Venezia

Greetings from Florence! I came into the city today to do some work and look for the perfect birthday dress. So here I am, tucked into a cafe with my espresso and chocolate brioche (moment of silence, please), surrounded by books and notebooks, postcards waiting to be sent, and all chance of writing a 6 page paper out the window and in the Arno.

I got home last night from a whirlwind 36 hours in Venice. Our program took us to visit, though unfortunately only for one night. I had heard such mixed reviews of Venezia that my expectations were low- and I was pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the city. The canals and hidden passage ways make Venice the most romantic place on earth (or so I would imagine, sans 42 college students...)

While we were there we took a boat to Murano and watched the masters at work, visited the Peggy Guggenheim collection (now 2 for 3 on my goal to visit all of the Guggenheim museums), the Academia, and Saint Mark's. The Basilicia di San Marco was a surreal experience. Somehow we pulled off an after hours of the Cathedral where we entered the church in the dark, and sat while they slowly turned up the lights, illuminating the golden mosaics that decorate the church. It definitely made it on my list of most incredible travel (/life?) moments. Completely surreal.