Burano, murano, milano, buerno….Day 2

March 22nd, 2014

Today has been relaxing and I can still feel the waves rocking back and forth, because I rode a vaporetto around Venice for about four hours…by accident. Total is probably six, we were on the boat more than we were on the land. Funny how we steer through Venice the first day and do the public transportation perfectly, well today was a little more confusing. I feel like to be clear, we made it to Venice around 11:45 give or take after grabbing a quick breakfast at the wonderfully located market straight across from our hostel, which I would most definitely recommend, it’s Hotel Giovannina, and in a great location.

So we make it Venice, (Oh and people don’t call vaporetto a vaporetto, they all call it the water bus) on vaporetto 2 and make our way all the way to st. marks square and the stop we need to take the next vaperetto to burano..WRONG. You have to get off at Murano to even get to Burano. confusing right, so we took a little joy ride for about 2 1/2 hours all around venice, and I mean who can complain we were sailing the sea, wind was blowing, sun was out, a little chilly, but the sights were fantastic, and allowed for us to see the city in a different perspective.

So we finally make our way back the first stop that we took initially and get on 4.1 to Murano, what a beautiful town, even though it was overcast and rainy it made for prime pictures and the reflections from rain gave way to some lovely colors. By this time it was around 4:00 and we were starving, we had a good cappuccino (real italians don’t have cappuccino after breakfast) but we aren’t real italians, a sandwich, and a tasty treat. Murano is known for beautiful glass as well.

So from Murano we made our way in the mist and ventured even farther to Burano, which is known as the city of color, a little history, Burano was settled by the Romans and in the 6th century the people of Altino, and rose to importance when the women of the 16th century began making lace by hand. Burano is also known for its small, brightly painted houses, popular with artists. The colours of the houses follow a specific system originating from the golden age of its development; if someone wishes to paint their home, one must send a request to the government, who will respond by making notice of the certain colours permitted for that lot. We arrived around dusk, so the pictures developed in to something a little different then the traditional Burano photographs. It was very rainy, which resulted in stunning mirror like effects from the water and the stone underneath. Another note about Burano and Murano, do not go there after dark, everything closes down, it is a city for tourists and closes once everyone starts to leave, and we tried to go there for a nice  dinner…no luck.

fino a domani,

Amanda

Parla Inglese? Venice Day 1

March 21st, 2014

DAY 1

Spent the entire day in Venice. IT IS A MASSIVE CITY. We were like true locals, ate a good breakfast of an amazing muffin with a plum and some yogurt drink. Hopped on a city bus and made it to the city within 15 minutes. After we got on the bus we pulled out our handy map and started to get lost. This city is beautiful and like a maze, with winding small roads that run in to dead ins and canals. I didn’t realize how intricate the canal system worked here as well, everywhere you walk you will be lead near the water, a canal, or bridge. So today we walked a lot, which is good because we have to consume the amount of delicious food we have eaten. First we walked, and got lost the right way, just wandering and getting a gist of the city. We didn’t realize how massive and maze like it was. Someone could get lost here being a local. Wandering through the canals and all the little different places was probably the highlight. This city is a place to get lost, bring a map but put it away every now and then. 

Our main goal was to find Piazza San Marco, so after some wandering we started making our way towards that area. Instead we found the Canale della giudecca, which was pretty awesome and a beautiful church. What’s also really interesting about Venice is the fact that it’s literally sinking and also tilting about a millimeter each year. Not that we everyone has to go and book a ticket and go see Venice before it sinks, but it is intriguing to see steps coming out of the water and seaweed flowing from the bottom of houses. Piazza San Marco is pretty cool, but I actually liked to just wander a little bit more, the quaintness of the alleys and the hole in the wall shops were the hidden gems in Venice. Piazza San Marco was the obvious tourist spot, and once there I felt as if I was herded. Especially inside the Basilica di San Marco, but there was a reason St. Mark’s square was the hot spot, and it was truly gorgeous. 

