The streets were filled with crazy costumes, masks for sale, confetti, being thrown, and people of every nationality. It did not take long to realize that this was going to be a fun filled day in this energetic city! Venice almost felt like Disneyland, Europe, Halloween and Mardi Gras' love child. We grabbed lunch and all tried various types of pizza before taking on the crowds again. It took about an hour for all of us to choose the mask perfect for us- we had to go with the thought that no, we won't choose the mask... the mask will choose us. 
Turns out that is exactly what happened and we all ended up getting masks that perfectly fit our personalities. It felt silly going around a city in a mask, but one you see every other person in one (and many others in a crazy variety of costumes), there is no reason to feel silly- this was Carnavale in Venice! One can't help but embrace and love the experience. That being said, we all agreed to go on a gondola ride. You can't go to Venice and not do this! Who cares if it is a complete tourist trap, it was awesome! Our gondolier was laughing and said, "Wow, Americans always take SO many pictures" as we were snapping away at every turn. It turned out to be really reasonable when you divided up the price by 6 people and let's just say, I wasn't at The Venetian in Las Vegas anymore...
The city must have gotten about 2000 times more crowded while we were on the ride.
When we got out of the boat, we decided to make our way to St. Marco's Square along with every other person in Venice. The police were trying to control the foot traffic and you could barely walk down the narrow streets. After plenty of wrong turns at failed attempts at taking short cuts, we made it to the square! It was so gorgeous, but it was also soo crowded! We made our way to the water and enjoyed some people watching.
Brittany's dad told her she had to go to Harry's Bar in Venice where the Bellini was created, so we enjoyed a 15 (yes 15) euro Bellini! This sparkling wine and peach nectar concoction was pheonomenal and probably the best cocktail I have ever had!
From there, we made our way across town towards the Grand Canal where we took a little break along the water during sunset. It was unreal to be there people watching, enjoying each others' company, and just soaking it all in. Our dinner choice was made purely by walking the streets, following the crowd, checking out menus, and avoiding places on the main street.
Eventually we ended up at this very nice and reasonably priced place. At first, we were the only people in there, but it filled up quickly as the night went on. The calamari was delicious and you can never go wrong with a Caprese salad. My main course was a seafood spaghetti with mussels and clams- SOO good! I knew I needed to get seafood in Venice, so I was thrilled to find a place where it was that had exactly what I was looking for. We got a personal accordion performance and the owner loved us, so he told us to come back next time we were in Venice. After dinner, we were filled with the Venetian spirit thanks to the deliciously cheap house wine! We just leisurely made our way back to the side of the city that we had been dropped off, made our last minute purchases, saw the craziest costumes come out, and made it to the bus! We all loved Venice and agreed that we need to go back during the off season to truly appreciate the city and do the touristy things.
So, what are you giving up for Lent? -- yr cuz, Marjorie
ReplyDelete