Welcome to the City of Romance!

Ahhh Venice, what a place to be. And I couldn’t imagine having a better man than my boy Walker to spend time with in the City of Romance.

I’ll start at the beginning. We woke up in Rovinj around 5:45am, and quickly gathered our luggage and departed to arrive at the ferry by 6:30. After boarding the boat and greeting a nice British family next to us, we quickly fell right back asleep as the tour guide began his spheel. We woke up a little before arrival, were able to catch the last of Venice’s history, and before we knew it our boat had docked on the Venicen Island.

And what an amazing city it is! With our hiking bags on our backs, Walker and I began our trek through the city with three goals in mind: find an ATM, get a cappuccino, and, of course, see some beautiful sights. While the walk was hard, it was amazing passing over canals, seeing the colorful buildings, and some amazing architecture all around. After getting a bit lost in the maze that is Venice, we made our way to the large bus station where we found an ATM with a restaurant right next to it. All three initial goals had been accomplished!

It’s sad that I don’t know any Italian. We made our way off the island to drop our bags off at the hostel, and the man behind the front desk noticed my name (Vito Brugliera) and immediately asked if I knew Italian or if I was from Italy. All I could do was shake my head and say, “I wish!” After this, we made our way through the hostel up to the fourth floor to our room. This hostel truly was great. Pretty much all people our age, very clean rooms, and a lot of amenities for us to use. Much better than the Roundabout in Rovinj. We loaded our gear into a locker, took quick showers, and secured our plans to snowboard in Austria. Finally, we were ready to take another bus back onto the island and really do some sightseeing!

Walker had a friend that happened to be in Venice at the same time (the same friend we met up for coffee with earlier this trip), so we arranged to meet up with her and two of her friends from school. All wonderful people; we ended up getting lunch at a place right on the canal and walking throughout the city seeing everything it has to offer. I was in love with the grand buildings with intricate statues, as well as the narrow streets that didn’t seem to follow any pattern. We ate some cannolis, and eventually found ourselves in the heart of Venice: Piazza San Marco.

And what a square this was. Doge’s Palace, Saint Mark’s Basilica, and Saint Mark’s Campanile all stood before us with such power that all I could do was stand and stare. My only regret was that we arrived too late to be able to enter any of the buildings, and all we could do was appreciate their beauty from the outside. With only one day in Venice, it was hard to do it all, so I definitely plan on returning someday with more time, and probably some more money too.

We got lost a bit on the way back to the hostel, which I didn’t mind as all it meant was more time in the city. Eventually, we made it to San Lucia’s Station, and boarded a train off the island. The rest of the night we spent talking and sharing experience. It was really cool being in a hostel like this, as there were people around us from Germany, France, New Zealand, Mexico, and so many other places. And each of these people had some stories to tell. It’s amazing how the shared human experience can permeate across cultures, and I feel that this is the perfect place for it to do so. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be here, even if it was just for one night.

Up next, Walker and I will board a train in an hour heading towards Austria, where we will spend the next two days hitting the slopes of Hintertux. Who knew you can ski in May??? I’ll leave you with this wonderful picture of Walker and I enjoying our time in the wonderful city of Venice.