Day 8: Venice

Our first proper day in Venice!

We got up early and accidentally went to the wrong breakfast area and ate leftovers from a previous group. Woops/ewww.

It was cold and rainy today, so everyone rugged up, and we made our way to the tram to head into the main part of Venice. After 15 minutes we arrived! It was just as I imagined. Little bridges were arched over narrow canals, gondolas were docked next to tall, colorful buildings and men raced around with trolleys shouting 'Attenzione, attenzione!'.

We had a guided tour (in the rain) which wasn't ideal but we learnt all the history of Venice. We walked over the Bridge of Fists. It has five small footprints on it. Apparently men would go there to have organised fist fights and try to push their opponents into the canals. It got banned after men started bringing knives to the fights!

We made our way to San Marcos square where we walked into the most beautiful lace store. We sat down and had a demonstration on how they make lace. I bought my family this Christmas tablecloth which would take 5 months to carefully hand make. Surprisingly it only cost 50 Euros. The government subsidies lace makers to keep the tradition going.

After the lace demonstration we walked over to the gondolas where we had our very own 30 minute gondola ride! It was perfect, the rain stopped and the sun came out. It went through the Grand Canal and down little narrow streets with towering buildings. It was absolutely gorgeous and something I won't forget. Next stop was lunch. We all had our own pizzas which we devoured, then spent the rest of the day getting lost in the streets of Venice. One thing to remember is that you can't follow a map in Venice. The streets twist and turn and it's impossible to know where you are. If you need directions, follow the signs and you should be ok.

We went to the Accademia gallery and onto a super posh hotel where we heartily ate cake and coffee while being served by Italian men in white suits. That night, instead of going out to dinner we went to the supermarket, picked up a few rolls and had a TV dinner. Day well spent in my opinion!

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Day 7: Travel Day to Venice

On day 7 we headed out early on the bus and had a few destinations to see before we arrived at Venice.

Our first stop was Lake Garda. We took a boat across the water and the weather was glorious, beautiful and sunny. We only had a short stop over in Lake Garda so we had lunch (best omelette and fries ever) outdoors. Then we wandered the gorgeous streets. They're narrow walkways with lovely shops. I got myself a hazelnut gelato and strolled through looking in awe. If I had the choice, I would've loved to stay there a few days and relax on the beach by the lake.

Lake Garda

Our next stop was Verona. It was stinking hot but we walked to the Roman Arena where they used to have proper fighting battles. Built of pink-tinged marble in the 1st century AD, Verona's Roman amphitheatre survived a 12th-century earthquake. We then walked through the amazing shopping strip where there were designer stores and high end boutiques, suitable for everyone with different budgets. At the end of the shopping strip is Casa di Giulietta or Juliet's House where tourists flock to see the balcony where Juliet stood while Romeo declared his love. Inside the house is a small museum and in the courtyard is a bronze sculpture of Juliet – people rub her right breast for luck. But the ultimate in romantic gesturing is the many love notes stuck on the walls and doors in the entrance to the courtyard. If you can find space, leave your own little love note!

Verona

After Verona, we made our way to Venice. The area we are staying in isn't the nicest- apparently it's where the local resident's live- with the main, iconic part of Venice about 15 minutes away. After a full day of sightseeing we had a group dinner and had an early night. What a day!

Juliet's Balcony

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Day 4: Florence

Today we were introduced to our Topdeck Tour group which was slightly interesting. I kind of imagined that everyone would be super welcoming and friendly but that wasn't exactly what happened. They were a bit standoffish which was fine because I had my friend there anyway!

We did a guided walking tour of Florence (most of which we had already seen because we've been here a few days) but it was still nice to hear about the history behind Florence. We went past writer Dante Alighieri's house, the Duomo, the hidden streets and the Accaedmia gallery. But my favourite was seeing the Ponte Vecchio bridge.The 'old bridge' is made of medieval stone that arches over the Arno River. There are beautiful little shops all along the bridge. Originally only gold sellers were able to sell their goods along there, now it's home to a number of jewellery makers. We made out way to a leather store where we had a demonstration on how to pick genuine leather from a fake. Good to know for a bag-a-holic like me!

Ponte Vecchio 

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