This past weekend we all took a bus to Padua, where we stayed for three days (the ride was about 5 hours from Montepulciano). We spent Friday and Sunday in Padua, while Saturday was dedicated to Venice. The train from Padua to Venice was a couple of Euro and only took about 20 minutes.
The bad news is: it rained (or stormed) the ENTIRE time! While we had brought our umbrellas, they did little to save us from the terrential downpours and high winds, not to mention the scare of being on open water during a lightning storm... haha!
I'm sure Venice would have been one of my favorite places, had the weather been better. I did get some good photos (the best, I think, are in black and white, as the overcast day didn't allow for much color).
The highlight of the weekend was that it was our friend Nadia's 21st birthday, and we celebrated by visiting the Hard Rock Cafe of Venice for lunch! We surprised her by telling the waitress, who made a huge deal of it (see photos). :)
The history of Venice is really interesting, too. It was originally an escape area hundreds of years ago as battles were fought over territories (long before Italy was united as one country). Ships ran aground in the marshes and could not attack, while Venetians knew their way around the dense islands. Today, Venice is sinking (about 10 inches in the last century) as the ocean levels rise. Little can be done to stop those natural forces at work, but there are groups looking for ways to keep Venice thriving as a cultural heritage site.
Next: Florence (again!) on Friday for an art history lecture...
ciao!
amanda june
