is to show you on a poster. After we hung out in the courtyard for a little while, it was back to the shuffle. We saw more statues, paintings, granite slabs, and other interesting  things.  We went through the room of maps, the tapestry room etc. before we got to the Sistine Chapel. It was beautiful, but the famous "almost touching" painting was TINY!!! It was almost like I was doing a picture search for it. (ok not really, but I thought it would cover most of the ceiling!!).

spirally staircase in the Vatican Museums

a picture of all of the painting in the Sistine Chapel. do you see the famous painting? Its in the middle on the left...look REALLLY hard! 

From there it was our mission to get through the RIGHT door (as opposed to the left). This door was only reserved for guided tours, but you could cut out tons and tons of time waiting, and tons of extra walking. We tried to blend in, and we succeeded! We were able to go right from there to St. Peter's Basilica, instead of waiting in a separate line. We headed in, looked around, took our pictures, and headed out.

inside St. Peter's 

lucky me, got a picture with the pope! haha

Later that night we ate delicious pizza at a little place called Meid in Nepols! I can't find any link for it or else I would throw it on here, but its right by the Termini Station and it was probably the best pizza we had. If you only have a little while in Rome, venture out of the train station and eat at this cute little place. Definitely worth it! 

YUMMMM!