Masks, Gondolas, and a Labyrinth: Venice


5 days later: Rachel finally writes about going to Venice.

I could say that I've been super busy this week trying new restaurants and exploring the streets of Florence nonstop, but in all honesty I've been sick. So I've spent most of this week in my apartment drinking all the tea hoping that it helps.

But on Sunday I went with my roommates to Carnevale di Venezia! After taking a long scenic bus ride and a short little train ride, we were in the heart of Venice. Instantly outside the train station was craziness, and it was amazing.

I don't know too much about Carnival, but to me it seemed like a wonderful combination of Halloween and Tulip Festival. Most people just wear masks, and there were plenty of options of masks to choose from! But the premise of Carnival is to be someone you're not, so a lot of people were actually fully dressed up, whether that was zombies, Elsa, pirates, buildings, or anything you could possibly imagine.

Gondola at Carnivale di VeneziaMom reminded me beforehand about when we lived in Bolivia and went to Carnival, we got water balloons thrown at our heads. Thankfully this wasn't like that! No risk of getting wet, except if I accidentally fell in (which honestly could have happened knowing how clumsy I am).

A gondola parade started at noon, and I was suddenly reminded at how short I was and how busy how any parades are because it was very hard trying to find a place to actually see the water. I did find a great spot, and it was so cool to see all the different people sailing past in their gondolas.

After the parade ended, Leah and I went out and checked out our options for Carnival masks. We took our mask mission very seriously, and we checked every single place for the different options and prices. Eventually we both got our perfect masks and definitely wore them the entire day. Do I still have glitter on my face? Probably.

We also got to see a glass blowing demonstration afterwards, which is so unreal to see how people just magically form these beautiful objects in just minutes before your very eyes. I didn't even take any pictures because I was so mesmerized.

Gondolas dockAnd something that was totally amazing was that we were able to go on a gondola ride! And it was pretty cheap too! The gondolas held six people, but since there were no group of two, the four Iowa girls got to have a gondola ride all to themselves.

It was just a spectacular time to soak in. I didn't take tons and tons of pictures, but I don't think I'll ever forget how serene it was to slowly drift through the canals of Venice. Such a different feel than Florence, but I loved it.

On the water


Roommates on a gondola

After our own gondola ride, we went through a mini tour through Venice. And Venice is absolute labyrinth, so we went through a lot of small alleys and winding pathways. I know that if I wasn't closely following behind the tour guide, I would definitely be lost forever in those little streets.

And even though it was still early, I attempted to sleep on the way home because I was absolutely exhausted from the hectic day at Carnival. Don't know how long I actually did sleep, but at least my phone didn't die so I could listen to music while being lulled to sleep by the bus.

A long but beautiful Sunday in Venice

Nighttime water at Venezia

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