Venice

The train to Venice(Venezia) was very scenic. The German and Austrian part was mountainous with gorgeous Chalets nestled into the hills. They were white, with red roofs and red flowers lining the windowsills and verandas. They were just so picture perfect, like out of a storybook. There were many old castles perched up on hilltops, staring into the horizon and lands below. As for the Italian part- vineyards ruled the land. They also looked as they should appear in an alter reality, rolling hills covered in rows of grapes with some brick Italian homes and wineries popping up on the edges.

The train station in Venice was right on the canal, so pretty much when you walk out of the train station it's just an instant wow factor. We crossed the bridge and found a hotel without too much difficulty. But we had to face the facts...If you want to go to Venice you gotta buck up! And that was just what we had to do, we ended up paying 150€ ($205) for a room! It was an absolutely gorgeous room though, one of the nicest I have ever stayed in. It was small but beautiful. From the gold gilded decor to the flower pots on the window sill, everything was spic and span. All the hues harmoniously complemented each other and the wood beam ceiling was a nice touch.

We ate dinner at an Italian trattoria and had some amazing seafood pastas. The next day my mom and I took the boat (sea bus they call it) down to Piazza San Marco. We took a little spin through the extravagant Basilica San Marco before attempting a walking tour back to our hotel.

The walking tour that was written in our Lonely Planet Guidebook was very complicated so we gave up after a little while. My mom bought an Italian leather purse and some murano glass stuff. I bought a tapestry bag, murano fish pendant and an Italian leather change purse.
For lunch we stopped and got an amazing slice of pizza each followed by some tasty gelato. For dinner, pasta it was!

Since we were short on time, two days was all Venice was rationed, so we could squeeze lots in. Venice was a magical city, all the winding canals and the hundreds of bridges.

The next day we hopped on the train to Florence.