Day 2 in Venice!

Our day today started bright and early. We met for breakfast and headed out for a full day in Venice before 8am! We hopped on a ferry-type boat that took us to the island of Murano - an island that neighbors Venice - to watch a glassblowing demonstration. As Venice grew as a city, the Venetians placed many of the up-and-coming trade factories on the smaller islands to maintain Venice as the cultural center it had become; Murano is an example of one of those islands. Here, we saw a glassblowing "master" create a unique cup and a horse out of glass in just minutes! We learned that it takes 15-20 years of apprenticeship to become a master. I chatted with some group members about how much of a commitment this is. Because of that commitment, it makes sense to us that some of their creations are worth thousands of euros. After the demonstration, we shopped a little, took some pictures, and headed to Venice by boat. 

Back in Venice, we met up with a native Venetian tour guide. He walked us through much of the city, explaining the significance of some architecture, different churches/saints, and even the maintainence of the canals. We learned a lot! I found it especially interesting that the Venetians used the loot they stole during the crusades in some of the facades of palaces in Venice, and we can still identify what isn't native to Venice today. We concluded our tour in St. Mark's square. We divided into groups of five and hopped into gondolas. This was about a half-hour ride on elongated boats through the canals! Very touristy, but a necessary experience. 

After the gondolas, we had a bit of free-time for lunch before entering the Doge's Palace. The "doge" was essentially the duke of Venice, and he had quite the palace. The art on the walls and ceiling was amazing, and it seemed like the rooms never ended! We even ended up in the dungeon, where criminals were clearly held at some point. We noted the full collections of weaponry, and discussed the differences between museums in the US and museums like this one. The US has to take many of their featured exhibits from other countries; the items we saw here were likely just stored in the palace until someone decided to show them! It was cool to imagine the doge, and the other leaders, living and working in this palace. 

After finishing up in the doge's palace, we had additional free time. I hung out with Jess and Nicole for the most part today, crossing paths with other friends here and there. Jess, Nicole, and I decided to go up to the top of the Bell Tower. From that vantage point, we could see the entirety of Venice and the neighboring islands. It was beautiful. Then, we grabbed more gelato, shopped for some postcards, and wrapped up our last day in Venice. 

At the last minute, a small group of us decided to do dinner in downtown Vicenza - the town our hotel is in. We found ourselves in the midst of "la passagiata." This, apparently, is the evening stroll that italians take between 5 and 9pm. There was music and mingling - not a whole lot of dinner options, but it was worth it to experience this part of Italian culture. 

On to Florence tomorrow!

Miranda