We have now returned from this weekend's travels to Venice and Bologna! It has been an exhausting, but exhilarating trip.
We started out early Friday morning and took a train into Venice...well, not directly to Venice because our hostel was located in Maghera, a town on the mainland of Italy. We stayed at the "Nice Hotel" and well, let's just say it was nice. We then had to figure out how to get off the mainland, and get into Venice. After a few minutes inside of the Tabaccheria (kind of like a drugstore...it's a place where you can buy stamps and bus tickets), we were directed "Italian-style" to a bus stop. It was a rather confusing ride because we weren't quite sure how to use our bus-tickets. Nevertheless, we made it to Venice without any questioning form the transport authorities...
The minute we got off the bus we became aware of the hustle-and-bustle once again. Venice is full of all kinds of tourists and the narrow alleyways and streets don't help. The girls decided to take a boat ride over to Murano, the island that is known for making colorful and unique glass. John and I decided to stay on the mainland and explore Venezia a little more. We saw a lot: the Rialto, the Basilica of St. Mark's, Gondola's. After walking around all afternoon, we were in much need of a break and so we sat on the steps that line the Venetian coast. While waiting for the other girls to return from Murano, nostalgia got the best of us and so we found the Hard Rock Cafe of Venice. There is so much to see in this city, but after passing store after store after store, we needed a different scene.
That night, we walked off the beaten path and found a nice little restaurant along the water to have dinner. It wasn't anything to rave home about, but it hit the spot after all the walking we did that day.
The Rialto; Me & John on the Rialto; Gondola's near the steps.
In front of the Basilica di San Marco!
The next morning, we went back into Venice. Our original plan was to go to the Galleria dell'Accademia, an art museum in Venice. Yet, on our way over there, our attention was caught by something else. In front of the Basilica di San Marco, there was an Italian flag ceremony setting up, in order to honor the Vigili di Fuoco (firemen). We decided to stay and watch the ceremony. To give you an idea of what it was like, I've uploaded a couple of videos.
Italian Flag Ceremony
That afternoon, we hopped on another train and headed for Bologna. Bologna was much less touristy--and much more of a college town. Bologna is home to the first university in Europe: La Universita di Bologna! Thus, there are students everywhere and the city has got a hip-scene. I almost felt as if I was in the Boston of Italy! Aside from the University, Bologna is also known for it's Basilica di San Petronio. This Basilica was originally supposed to be bigger than St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, but the Pope stopped it's construction before it became to big. Although most of the Basilica is finished (and beautiful), the outside isn't much to look at, for they never finished sculpting the outside facade.
During the late afternoon, we walked around for awhile looking for a good place to eat. Bologna is known for some really great restaurants. Unfortunately, we were out of luck because none of the restaurants open before 7-7:30. This is common in a lot of Italian cities, especially those that are less touristy. After looking and looking and looking, we finally found a casual "Ristorante Bolognese" near the train station. Again, nothing to rave home about, but our hungry stomachs were satisfied. Exhausted, we made our way home to Florence by 9 o clock that night.
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