Alright, five days since my last post... lets see what has happened.
I was able to meet up with half a dozen people from Barcelona, and we spent Thanksgiving together eating pizza in the hostel. The whole event was pretty memorable, and to signify Thanksgiving, we all went around the table giving thanks for the things we are thankful for. I was thankful for my siblings, my parents for helping to make this trip possible, American breakfast, and my brand new hair cut. My hair cut is by far the greatest haircut I have ever had. Don't worry, I will get pictures of it, so that in the months to come, when it grows out beyond recognition, I will have proof of the past glory that was once my head.
From Florence, my two buddies from the West Coast, Matt and Thomas, and I went to Venice. We arrived in Venice on a Saturday night. The only hostelling option we had, had a 11:30 curfew, and we thought this was wholly unacceptable. We thought we would spend the evening on the streets of Venice, seeing the city, and enjoying its nightlife.
We did find a place to crash outside, within gated walls, for a mere $4 each (originally $10 each, sneaked two people in, split the cost). This was great. So now it was off to see the city until we got too cold and tired. Unfortunately, Venice shuts down around 10:00 pm. There was nothing to do.
I felt like I was walking around in a museum. The city had few people in it, and even fewer people actually lived there. All the shops sold masks and other tourist things, which I took as proof that no one lived in Venice. A notion later reinforced by statements in my guidebook.
The irony of the entire sleep-outside scenario was that we did not go to the hostel because of the curfew, and instead we ended up sleeping outside, in the cold, at around 10:00. The positive side of this whole thing was that it was a great adventure, and an even better story to tell.
The next day was spent in Venice walking around and seeing a couple of the sites. The city itself was beautiful, and it had a couple of nice churches, but it definitely had no life or vibe. Venice had long since slipped into torpor.
I am now in Vienna, having left Venice after only a one night stay. Vienna is the antiVenice. It has life, people live here, AND it is of comparable beauty (canals aside of course)
In case any of you were wondering, I did not catch cold after sleeping outside, because I was dressed warmly, and wearing a hat.
I was able to meet up with half a dozen people from Barcelona, and we spent Thanksgiving together eating pizza in the hostel. The whole event was pretty memorable, and to signify Thanksgiving, we all went around the table giving thanks for the things we are thankful for. I was thankful for my siblings, my parents for helping to make this trip possible, American breakfast, and my brand new hair cut. My hair cut is by far the greatest haircut I have ever had. Don't worry, I will get pictures of it, so that in the months to come, when it grows out beyond recognition, I will have proof of the past glory that was once my head.
From Florence, my two buddies from the West Coast, Matt and Thomas, and I went to Venice. We arrived in Venice on a Saturday night. The only hostelling option we had, had a 11:30 curfew, and we thought this was wholly unacceptable. We thought we would spend the evening on the streets of Venice, seeing the city, and enjoying its nightlife.
We did find a place to crash outside, within gated walls, for a mere $4 each (originally $10 each, sneaked two people in, split the cost). This was great. So now it was off to see the city until we got too cold and tired. Unfortunately, Venice shuts down around 10:00 pm. There was nothing to do.
I felt like I was walking around in a museum. The city had few people in it, and even fewer people actually lived there. All the shops sold masks and other tourist things, which I took as proof that no one lived in Venice. A notion later reinforced by statements in my guidebook.
The irony of the entire sleep-outside scenario was that we did not go to the hostel because of the curfew, and instead we ended up sleeping outside, in the cold, at around 10:00. The positive side of this whole thing was that it was a great adventure, and an even better story to tell.
The next day was spent in Venice walking around and seeing a couple of the sites. The city itself was beautiful, and it had a couple of nice churches, but it definitely had no life or vibe. Venice had long since slipped into torpor.
I am now in Vienna, having left Venice after only a one night stay. Vienna is the antiVenice. It has life, people live here, AND it is of comparable beauty (canals aside of course)
In case any of you were wondering, I did not catch cold after sleeping outside, because I was dressed warmly, and wearing a hat.