We also went to Galleria Dell’Accademia, which is a beautiful museum a stop before st. mark’s square over a big beautiful bridge, and inside it is housed in a building that was the Scuola della Carita, which used to be one of the first schools to study art restorations starting in 1777, the gallery houses paintings from Venice up to the 18th century, which include Bellini, Tintoretto, and so many more. The building itself dates back to 1334!

And of course the FOOD, Dana is adorable and is taking a picture of every meal she eats ( I want her to blog it, I know I would follow) sort of like a food diary, but we have eaten some amazing and also not too expensive food. Coming here with a budget, we knew some meals would be nice and some would be just fast, but even the fast meals have been amazing. We found one hidden gem that was packed with locals, all eating lunch with a glass of vino, and then we saw the pastries. So many delicious options, and Dana even made a friend and apparently had the best creme puff of her life, our new friend had even said that her choice was very good. I got orange peels covered in dark chocolate and I thought that was pretty good too. For dinner we decided to find this place we found on a blog post about great eats in Venice and we found Arte della pizza, and oh my gosh it was good, but SO hard to find. Dana got a greek pizza that they made in front of us and then placed in a VERY hot hot oven and cooked so quickly, and I got the Ratatouille pizza, I was trying to get some vegetables, and it was delicious. 

Grazie!

Amanda

Hitting the ground running

March 20th 2014,

Well I’ve been up for officially a whole day and then some, which isn’t that bad. Made it through a major setback. aka little miss Dana forgot her passport. We were making our way through Atlanta on the eve of rush hour and Dana asks me if I have my passport…I check all good. We get dropped off around 4:45 pm everything is looking good, we go to check in and behold Dana’s passport is in the scanner from the day before. I frantically call my parents, they have to then battle upstream rush hour traffic to get us the passport before 6:30 or we were going to be SOL.

Luckily they somehow drove back and forth in Atlanta traffic on 75 in less than two hours. So a raise a glass for them. We made it on to the flight without a time to spare and in seven hours made it to Paris where we caught a connecting flight to Venice. I’m hoping the passport delay was our one hiccup, because from the Venice airport to our hostel it was wonderfully easy and calm then we nabbed some wifi and we are trying to stay awake. Our hostel is not too bad, working hot shower, two nice beds, and a place to call home for a couple of days while we explore. So we checked in our hostel, and then to battle the drowsiness wandered around the Venice Mestre area.The real heart of Venice, is a bus ride away.  We found the train station, a couple little shops, and also that most people in this area do not speak as much english as we thought, so we’ve gotten pretty good at the point and nod method. We found a nice little grocery store, bought dinner for €3,80 and now just relaxing and getting ready for the exciting venture into the heart of Venice.

fino alla prossima volta,

Amanda

Away we go

Hello!

 

This is a blog I have set up so friends and family can follow through my voyage through Italy and France for the next months. We are starting in Venice, making our way to Verona, Milan, Marseille, and finally making it to Lacoste for our study abroad!

In Lacoste I will be studying:

Experimental bookmaking (Fibers)

Travel Portfolio (Drawing)

Treasures of Provence (History)

Leaving in 5 days and counting to Venice, Italy. Could not be more excited, a little anxious, and really ready to explore Italy and ride an overpriced gondola, because I mean, why not, we are in Venice.

I have been making a list of the things I have to see and do in Venice:

Go to the Basilica di San Marco, A little history…For its opulent design, gold ground mosaics, and its status as a symbol of Venetian wealth and power, from the 11th century on the building has been known by the nickname Chiesa d’Oro (Church of gold)

Doge’s Palace, right next to Basilica di San Marco, established in 1340, it housed the Doge of Venice (sometimes called Duke) which was the supreme authority of the republic of Venice

 Ride the elevator up inside the Campanile di San Marco for stupendous city panoramas. The bell tower of St. Mark’s Basilica.

Tour the Ca’ d’Oro, a private palace on the grand canal

See some beautiful paintings by  Tintoretto at the Scuola Grande di San Rocco

See as much art as possible at the Accademia Gallery

More to come but hope you enjoy following my adventures into Europe.

Oh and did I mention I am staying in 1 star hostels, I’m sure I’ll post pictures of the beautiful accommodations I will be sleeping in!

Until the next post!

Amanda