Friday we woke up and headed out for the day. We walked into the museum square and had the choice of one museum out of three. There was a modern art museum, a history/art museum, and a social science museum. I chose the history/art museum and I am glad that I did. I also attempted to follow Jan around just to get his input in on a couple of things. My favorite part of that museum was when we walked through the Greek section and there were a ton of rings. Jan explained that people would wear these rings which had some type of symbol or initial on them so that people would be able to seal their letters with them. So interesting. After everyone was through with the museums we headed over to an outdoor market for some lunch where Jess, Jessi and Tara overpaid for their meals. I think it ended up being close to $20 for them each. It sucked for them, but it was hilarious at the same time. Just another language barrier thing. We walked around the market for a bit where I tried fresh coconut for the first time and also dried coconut. Both delicious and I have also developed some weird craving/obsession with coconut while over here. Then we were off to visit the Sisi Museum and Imperial apartments. This was my favorite part of the Vienna trip. Learning about the Habsburg Empress Elizabeth (Sisi). She lead an incredibly interesting life and the museum did a wonderful job depicting it. I was so thankful to have an audio set to listen to while walking through and viewing each display. Before this museum I had no idea who this woman was, but afterwards I found myself wanting to learn more about her. The most interesting part for me was a small section that most people probably skipped over. It talked about her daily routine of getting ready and taking care of herself. Her hair was all the way down to her knees and she did regular hair treatments. She was also very concerned with her weight. She was 5'8" if i remember correctly and weighed around 100 pounds, which is just insane to think about. After learning about Sisi's life we walked into the Imperial Apartments where they had rooms full of silverware and dishes of all kinds. Literally took twenty minutes to walk through all of the dishes and each set was a different, intricate design. Very beautiful sets that I would love to own, but that won't ever happen. Then we were able to walk through each room of the apartment that were set up exactly how they were back when Sisi and her family lived there. I am pretty sure I was the last person to walk out of the apartments. I just find it fascinating to see how people used to live and function back then. Definitely worth my time and money. Then we were set off on our own. A group of about six of us found a different outdoor market that was definitely more local and full of Easter decorations and food. It was a good way to end Vienna. The next morning we left early for Venice!
Outdoor Easter Market
Saturday, April 12th we arrived in Venice. Jan took us the long way around to our hostel as a joke. It left me confused the whole rest of the trip in Venice. It is such a small island, but so confusing to navigate. Pretty sure I got lost almost every time I left the hostel. However, getting lost was usually the best part. The small alleyways and small rivers were beautiful. Anyway, we went to the Jewish Ghetto where Jan said many holocaust survivors still lived, or their families do. It was only a small part of the island so it did not take long to go through. Jan also took us to the oldest bridge in Venice, which also was the best view in Venice. At least I thought it was. Then we were off to St. Marc's Square just to get a look around. After taking in the square we were all left to go explore on our own. A group of us went to a great pasta place called Alfredo's. The best pasta I have ever eaten. It was not a sit down place, it was a take out place. So we were able to get our pasta and then go sit next to a small bridge next to the water. That was happiness right there, good food and a good view. We also stopped to get some gelato. I don't know what I will do back in the states without this Italian gelato. We then went exploring and got extremely lost, which as I said earlier was a good thing. Getting lost at night is a whole different thing in Venice. Every alley looks the same and darkness is not my friend. The lights and the water were beautiful though and all of the people walking around gave the city a great feeling. I could have walked around all night. Thankfully, we found our hostel and were able to have a comfortable sleep before the next day in Venice.
Sunday we started off by going to St. Marc's Square again where we went through a museum. The coolest part of the museum was all of the weaponry. There were tons of guns and shields and swords. It is just so interesting to see those ancient weapons. Then we were able to go off on our own for lunch. A group of us went and got some deep dish pizza. Literally the biggest piece of pizza I've ever eaten. Then we met back up to go through St. Marc's basilica. We were lucky enough to be there on Palm Sunday! It was actually pretty cool to get a palm from there and refreshing to do the sign of the cross and say a prayer. Then we were off on our own again for the rest of the day. Abby's friend came into town for our spring break and then we all went on our gondola rides. This was one of the best decisions I have made yet. So relaxing and beautiful. Then a group of girls and I ate at an outside cafe. That's another thing I love about Europe in general, all of the outdoor cafes. I love being outdoors and there are cafes everywhere. Its perfect for these beautiful spring days. Then we had to say goodbye to a couple girls in the group who were leaving that night to start their spring break travels. I was surprised at how emotional I got. I was sad to be parting from these girls after spending a month everyday with them, I don't even want to think about saying goodbye when this trip is over. I will bawl, mark my words. Then we all just walked around for a bit. It was an early night because I was waking up early the next morning to head out for Rome and Malta for my spring break!
I think Venice was my favorite city yet! Loved how there were no cars and everyone walked around everywhere. There were beautiful views and it definitely was what I imagined and more. I think it would be amazing to visit again.
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