By this point, we were really hungry, but since we had just spent a lot of money on tickets, we ate at McDonalds for lunch to save money. I don't really like fast food, but I didn't really care at this point. I was really upset about the ticket situation.
One of the touristy things to do in Venice is to go on a gondola ride through the canals that make up the "roadways" of the city, but they are very expensive (and also more of a romantic thing), so we decided to take a water taxi instead, which still gives you good views from the large canal, but at only €7.50 per ride. Of course, we got on a taxi (which is more like a bus) going the wrong way. We got off near Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square), which is a beautiful piazza unfortunately filled with people trying to get us to buy things. We ignored them.
Piazza San Marco- minus the part under constuction
We stopped by the Bridge of Sighs as well, which connects the formerly used New Prison to interrogation rooms. It is suggested that newly convicted prisoners would cross the bridge as they made their way to their cell, sighing at their last glimpse of the beautiful city of Venice.
The Bridge of Sighs- smaller than I might have thought
We then took a water taxi back down the Grand Canal, going to right way this time. The sun was setting, and the views were so beautiful. We then got dinner and dessert, and made our way back to the train station, where we more or less got ourselves ready for bed.
So picturesque.
I love how the houses in Italy are often painted different colors like this.
The overnight train was horrible. It was the worst travel experience of my whole life. I was in a small cabin with 5 other people (only one of which was one of the friends I was traveling with).
One man had his shoes off and was barefoot and another we eventually realized was homeless and together they made the most disgusting smell I have ever experienced. It was so hot in the cabin, I felt like I couldn't breathe. I tried to cover my face with my flannel shirt to block some of the stench but it just got hotter. A man came in and started speaking Italian and then laughed and made fun of us for not speaking it. The police came in (unlike in Ireland, they do carry guns in Italy) and kicked the homeless guy out- which was a little scary for me. Needless to say, I did not get any sleep that night.
It's difficult to write about this part of my trip because it was really hard emotionally and physically. We arrived back in Rome tired and upset, and we weren't even halfway through the trip yet. I don't want it to sound like I had a bad time in Italy, because overall I didn't. Venice, while a beautiful city I would love to go back to and experience better, proved to be a very taxing 36 or so hours for the four of us. I learned so much about traveling during my whole time here in Europe, but especially during these 10 days, which I will make a whole post about later.
The next day we were in Rome, and went to Vatican City, and had a much better experience, which will be in my next post!
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