Venezia

Woke up at 5am!!!! I wanted to get to Venice early so I took the 6:02 train that was supposed to get me in at 8 am but got me in at 8:25. Then I realized my hotel was NOT on the main island. SOOOO pissed. I had to take a bus to my hostel then walk 5 more minutes. Anyway I got there and dropped off my stuff. I left and went right back to where I started. I took a vaparetti to Ponte Rialto and walked the rest of the way to San Marco. I can't remember very well when I did things because the rain kept interrupting! BUT i do remember feeding the birds :) I was SOOO excited. It was so thrilling i started to tear up. I asked a nice couple from Alabama to take pictures for me. It was like a dream come true! Then I was to the Palazzo Ducale. Strange but pretty. After that I went to the Basillica St. Mark. I went in and out because there was so much to do inside and I didn't want to pay to do all of the things. Plus you had to keep walking up and down all of them. And the free beautiful church was enough. Then i went up the tower. This one had an elevator. It was raining at the top but it was still fun. After that I went to Harry's bar and splurged (Jenny's suggestion)! This is where the Bellini was invented. And 15 euros was quite the splurge...but it was TASTY! Then I got hungry so I went to Paolin for some gelato. I had vanilla and giandujia and nuts with whipped cream. Good, but not Bologna! Then I went next door to use the interner for 20 min. Eventually I aimlessly walked/shopped forever til I met Janet and Jennifer from Atlanta (Aunt and Niece) who SOOOO graciously let me go on their gondola ride with them. By now it had stopped raining. We had a wonderful time and Francesco (our gondolier) showed us some sights including Mozart's home! At the end I asked them how much I owed and Janet wouldn't let me pay! That was BY FAR the NICEST thing that had happened to me on the trip! I am a firm believe that when you do a good deed, something good will happen to you in return. THANK YOU! After that I walked forever, getting completely lost because the streets in venice are so confusing. I eventually sat down for a while to journal. Then I went to dinner at Antico Martini (Frommer's) which was my BIG purchase of the entire trip (and i tried sea grasshopper!!!). I also met the nicest couple from Morris IL. We chatted the whole time. I won't delve into their story, but it really inspired me. I feel blessed to have met them. They are such happy people and it rubbed off on me. It was a pleasure to have met them and eaten dinner with them. I also met some canadians at the end of the meal. After my WAY too expensive dinner the nice couple walked me to Ponte Rialto and it was even more beautiful at nite! I took a vaparetti to the Piazalle Roma and got on my bus 6. I met some people from Tyler, Texas who were very sweet. They didn't know where they were going so I helped them! I eventually got home and was getting ready for bed when I noticed my shampoo bottle broke ALL over my stuff! so I had to clean it and throw some stuff out! I eventually got to bed pretty late.