Ahh...Venice

I'm in Venice - finally! It's very beautiful here, looks just like pictures and movies. Venice is primarily a tourist town (it's far too expensive to live here and tourists often outnumber residents), so the merchants and waiters are kind of gruff - much different feel than Rome and Sorrento. My only real beef with Venice is the cost, though. It's 2-5 times more expensive here than the other places I've visited. But, I'm in Venice, so I can't really complain!

Anyhow, after dropping my stuff off at my cute little hotel, I wandered the streets of Venice. Absolutely breathtaking! So romantic, too. Bridges everywhere!

My hotel is in a former little palace. It's very grand with winding marble staircases and all kinds of Renaissance-type decorations. It's within a very short walk from St. Mark's Cathedral. All of the guidebooks warn you that your best chance of being robbed are inside St. Mark's...Weird. You'd think the pickpockets would be worried about being struck down by the wrath of God. Or some pissed off old Catholic lady!

Because Venice is sinking and the foundations are on pillars, most of the buildings and plazas roll. You can easily get tripped up in a church or other building if you're not paying attention to where you're going! Since I'm a single, I usually get seated along the edges of restaurants - which means I'm sitting on the edge of a curve teetering precariously on my chair! It's great for people watching.

I'm off to take a cheap cruise of the Grand Canal this afternoon. Instead of buses, Venice has vaporetto (boats that serve as buses). You can cruise the Grand Canal on the slow boat for about 6 euros (about 11 dollars). I may try to cross the water to another small island directly across from St. Mark's. The view from the bell tower is supposed to be absolutely amazing!

Later tonight, I'm going to go on a Venetian pub crawl. It's the easiest way to eat cheap here! You buy a drink at the bar, and you get little snacks (provided by the bar)! Hit enough little bars, and you're full! I ordered a 'typical Venetian' antipasti last night. Other than the sardines and the polenta, I couldn't identify one thing on my plate...I tried a bite of everything, but could only really stomach the polenta. Thank god for my second plate - gnocci with gorgonzola cream sauce...YUM!

Anyhow, tomorrow morning, I get on a looonnnnnggg train ride (5-7 hours) to the West Coast of Italy - Cinque Terre in the Genoa region. It'll be nice to be in small towns again after the big cities...

Ciao!