Exploring the CIty

On Thursday, we met as a group to go see the L’Accademia Museum. There were art pieces in there that I recognized from art and history books, pieces that I never imagined I would ever see in real life. Afterwards we headed to the Guggenheim Museum, a collection of a bit more modern art. Here again I saw original pieces by artists I had studied in school but never dreamed of seeing originals. There were a few Calder and Pollock pieces that I really liked in particular. Sadly, it was at about this point that I realized I had done a brilliant thing- I had brought two sets of dead batteries to Venice. So I apologize for the temporary lack of pictures, and it is due entirely to my brilliance. My friend Stephanie, (one of my favorite people on this trip), was with me almost the whole time, so as soon as I get pictures from her they will be posted.
But pictures do not do Venice justice anyway. We went up to the balcony of San Marcos after the Guggenheim where there was a beautiful view of the square and the ocean. We were also able to go up to an observation tower from which we had a 360-degree view of Venice. AMAZING. You can see all the pictures you want of Venice, but it’s splendor is something that has to be experienced. I felt like I was staring at a cover of National Geographic from up top.
We found a little grocery store after, and I had Italian chocolate milk. I would have to conclude that Italian chocolate milk is pretty much the best chocolate milk in the whole world. After eating we took our gondola ride! It was too cool. I was looking forward to it most, and I was not disappointed. Our driver took us through little canals that you can only see from a boat. The ride was so smooth, too, and the weather was perfect. Our driver was really interesting and was telling us all about life in Venice- he grew up there, and for as long as he could remember, gondola driving was a family tradition. Too cool. That night we took it easy and just enjoyed the city. We discovered Venice tends to die at about 8pm, but tourists are still out, and it was so nice to just see the lights, bridges, and canals. Perfect evening.