Last Stop: Venice, Italy

It was our last day in Italy. SAD. But what better way to spend it than in....VENICE!

However, some of us were a little sore from walking up and down all of those hills in Cinque Terre....so we had to do some stretches in the train station first....

After arriving in Venice, we realized a few things:

1. Venice doesn't really believe in streets. Not only do all the streets wind around in no apparent grid or pattern, but sometimes they'd just rather have a canal of water where a street should be.

2. Hiding one's identity is strongly encouraged. Masks are sold EVERYWHERE. And I'm not talking the little mask you can buy in a party store, I'm talkin' Phantom fo the Opera's Masquerade elaborately decorated masks.  It was incredible.

   

3. Venetian pigeons are crazy. At dinner, we were being attacked in an organized
formation and they wouldn't stay away from us.  And then we had moments like this, when they didn't want anything to do with us. C'mon birds, make up your little bird-brain minds!

We spent the day wandering, eatin gelato, shopping, and seeing St. Mark's!

By this point we only had a few hours left in Venice, and (sadly!) only a few hours left before we had to goodbye to Claire, so we decided to spend them on a good dinner by one of the canals. Check out the view from our dinner table:

Not really sure how we managed to get a view like this, considering this restaurant was turning people away...but somehow we got a table and we were able to spend our last few hours

      enjoying eachother's company,

              

                 enjoying some DELICIOUS food....

Spritz.

An orange wine commonly served in Venice.

Claire head not included.

      ...and asking eachother, "What is my life?" 

Seriously. What is my life?! I got to spend this past week with some of my favorite people in one of my favorite places on earth. 

All in all, it was a lovely trip and I am SO thankful for it!!

Classes will be starting tomorrow afternoon for me! As much as I have enjoyed all of my travels, I am looking forward to settling into a routine.  I feel like I've learned so much already, but I'm looking forward to learning from my professors in the classroom and beginning my LAST semester of college! WOAH!