Day 24 - Venice

Our train this morning was a bit later so we got breakfast in the hostel and dined with a room full of runners who were all being healthy and probably judging our over filled trays and knew we were planning to bag some fruit and breakfast cake to take with us. We didn't care tho, we were all really looking forward to Venice today, but it was quite cold in Florence so we hoped Venice would be better. After a jam packed bus ride and a non eventful journey (apart from a beautiful cappuccino - even train coffee here is good), we arrived in Venice.

It was raining and we were not prepared. We ended up having to buy hoodys to warm us up. This wasn't the end of the world tho, it was a welcome change from sweating spinal fluid the last few weeks. After all, it's not like we aren't used to cold and rain.

We were on our way to find the Rialto and we came across a Venetian mask shop. Oh we had the time of our lives trying on masks and hats! I had my heart set on buying a mask before we went but I just couldn't choose. I wanted a half mask that was full of feathers but there's no way I could have carried it the rest of the way around Europe. So I settles for a smaller eye mask, with no feathers, but it is decorated with sections of a musical score. I love it. I am going to wear it everywhere.we carried on through little winding streets and arrived at the Rialto. It was jam packed full of tourists and you just couldn't breathe in the market. The views were amazing tho, so after a few snaps and a browse around the market (where we saw the cutest bouquets of chilli peppers) we decided to do what we do best. Eat. We tackled a beast today; the pizza roll. It just half a pizza rolled up tight and it was huge. Obviously we made short work of it, we are pro's at this local food malarkey now.

San Marco was our next point of call, more specifically the Basilica. We have been to countless churches on this trip but not many of them compare to San Marco. The entire ceiling and all the arches are decorated with mosaics. It is mind blowing to think how long it must have taken to decorate it. As we went through to St Marks tomb and the golden alter, and after using my new found flair for the Italian language and thanking the guard, he asked me if I was Italian. Granted, I had my new Italia hoody on, but I thought that just made me look like a massive tourist. Obviously I was made up here, but had to admit to him that I was actually a fraud. He then told me I looked Italian and was highly amused I had fooled him. This was a nice change from being compared to LOTR characters. We gegged in on a tour group going through and heard all the history behind the golden alter and how it came from Constantinople and depicts Christ, Our Lady, the Passion and various different Bible scenes and saints. Tour groups were supposed to be banned to keep the basilica in a respectful silence, so we decided we would remind them of that if they clocked onto us gegging. On our way back past the guard he waved and laughed at me again. I think I made a friend there. We went round to light some candles and spent some time in the prayer chapel as we had timed our visit there to coincide with the 2 minutes silence at home.

Once out of the basilica, we walked round the square and did a bit of window shopping. We were rather worried by some of the pigeons who seemed to have been spray painted. It was all very odd. When we were half way round we decided it would be a good place for pictures as the basilica was right behind us. When we want a picture of all four of us, we look for someone with an expensive camera so that they won't run off with ours after we have handed it over. We asked a nice Chinese man to take a picture for us and he got down on one knee to make sure e ha the whole view in as well. Once he took our picture his wife decided I jump in and have a photo, then her friend and then some else from their tour group. By this time I had tears streaming down my face. We only wanted a picture of the 4 of us and ended up having 3 different pictures taken with this mans family. I have never laughed so much in my life, someone else from their tour group was filming the whole shebang so we are now the stars of someone's holiday video as well. We are still laughing about it on the train back to Florence now.

After the photo fiasco, we went to see the bridge of sighs and then hopped on a water bus back to the station. We probably should have taken sea sickness tablets because the water was ridiculously choppy. We were swaying everywhere! The views from the water bus were fab tho, and the water traffic was rather amusing. It was just like watching car traffic in slow motion. But wetter.

Tired and ready for bed, we are now on the train back to Florence. There's a girl next to me on her laptop sorting out her holiday snaps and she has been to a lovely looking ski village with her boyfriend, and there is a beautiful italian man opposite with his mum but he has golden angel wings embroidered on the back of his jeans so I don't want to make eye contact. It is Olympic night at the hostel tonight so we'll probably return to bean bag races and egg and spoon. As long as the Australians are quiet tonight we don't really mind. Tomorrow we are having a lazy day in Florence. We aren't setting an alarm and we are just going to stroll around and enjoy the place without having to rush back for anything. Wonderful.

Ps, mother get practicing making pizza rolls for my return. I'd like a banquet laid on of all the food I have missed, plus pizza rolls. Ta x x