You ask and I dont say anything

So I find myself on a train on the way to Rome. I was supposed to be flying, but then I realized that my overweight luggage fees were going to be absolutely re-cock-ulous, so I just abandoned that RyanAir ticket and bought a train ticket instead. This way I get to see Stephanie sooner anyways.

Anyways, Venice was unbelievably beautiful. I got up really early yesterday and started my day off with some lovely sightseeing. Piazza San Marco was ridiculously crowded with tourists, but I can’t really complain since I’m one of them. Basilica di San Marco was really pretty in a super-ancient way. You would think that since I like history so much I’d like older buildings more, but I am so in love with St. Paul’s that everything just pales in comparison. In any case, it was a beautiful building and I took an illegal picture inside. When I was done with that I grabbed a delicious ham and cheese sandwich of some variety from a little café and ate in under the REAL campanile, which was my next stop. It was so pretty up there – you could see so far! While I was up there the bells rang, which was (a) deafening and (b) awesome. Seeing the actual campanile made me nostalgic for Berkeley a bit though, which isn’t so fun. Still, it was lovely. My last stop in Piazza San Marco was the Palazzo Ducale. It was pretty awesome, I got to cross over the Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs) into the old prisons. I also saw all the government chambers from ancient Venice and a lot of art.

My next stop for the day was Murano, a cluster of six islands in the lagoon that are famous for their glass. I got to watch some guys blow glass, which was pretty amazing. I have no idea how that works, they make it look so easy. I bought a cheap little set of four glass fishies because they were just too cute. I also spent awhile just sitting with my feet dangling into the water. It was a beautiful island, and a nice change from Piazza San Marco because it was practically abandoned.

My next stop was the train station to get the ticket I am currently using. Then I went back to my room and made a relatively unhappy discovery – my hostel thought for some reason that I was a boy and booked me in a room with three dudes instead of three women. I talked to one of them for a little while, he seemed nice enough, if a little douchey. So after a nice nap I went back to Campo Santa Margherita, right by where I was staying, and repeated my successful practice from the night before. One normale parmigiana pizza from Pizza al Volo + one bottle of Prosecco wine = a drunk and happy Jordan. Then I had gelato again, which is always delicious. I’m pretty sure I’m addicted to Italian foods.

I didn’t sleep very well because I was so excited about getting to see Stephanie and Rome today, but that’s ok. This morning I had a nice cup of Italian coffee and sat in Campo Santa Margherita watching the people and animals walk by. There were these little birdies that practically landed on me, it was ridiculous. All in all, Venice was pretty amazing, even though I was alone.

A tip for future visitors – don’t pay for the vaporetti (the bus-like boats that take you all over the city). I didn’t buy a single ticket and they never even asked me to see one. I saved about 40 euro that way. And even if you do get caught, the fine is only 30 euro, which is less than I saved. Just trust me – don’t pay for that shit.

And so I continue on my merry way to Rome…