Northern Italy (November 3-6, 2006)

UPDATE: The photo journals for Venice and Verona are now posted at http://www.AndreasOdyssey.shutterfly.com.

I spent last weekend in Venice, one of the cities I was most excited about visiting on this trip. It was everything I had hoped it would be and more! Venice is like no other place in the world! Around every corner, you find the most picturesque of scenes, be it a narrow, cobblestoned road or a canal lined with old buildings. There are no cars in the main section of Venice, so it is intriguing to watch life take place through other means, such as boats (for example, to get around you hop on a boat bus and each morning the garbage boats come by to collect trash) and on foot (it is not uncommon to see people wheeling or carrying goods along the streets to their stores or restaurants). And Venice is the absolute easiest city to get lost in! Luckily, the best thing to do in Venice is to wander around aimlessly because if you were actually trying to get somewhere in particular, it would be terribly frustrating (I will never complain about D.C. again!). All this adds to the charm and novelty of the city.

I enjoyed very much my stay in Venice, but was not terribly sad to leave on Monday for two reasons: (1) Venice is expensive and to best enjoy it, you need to be willing to spend money carelessly, (2) it was starting to get really chilly and I did not bring proper winter clothes. Plus, Venice is, I think, more of a travel destination for couples or the slightly older crowd. Nevertheless, Venice is definitely a place I plan on going back to!

After Venice, I planned on immeditately heading to the western coast but having missed my train, decided to stay in Northern Italy for another night in Verona. Verona, the home of Romeo and Juliet, is a delightful and beautiful city. I only spent one night there but was able to explore the city Monday evening and early Tuesday morning before making the trip to Italy's western coast.

For the photo journals for Venice and Verona, visit http://www.AndreasOdyssey.shutterfly.com.