Saturday, July 18: We got up SO early to head to Venice so that we could have 5 hours there before coming back to Seefeld for bed. The drive was tiring (it's hard to sleep sitting up!) and it was crazy hot and humid, but it was worth every bit of stress, sweat, and sleep deprivation. I took 3 Italian classes at BYU back in 2004 and 2005, and since that time, I'd been dreaming of going to Italy. I was almost as giddy as Kirt was, but not quite (Kirt served his mission in Rome, and he was glowing with excitement about getting to speak Italian).
Everyone who had been to Venice in July had warned me about the heat and humidity. I knew that our day in Venice was one of our uniform days. I got permission from Julie to wear a tan skirt instead of pants, because I knew from experience (I arrived in the hot, humid South for my 18-month mission in August) that humidity+heat+me=not good things. I knew I would be a grumpy, sick, mess if I didn't figure out a way to stay cool. So, armed in my skirt and light white sweater (versus the 3/4 inch button up shirt I bought just for this occasion), we headed on our adventure. We ate our sack lunch while we waited for our boat into Venice. Here we are, about to embark before we completely melted:
Here I am on the boat to Venice:
Brian and I as we approached Venice:
It was incredibly hot and humid, and I felt just like I was back on my mission (the cardigan and skirt certainly helped with that!). But the worst part of Venice wasn't the heat; it was hearing everyone complain about the heat. I just wanted to yell at all of them, "Yes, but we're in VENICE! The streets are made of WATER! Who cares how hot it is." I mean, this is what we got to enjoy for those few precious hours:
And this:
And this:
We took a walking tour of Venice. This time, we got radios so we could hear our guide. This was awesome--except that sometimes we weren't sure what she was pointing at. Oh well, it was still amazing. We toured St. Mark's Basilica, the place where the body of St. Mark (as in the writer of one of the four Gospels in the New Testament), is supposedly buried. It is quite amazing.
After seeing St. Mark's, we went to see a glass blowing demonstration:
Which was pretty amazing. Venice is famous for its glass. Kirt and Julie got me a necklace and matching earrings made from the famous Murano glass for my birthday.
Then, we wandered around trying to find a Gondola
And we got to go on a real Gondola ride in Venice. It was awesome!
The gondolas are owned by the city (or just one company that the city contracts with), and to be a gondolier, you pretty much have to be born into a family of gondoliers. It's a tough job navigating these long boats through the canals of Venice, something we didn't appreciate until we went for our ride.
After our ride, we did a little exploring/shopping. We got Michael an "Italia" jacket. We didn't think he'd wear lederhosen.
And then headed back to St. Marks to hear the choir sing. Not every musical group gets invited to sing in St. Marks, and it is a big honor that our choir was invited to sing two numbers. It was amazing.
All too soon, it was time to head back to our boat and the mainland. We must return, but perhaps not in July or August. Maybe October. Or April. (It was so hot that by the time we got back to the bus and I took my passport out of my concealed waist wallet, my passport was warped due to sweat. TMI? ) Kirt and I wished that we had more time there. I think everyone else was just happy to get on the air-conditioned bus. We drove back to Seefeld, seeing hundreds of castles and stunning views of the Alps on the way. When we arrived in town, a local opened a bratwurst stand just for us. It was really late, and nothing else was open, so the gesture was most kind. I think we did room checks that night. I'm not sure though. Either way, it was a late night with another early morning the next day. But again, TOTALLY WORTH IT! I loved Venice!
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