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Today was the day that many of us in our group had been waiting for: Venice. It was going to be a long bus day, but it was well punctuated with comfort stops and a group lunch in the Italian town of Egna.
Also on the agenda for today, a gondola ride and group dinner. The gondola ride was totally optional, but the price worked out to be about 20 euro per person so all of us took Paul up on the offer. He called ahead the day before and set everything up for us. Another experience that all we had to do was show up for. Amazing!
Lunch in Egna included lasagna, gelato, and wine. It was a delicious introduction to Italy (and a nice change of pace from all the sausage!) On the bus, Paul taught us the proper way to say pistachio when we were in Italy. Instead of pis-tash-io we were to say pis-tack-io. It was these little insider language tips we recieved on the bus ride that made all the difference! For each country, Paul also taught us some key phrases and gave our room numbers in the local language so we could relay that information to the hotel. I think this is one of the things that sets Rick Steves Tours apart from any other tour company!
There was a cute little festival happening in Egna so the town was alive with people celebrating. I had no idea what it was for, but I enjoyed seeing this little slice of Italian life.
At about 3:15 we arrived at the Tronchetto, where the bus was going to be parked for the next two days. We gathered all the things that we were going to take into Venice with us and waited while Paul got us Vaporetto tickets.
Pro tip: I was so glad I packed light and in a carryon. But if you can't pack just in a carry on, consider taking a smaller, satellite bag with you into Venice. It will make your life so much easier!
The views from the Vaporetto were stunning. Venice from the water is certainly another "pinch me!" moment.
Once we disembarked the vaporetto, Paul expertly navigated the way through the back lanes of Venice to our hotel. Again, Paul's directions and little tricks to help us remember our way were spot on. Never once did we get lost on this tour!
After seeing our hotel room and getting settled, it was time for our gondola ride. It feels REALLY touristy when you get to the docking station and you're waiting for your gondola. But once the boat slips away and gets into the back canals of Venice, it is all forgotten.
Our gondolier was friendly enough, he was able to answer our questions about the gondolas, being a gondolier, and Venice in general. My favorite part was seeing a little dog jump out of its gondola onto its porch steps. It reminded me that there are still people who live in Venice.
Paul brought us to Piazza San Marco after our gondola ride. We had time to wander around the square, view St. Mark's Basilica from the outside, and scope out different restaurants and things to do for our free afternoon the following day. Kelsey and I wandered around, found a beautiful garden off the square, and saw the Bridge of Sighs. It was a great way to orient ourselves and make a plan for the following day.
Our group dinner tonight was spectacular! As is customary in Italy, we started with a pasta course. I chose the spaghetti with cuttlefish ink. I enjoyed this so much, I bought cuttlefish ink pasta at a comfort stop to bring home! A word to the wise: this pasta will turn your lips and teeth black. It makes for an interesting conversation starter! Next we had our side. I chose the baked potatoes which came in a yummy sauce. For the entree I selected veal with lemon sauce. I heard from the other tables that the other choices were good, too! Finally, for dessert, I had tiramisu. When in Venice, right?!
After dinner, I walked back to the hotel with Barbie, Andie, and Kaysie. Then I checked in with home and hit the hay!
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