Hi Everyone!
I know this post has been delayed, and I debated telling you all why, but it's part of my adventure, even though it's kind of icky. I checked into my hostel in Venice, and was really excited because the hostel is awesome, and well designed. I did my laundry and went to bed. In the morning while I was getting ready, I noticed something moving across the headboard of my bed, and when I looked closer, it was a bug. Not just any bug, but a bedbug. I found another, killed them both, then looked over all my stuff as I packed it up. I went to reception, told them what happened and asked for another bed. They got me resettled into another room which is good, and they had just fumigated the room I was in, which is also good, but bedbugs are rather resilient little bastards. So the reason you haven't gotten a post until now, is that I spent the evening carefully looking over all of my belongings and suitcase with a flashlight looking for bedbugs. Thankfully I didn't find any. Bedbug eggs take at minimum 6 days to hatch, and I'll be doing laundry again before that. As long as I dry everything twice, the heat from the dryer will kill them. The bad news for Harold is that he is getting a bath and a ride in the dryer in a few days. Heat over 120 degrees kills bedbugs, so when I get home my suitcase is going in a large black garbage bag on the porch to bake in the June sun. For once our summer heat is to my advantage!
Venice is such an amazing city that I wasn't upset about the bedbugs for long. People say Venice is an architectural marvel, and they're right! The city seems to permanently exist in the 16th century. Getting around in a city without roads is interesting. There are Vaporetto (water bus) lines that run just like a subway system, although it takes a little while to figure out how to read the route map. The stations float on the water, which is a bit unnerving at first. When I first arrived in Venice, I intentionally took the Vaporetto the wrong direction so I could go through the Grand Canal. I met some nice girls from the UK who were also staying at my hostel, and we had dinner in the hostel restaurant.
The view from my hostel is amazing! That's St. Marks Square and the Doge's palace in the background.
I spent my morning at the Doge's Palace, and the artwork here is incredible!
Harold really wanted to sit in the Doge's throne, but this was as close as he got.
The Palace was also used as a government building where justice was administered, so this amazing painting of the last judgment is to remind the politicians of their responsibility to be fair.
Those found guilty were taken across the Bridge of Sighs to the prison complex next door. The prisons are sparse and haunting when compared to the opulence of the palace.
I loved this amazing staircase leading to the upper levels.
In the afternoon I walked across the Rialto bridge, the only original bridge in Venice.
It was crawling with tourists, so I went to visit two amazing churches. The Basilica di Frari is a bit out of the way, and not often visited by tourists, which is a shame because it is covered in some of the most amazing artwork dating from the 1300's and 1400's. The altar piece is by Titian.
I really loved the light fixtures, and this monument to one of the Doges of Venice.
The second church, Santa Maria del Salute, is a bit more famous.
It was built as a monument to give thanks after the Plague ended, and it is also covered in amazing artwork, and beautiful marble floors.
In the evening Harold and I took a walking tour around Venice, and then took a gondola ride. I think we went at the best time because the light is beautiful, and the city is a bit calmer and quieter. The other gondola in my group had my initials on it!
Harold wanted to steer the gondola, but got to pose with our gondolier instead.
I didn't have much time, but I managed to get a pretty decent photo of the Rialto bridge just after sunset.
Part 2 should be up soon, probably when I get to my hostel in Rome. I've been using my phone as a WiFi hotspot to post this part from the train.
I know this post has been delayed, and I debated telling you all why, but it's part of my adventure, even though it's kind of icky. I checked into my hostel in Venice, and was really excited because the hostel is awesome, and well designed. I did my laundry and went to bed. In the morning while I was getting ready, I noticed something moving across the headboard of my bed, and when I looked closer, it was a bug. Not just any bug, but a bedbug. I found another, killed them both, then looked over all my stuff as I packed it up. I went to reception, told them what happened and asked for another bed. They got me resettled into another room which is good, and they had just fumigated the room I was in, which is also good, but bedbugs are rather resilient little bastards. So the reason you haven't gotten a post until now, is that I spent the evening carefully looking over all of my belongings and suitcase with a flashlight looking for bedbugs. Thankfully I didn't find any. Bedbug eggs take at minimum 6 days to hatch, and I'll be doing laundry again before that. As long as I dry everything twice, the heat from the dryer will kill them. The bad news for Harold is that he is getting a bath and a ride in the dryer in a few days. Heat over 120 degrees kills bedbugs, so when I get home my suitcase is going in a large black garbage bag on the porch to bake in the June sun. For once our summer heat is to my advantage!
Venice is such an amazing city that I wasn't upset about the bedbugs for long. People say Venice is an architectural marvel, and they're right! The city seems to permanently exist in the 16th century. Getting around in a city without roads is interesting. There are Vaporetto (water bus) lines that run just like a subway system, although it takes a little while to figure out how to read the route map. The stations float on the water, which is a bit unnerving at first. When I first arrived in Venice, I intentionally took the Vaporetto the wrong direction so I could go through the Grand Canal. I met some nice girls from the UK who were also staying at my hostel, and we had dinner in the hostel restaurant.
The view from my hostel is amazing! That's St. Marks Square and the Doge's palace in the background.
I spent my morning at the Doge's Palace, and the artwork here is incredible!
Harold really wanted to sit in the Doge's throne, but this was as close as he got.
The Palace was also used as a government building where justice was administered, so this amazing painting of the last judgment is to remind the politicians of their responsibility to be fair.
Those found guilty were taken across the Bridge of Sighs to the prison complex next door. The prisons are sparse and haunting when compared to the opulence of the palace.
I loved this amazing staircase leading to the upper levels.
In the afternoon I walked across the Rialto bridge, the only original bridge in Venice.
It was crawling with tourists, so I went to visit two amazing churches. The Basilica di Frari is a bit out of the way, and not often visited by tourists, which is a shame because it is covered in some of the most amazing artwork dating from the 1300's and 1400's. The altar piece is by Titian.
I really loved the light fixtures, and this monument to one of the Doges of Venice.
The second church, Santa Maria del Salute, is a bit more famous.
It was built as a monument to give thanks after the Plague ended, and it is also covered in amazing artwork, and beautiful marble floors.
In the evening Harold and I took a walking tour around Venice, and then took a gondola ride. I think we went at the best time because the light is beautiful, and the city is a bit calmer and quieter. The other gondola in my group had my initials on it!
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