When in Venice...

The weekend of October 8-10 we traveled to Venice to celebrate Jenny’s 21^st birthday. I fell in love with Venice from the second we got off the train.  I had seen pictures of the city, but it wasn’t until we were on our water taxi to our hotel that I could believe the city is literally surrounded by water. With no cars, everyone walks or takes the water bus to get around. We grabbed a quick lunch and met up with three of Pam and Jenny’s friends from Furman that are studying abroad in Brussels before heading to the Peggy Guggenheim Museum. The museum was filled with plenty of modern art. Pam, our resident art history major, was the critic and walked us through some of the pieces. Before Jenny’s birthday dinner, we met up with everyone at Harry’s Bar, famous for their Bellinis. Although we paid 15 euro for a single Bellini, it was well worth the birthday toast to Jenny!

Jenny's 21st

The next morning we got up bright and early before heading to the San Marco Piazza to see the San Marco Basilica. The inside of the basilica was absolutely incredible. We were shuffled along in a line throughout the entire church and decided to come back the next day to experience mass. When we got out of the church, the tide had risen and the piazza was completely flooded. We had to walk on ramps to get from one side to another, taking fifteen minutes for what should have been a two minute walk. People were yelling in all different languages and being really pushy, so we decided to get out of the main tourist area. So, we boarded a water taxi to the island of Murano, famous for their glass blowing. The ride took an hour, stopping at various other islands before finally heading to Murano. We jumped off the boat in search of the restaurant famous for their seafood recommended in our guidebook. At the other end of the island we found the restaurant and were lucky to get a table outside in the sun. We wandered through the shops after lunch, in search of presents for people at home (Grama, you have something on the way!) and decided it would be best to take a water taxi back to Venice so we would not waste any more time. After haggling down the price of a water taxi, we jumped onboard, where Sally decided to become best friends with the driver. He let her grab hold of the steering wheel and the two shared their life stories while Lindsay, Pam, and I enjoyed the view from the back.

Flooding in San Marco

As our birthday present to Jenny, we went to a wine tasting recommended by our hotel. After getting completely lost trying to find the restaurant (note: give yourself double the time you think you need to get somewhere in Venice…you WILL get lost, even if you have a map) we sat down and tested our first of five wines. Each glass was brought out with a little dish, such as bruschetta or cheese, that complemented the wine.  We quickly became best friends with the owner of Enoteca Cicchetteria and ended up singing karaoke behind the bar. We even had a diverse audience of local Italians and tourists from San Diego. My one complaint; however, was they that didn’t have a single Journey song on the playlist. We then made our way to a “funk” bar, recommended by the locals. After a couple of Marvin Gaye songs, we resolved to go home and get a good night’s sleep. Since the bar was so far away from our hotel, we resolved to get a water taxi home. We were pointed towards the Venice Casino, where there are always water taxis parked. Since we were going to have to walk through the casino to get to the taxis, why not gamble? We had to show our passports and get our pictures taken (very high security) and we received our vouchers. Intimidated by the tables at first, I was the guinea pig to use my 10 euro in the slot machine. Epic failure. After losing 8 euro at the machine, we decided to head upstairs to the blackjack table. There was something very James Bond-esque about sitting down at the table with men in suits and the women standing behind them holding their drinks. While the men were betting 100 euro chips, we started with 10 euros. Low and behold, after a few hands, we were on a winning streak. (Thanks to John, Papa, and Dad for all those games of 21 and Ashton Kutcher for just being in the movie “21”) We left the table 50 euros richer, with more money on our vouchers to use at the slot machines. Pam played the “Buffet” slot machine, winning another 20 or so euros. I must say, I can now see how people get addicted to gambling. We decided to call it a night, hoping to get in more sights the next day before leaving.

The next morning we set off for an 11am mass at the San Marco Basiliica, which was more crowded than we expected. The time extended all the way out of the church, across the flooded piazza. By the time we were inside, there was nowhere to sit, but we stood and marveled at the interior of the church. The combination of the architecture and murals, along with the Italian hymns, seemed like something out of a movie. After mass, we headed next door to tour the Doge’s Palace and headed across the river to see a couple more churches before heading to the train station. We even enjoyed some entertainment from a little man who played the accordion, drum, and other instruments all at once. I can see this as a possible career for my brother.

Future Career?

We decided not to travel last weekend because this past week were midterms. Why can’t midterms at Vandy be like study abroad? For my fashion marketing class I had to develop my own fashion brand and create and marketing and retail strategy, which I will be presenting to our class after fall break. I created a sportwear brand called “Studio 10,” which has retail locations in the ten fittest cities in the United States according to the American Fitness Index. I also had to give a presentation in my Public Relations class on a brand strategy for the Aveeno Positively Ageless line, which included a big social media campaign, benchmarking Dove’s Evolution of Beauty YouTube video (check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U). On Wednesday I had my Italian mideterm and spent the rest of the day studying for my Business Strategy midterm, which was my final midterm before fall break.

Our fall break is ELEVEN. WHOLE. DAYS, with classes starting again on November 2^nd. This weekend I am meeting up with Hilary, Carolyn, and Katie from home in Oslo. We have a full weekend planned- I’m so excited to visit my first (of hopefully many) Scandinavian country! On Monday, I’ll be meeting up with my mom and dad to do a trip down the Almalfi coast. It’s hard to believe that once we get back from break, we’ll have less than two months left in Italy! There are still so many things to look forward to, including my cousin Melissa’s visit for her 21^st birthday and trips to Paris, Copenhagen, and Madrid!