Venice

I only had one full day to explore Venice, and although I thought that would be sufficient, it turned out it wasn't even close. It was viciously hot, and i was forced to constantly walk for hours on end to ensure I saw everything I wanted to see. The worst part about this is that I would be rushing through certain areas without properly immersing myself in the culture. It also would have been a cool place to do a tour, but due to finances, I figured the best thing I could do was listen to a free audio tour. Erin had given me an app that is really good for exactly this, so I downloaded it and gave it a listen. It definitely wasn't better than the walking tours, but it was still quite informative. It walked you through St. Marks square and highlighted the different historical events and people who were prevalent in the city. The square itself was one of the most aesthetically pleasing to see that I have come across. The 3 sides of the square that are completely enclosed were all constructed during different time periods, and it is interesting to see how they have tried to make each side the same stylistically while still being unique. Napolean was the last to construct the final side, the short side that is the entrance to the Museo Correr. At the end of the square, which isn't enclosed, there is Saint Mark's Basilica. Although it doesn't quite compare to St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, it has to be second on the list in terms of grandure, detail, and beauty. You then turn the corner just past St Mark's Campanile and are greeted with another beautiful piazza. This one opens up to the sea with the colourful Doge's Palace to the left and the library to your right. Two large columns highlight your view onto the water with the other islands of venice in the distance. It was a beautiful sight to see so much in such a small space, especially given the character of the city. It is hard to believe a city like this could exist at any point in time, let alone thousands of years ago. It is an engineering monument that it still stands today. That being said, the city floods 100 times a year, and it normally starts in St. Mark's square. This means that the city will be more costly to maintain than it is worth in value within the next few decades. It is rather unfortunate, but it is inevitable. Throughout the city, you see the old doors that now sit below the waves and the new doors that have special fittings attached to the bottom to minimise the effects of flooding. But still, it gets in. After the square, I followed the water toward the gardens of the city. Along the way you pass by the bridge of sighs, an interesting monument that used to be used to transport prisoners from the courtroom to the jailhouse. The gardens weren't particularly impressive, so after a bit more of a wander around the southern part of the island, I headed back toward the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute. This was quite interesting, and the inside was beautiful, but given the amount of basilicas I have seen in Europe now, they do start to become repetitive. Despite this, I then tracked towards the Basilica S.Maria Gloriosa dei Frari and the Rialto Bridge before finishing in the Jewish quarter. Although I feel like I saw everything, the heat made it difficult to properly enjoy each location. I wish I gave myself two days, but I can always look back at the photos to remind myself of the beauty and enginuity that is Venice.

Although I knew all about the canals that were the main form of transport in the ancient city, seeing it first hand is incredible. You really wish you could go back in time and experience the city as it was in 500 AD. 10,000 gondolas were used in Venice during its heyday, but for the sake of organisation and cleanliness, now just 400 are present during the city. Of course, it is mostly being used for tourists. Only 400 gondoliers can exist at any one time in Venice now. Only when one retires or passes away can another take their place. I would have liked to have gone on the gondolas, but they're quite expensive and not all that necessary. A friend of mine had recommended I get on the water bus and explore the city that way. But this was also 15 euros and so I decided against it. I had walked everywhere I could, and the places that required water bus weren't too high on my list of important sites to see.

I was supposed to book myself into an accommodation in Lake Como, but accidentally booked into the same company's hostel in Milan. I had heard Milan is barely worth visiting, but now I was locked in to going there next. It is rather annoying, but when I checked the price of the hostel I was supposed to have booked, it was far out of my price range (80 euro/night). This meant I would miss Lake Como - a big name item on my bucket list for this trip, but I would have to come back and do it some other time.Read more