It has been a pretty crazy day.

We left the flat at two in the morning, hopped on a bus to Liverpool Street, hopped on another bus to Stansted Airport, made it through security and massive lines, and got on the flight.

A few hours later, we landed and walked off the plane into Venice. A short bus ride took us to a station near our hotel and we trekked over to the hotel. We checked in, and the owner gave us a ton of information on how to get into the main, most interesting parts of Venice. After checking in, we took a much needed nap.

Post-nap, we set out on our adventures in Venice. It was a drizzly day that devolved into a downpour, which was a bit of a letdown weather wise, but we had a great time anyway. We had some authentic (and amazing) Italian espresso, freshly brewed and with a bit of decadent frothed cream.

My Magnificent Caffè Macchiato

We continued to walks around, exploring Venice. We found countless amazing pieces of glasswork from Murano and other small amazing things. We scurried from shop to shop, flitting between the awnings as the rain poured down.

Eventually, we found a really reasonable and tasty restaurant to eat a late lunch/early dinner. I ordered some Gnocchi alla Bolognese and we also shared some pizza. Both were absolutely heavenly. The pizza was delicate, with thin crust, a subtle tomato sauce, and a crispy-but-not-burnt crust. The gnocchi were so freshly made and were complemented by the small amount of meat in the sauce. One thing that really struck us was the portion sizes and the style of cooking. The portions were just big enough and the flavoring was just enough to add a subtle note to each dish. Truly great cooking involves taking the simplest ingredients and letting them shine. I love the Italian style of cooking for its focus on this simplicity and on the love of food inherent in the culture.

P-I-Z-Z-A

Nom-Nom Gnocchi

Post- dinner, we were all hit by a sweet tooth craving and elected to find a gelato stand. Luckily, the Italians love their gelato and this stand looked pretty awesome. We tried a few flavors, I finally opted to get a small with chocolate chip as one flavor and tiramisu as the other. It was amazing.

Gelato Generates Good Feelings

After gelato, we continued to shop, it continued to rain, but we decided to enjoy it! We walked through the streets, and saw all sorts of amazing people along the way. Everything went off without a hitch. The adventure continues tomorrow. Half in Venice, and then moving onto Florence.

Stay tuned, and enjoy some pictures.

My Fellow Travelers: (L->R) Tracey, Caitlin, Kate

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