Ally and I were in and out of sleep for the whole train ride but still got to see amazing parts of Italy along the way.
Mountains in a fog.
We made it to the main train station in Venice but we had to take a 5 minute train ride into the actual city. When we got there we were able to see the city right as night was approaching.
Sunset.
The city was full of stair bridges like these over the canals.
We got to our private hostel room, unpacked, and set out for a dinner and some nighttime views.
Stand selling Venetian carnival masks.
Our favorite: gelato.
We settled on a restaurant close to our hostel for dinner. We were already feeling the love in the air after our lover's hike in the morning and seeing couples everywhere in the streets of Venice.
Our romantic dinner. ;)
I got bruschetta for dinner.
We weren't tired just yet so we explored a bit of the city before going back to the hostel for the night.
We ended up in an internet café so I could e-mail my mom about some money things I needed situated for the remainder of my trip. At this point we were a little slap happy. Haha.
Our first goal the next day was to take a ride on a gondola. They are ridiculously expensive but a must-do of Venice. We were approached as soon as we got close to the gondola spot on the canal and luckily we were able to bargain our way into a more reasonable price.
A gondola port.
Our gondola.
Our gondolier.
He spoke very broken English so we couldn't understand him when he was pointing out historical buildings or things to look at. We were content with just taking in the beauty of the city itself.
Someone's front door right along the canal.
All cute and couple-y like true Venice tourist should be.
After our amazing gondola ride we wanted to see the rest of the city on foot so we decided to walk all the way to Piazza San Marco on the other side of the city. Per usual we encountered a lot of interesting things along the way.
Passerbys ruining our pictures again!
Unidentifiable foodstuffs being sold at a street market.
Obviously there'd be a lot of seafood in a city of canals like Venice.
Little snails.
That's a big pizza.
After a good walk we finally made it to Piazza San Marco.
I finally noticed that Ally was taking pictures of my walk back to her.
Clock tower.
Campanile.
Ally had fun scaring the pigeons.
Can't believe I had one of these on me a few days prior. Yuck.
St. Mark's Basilica.
The lion of St. Mark.
Another gondola port.
We're so good at awkward poses.
After spending some time in Piazza San Marco we wanted to walk to the famous Guggenheim museum so we took to the confusing maze-like streets of Venice once again.
We spotted this gondolier along the way and regretted the fact that we already took our gondola ride. Hehe.
We stopped for pizza. I was so hungry that I got two huge slices and double fisted. Ha.
One of the beggars that lined the streets near Venice's attractions.
We made it to the museum and our first exploration of the Guggenheim was the outdoor garden.
Then we went inside to see the artwork.
I always love me some Dalí.
This creepy doll sculpture was interesting to say the least.
We went outside on the little patio along the canal.
Then back to the garden to rest our feet after so much walking.
We followed our way back to Piazza San Marco.
This guy's broom looked Harry Potter-esque to us.
We were tired and losing our bearings on the right route back to our hotel so we took a different method of transportation: the water taxi.
On the boat.
We had time for an early dinner before we had to go to the airport for our flight back to Madrid, and we wanted to have a great final Italian meal. We got ourselves a three-course meal.
We shared a bottle of wine.
The oil for bread dipping.
I'm not a big spaghetti fan but I felt like I should have at least one spaghetti meal while in Italy. I opted for the Venetian take on the meal with squid ink and pieces of squid. It turned my whole mouth black! Haha.
Calamari.
Tiramisu for dessert.
We got our suitcases from the hotel and went to the crowded bus station to get a ride to the airport. When the bus finally came we barely fit inside. It was a packed ride but we made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare. We entertained ourselves by playing with Photo Booth on my Macbook while we waited at the terminal.
On the airplane.
When I spotted the European version of my friend, Dan, sitting behind us I had to document it. I mean, he looks just like him!
Nico met us at the airport in Madrid since he was keeping my broken suitcase at his house while I was traveling. I had to say goodbye to Ally since she had to go back to her host mom's house. It's always sad to say goodbye to such a good friend but we both knew that we'd be seeing each other again. Nico walked me to my hotel, helped me get settled, and took me out for my last Spanish meal. I got my favorites: cerveza con limon, tortilla española, patatas bravas, and croquetas. The next morning Nico helped me get my things to the airport. We ate McDonald's at the airport before we had to say goodbye. Since a reunion in the future wasn't as absolute it was a bit harder to leave such a good friend. But, before I knew it, I was on my flight to Chicago.
Watching the plane fly while we were in it.
Once I landed I took a taxi to the train station and bought my ticket back home. I had some time to kill so I bought my first legal alcoholic beverage in the United States. :)
Blue Moon.
I talked with a fellow traveler and traded stories before he was off to Oklahoma and I was waiting in the Detroit terminal. It was a long train ride with some delays but at least I knew I was going home to see the family and friends that I missed so much. After waiting for an extra hour at the train station my dad got restless.
The typical text from Dad. Haha.
Finally, after being two hours behind schedule, I made it to the train station and was headed home at 3 am. I was happy to be home but still very appreciative of the amazing experiences I was able to have while abroad!
