Upon arrival, we made our way on foot through the streets and canals of one of the most famous cities in the world- Venice!
The first stop for the day was our gondola ride! It was magical!
Our group was split up into groups of 6, so Randall and I rode with Janet and Dorothy.
Dorothy tried to get our gondola driver to sing to us, but he said they don't do that anymore. The ride was beautiful through the canals of Venice!
The weather was gorgeous as we paddled through the city. After our ride, we went to see how the famous Milano glass is formed at a glass blowing factory.
Watching how the glass was blown was so interesting! Of course they make it look so easy! The glass was heated to thousands of degrees in order to be in a form that was moldable.
Plus, we got a special discount for being People to People student ambassadors!
Many students bought gifts for friends and family members of real Venetian glass!
After our city tour, we were given an independent lunch. This means that in groups students went off to purchase their own lunch. Each student was given 7 Euros, which equates to about $10 per person. In Venice, this is not much money at all! Sabrina brought us to a stand where one could by pasta to go in a take out container for 7 Euros including a drink. Randall and I wanted to sit down, so we found a place with a set menu for 8 Euros. Here we had lasagna that was awesome! It was such a small world- as we were in the restaurant, a People to People group was there to eat. After we ate, Sabrina came by and told us this was the place we were having dinner as a group! Crazy! I am glad we liked the food!
We had some free time to explore the narrow streets while walking over the canals before we had to meet up with the group.
Venice is famous for masks. Here are some of our group members with new masks that they bought.
After our lunch and free time, we had a guided tour. It was HOT! It was hard to keep the group's attention in the heat!
This is St. Mark's Square. Here you can see the Basilica of San Marco which is currently undergoing restoration work. This basilica was founded in 832 to enshrine the body of Saint Mark, the patron saint of Venice. The present structure goes back to the 11th century, but it has been modified multiple times since then. It once served as the doges' private church, reflection the fabulous wealth of the Venetian Republic. Essentially a Byzantine-styled Greek cross structure, it has 5 domes, an exterior bristling with Romanesque and Gothic carvings, and an interior embellished with magnificent mosaics, marbles, and carvings. Among many treasures in the museum are the four gilded bronze horses from the basilica's facade; they were brought to escape pollution and have been replaced by copies.
I cannot explain the heat as we crossed this square! Too bad our guide hadn't taken any photography classes- he cut off the top of the building in our group photo!
This is the Grand Canal, which is Venice's Main Street. It follows the course of an ancient river, cutting through the city from the Northwest to the Southeast in the shape of a reversed S.
Oh Dorothy!
The Grand Canal is crossed by only 3 bridges, and it is mostly hidden from pedestrians. More than 100 palaces line the banks of this canal which represent every style of architecture from the 12th to the early 18th centuries.
Our day in Venice was coming to an end. We had pasta and steak for dinner at the same place Randall and I had lunch before walking back to the train station.
Our train ride was 15 hours from Venice to Paris. There were 6 people to a train car. Those people on the bottom had the seat portion of the bed with them too.
There was oh so much room!
All of the leaders and Sabrina were slotted to stay together in the same train car, but the top bunk was broken so Randall had to spend the night with the boys. Our luggage was back at the train stop in Padua, and we only stopped there for 2 minutes. Sabrina prepped the boys on how to get the luggage for 46 people on in 2 minutes- and they rocked it!
The boys all lined up and threw on all 46 suitcases which took up the entire hall of the train car.
Once we settled in, it was a long and hot night. At one point I woke up drenched in sweat. I went to the cafe car to sit, but that only lasted 10 minutes before I was kicked out because the passport police were getting on the train. Needless to say, I was happy to get off the next morning in Paris!
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