VENEZIA... Carnivale 2008

Ciao a tutti!

Come va?  Tutti e' buono qui!  Last weekend I went to Venezia (Venice) for Carnivale!  Che bella!  Venice is such a beautiful city.  It's full of so much history and was absolutely beautiful to see.  I cannot imagine living there... what a lifestyle.  Boats instead of cars... can you imagine how impatient Americans would be if you had to sit in a boat to go somewhere?  Ha.  Our gondola driver (yes we took a gondola ride.... AMAZING!) told us that they only built the bridges and walkways about 500 years ago... so literally before then, you HAD to take a boat everywhere.  At least now you can walk.

Carnivale was crazy... so many people in masks and dressed up.  It's like European halloween.  Instead of saying halloween costumes in their Ipercoop (target sort of), they have Carnivale costumes.  I saw some of the most intricate outfits.  It was really awesome.  Anyway, we took the train that left at 7am and stayed until the train left at 5am from Venice.  Let's just say it was a crazy, wet, cold, and AMAZING time!!  Seeing Piazza San Marco lighten up in multi colored lights was AWESOME.  There were hundreds upon hundreds of people there, all to party for Carnivale. It's weird to think how old the city is and how many people have stood in Saint Mark's Square before me.  I definitely am jealous of Europe's history.  The United States is such a baby compared to this ancient continent.  It's so cool to see something older than 400 years! 

Ok so I'm obsessed with Murano glass.  OBSESSED.  Blown glass is absolutely gorgeous.  I bought the most gorgeous Mezuzah... I can't wait to put it on my door when I get back to the states.  When I bought it the sales clerk goes, "Shalom".  I love it.  I found a 350 Euro Hannukkiah that was TO DIE FOR but unfortunately spending 350 Euros would kill me as well. So I had to promise myself that when I have money in 10 years I'll fly back to Venice and buy myself a Murano glass Menorah.  (Plus, what a bitch to bring back to the states.  Maybe I'll just move to Italy for good.  JUST KIDDING MOM.  Chill.)

Besides our Gondola ride, glass and mask shopping, and dancing to the DJ in Saint Mark's Square, we ate, drank, and wandered the streets of Venice.  All in all, it was a fabulous day (besides sleeping on the train station floor at 4am.. brrr... which I have to say is an experience that has made me realize I can now do ANYTHING).

Ok, I'm going to go study for my final Italian test tomorrow... I'm kind of sad the class is over... but hopefully I'll keep learning on my own!

Ciao e vi voglio bene,

Alli