Spring break in Europe is 100 times better than in the States! For starters I had a two-week long spring break!! I can't remember the last time one of my school breaks was that long, but nonetheless it's amazing to have the opportunity to do whatever you want for two-weeks! I started my break in the beautiful city of Venice. I would say Venice is the epitome of what I thought Italy would be like! You have all these homes and restaurants floating on the water, colorful buildings, flowers that smell fresh and make you feel welcomed, and of course pizza, pasta, gelato and gondolas everywhere!!! I only spent two days in Venice but I enjoyed every bit of it! My first day exploring Venice consisted of starting off my morning at a local cafe and drinking coffee and a chocolate croissant with my friends! After having a nice breakfast, my friends and I walked around town for a bit to see the island a bit better. Then we went to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. I am not much of an art fan but I found her collection to be interesting. I enjoyed the exhibit over ocean pollution that was composed of clear empty soda bottles with letters and colorings from local elementary school children. I thought that exhibit did a great job trying to make people aware of all the damage being caused to the ocean as the exhibit used all the bottles to create sea animals such as whales and jelly fish. I interpreted the writing and pictures created by elementary school children, as a form of showing what we as adults are creating for future generations, the damages and effects of our actions will affect these children if we don't try to change it! I think this exhibit brings a powerful message to those that see it. After visiting the exhibit we continued on with our day and went on a gondola ride around the small rivers of the town and the Grand Canal. I have to say this was my favorite part of Venice, you don't truly experience Italy if you don't go on a gondola ride!! I have to admit they are not the cheapest thing to do in Venice but the price is not terrible for a once in a life experience. Gondolas in Venice are 80€ for 30 minutes for a max of 5 people so if you can find at least 4 people that's 20€ a piece, which can be affordable. Our gondolier, was a man around his early 30s who was born and raised in Venice. He had never lived anywhere else and he shared with us that he had no plans of ever leaving the town either. I was amazed to hear this because when we were in Venice it was not high season for tourists but it seemed like the whole island was just tourists. I could not imagine living in a town were there aren't very many locals! During our gondola ride we got to know our gondolier a bit better. It was fascinating to find that most Italians (and our gondolier) speak more than one language, usually around 3 languages. I enjoyed being able to speak to the gondolier in Spanish as he told me that he loved Venice because of the history and culture behind the small island. He said he has always been proud of this and that Venice was once one of the most important cities in Europe. He enjoys the remains of the influence the city had on Europe when Venice was a top place for art at one point! It was nice to be able to have that experience and pick the brain of a local! Once our gondola ride came to an end, we visited the San Marco Plaza where we had gelato for the first time! It was great to be able to enjoy some gelato with a view of the sea next to us! The San Marco Plaza is also where I spent my whole day the second day in Venice. I enjoyed eating gelato and people watching in this Plaza. This is also a great area to do some souvenir shopping since there are so many street vendors all over the area. Venice is a beautiful town I enjoyed and would love to visit again but it is necessary to have at least 4-5 days there to truly enjoy it and see almost everything!
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