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I don’t feel like I need to say more here because my wow moment was the whole day. I kept taking in more and more of Venice. I felt like I had arrived in a whole new world. 

Italy 

Reutte, Austria to Venice, Italy

May 12, 2013

Tour Day 8

Wow Moment

Food

Travel Tip

  • Sometimes as a new traveler it can be hard to let go and really enjoy the moment. Let me just advise you to do it. I feel like I was able to finally let go completely and take in Venice and because of that I was able to truly enjoy it. There is something so freeing about allowing a place to fully influence you. Also a tip about Venice- it is really difficult to get lost. The only thing you need to know is where your hotel is in relation to St. Mark's Square. As you wander around and try to get lost you will see signs leading you back to St. Marks square and will inevitably find your way back.

  • Try everything at least twice in Europe. There were many things that were served to me that, if I were at home, I would have never eaten. For example, tomatoes in Europe and tomatoes in America are different. Even if you are picky try everything. Of all the things I was served today if I let my pickiness make my decisions I would have eaten half the things. But quite literally they were all good and I would eat them again and again. Let yourself be surprised. 

 

So long, farewell, auf weidersehen, goodbye! 

Typically I’m pretty sad to be leaving, but my sadness is crowded out by my excitement to finally be going to Italy! Austria did give us a grand departure. As we were leaving through Austria it was beautiful. The Austrian alps were covered by dark and light green trees. In between mountains were towns with little chapels and a few houses spotting the hills. Thank you Austria! Hello Italy!

While we were driving to Venice, Reid was teaching us about the history of Venice and generally of Italy. He also advised us, while in Venice, to slow down and to get lost. No problem!

 

On our way we stopped for lunch in a town called Neumarkt. It was the perfect introduction to Italy. We made our way through the uncomplicated Italian town to our lunch destination.  Lunch was delicious. I thought "this is the food I’ve been waiting for" - I was in heaven. When I imagined traveling to Europe this is exactly what I hoped I’d be doing- enjoying Italian countryside, a trouble-free Italian town, a simple, yet delicious Italian meal. It was beautiful, it was peaceful, it was my perfect Italian experience. 

 

A magical introduction to Italy- Venice!

Well we arrived in Venice and magical is the word of the day. There is no way to describe what it really feels like to be in Venice. The ambiance is captivating and inescapable. We took a vaparetto ride through the grand canal. It was amazing to see in real life what I had seen in pictures thousands of times- iconic gondolas, building’s with water as porches, and the chaos and beauty of Venetian life abounding. 

 

 

We made it to our stop and weaved through the alleys to our hotel. As we were walking I was trying to take in every ounce of Venice that I could. We made it to our hotel and to our surprise we had a balcony!

 

Next we met as a group and headed to St. Marks Square. Reid lead the way making sure to point out landmarks so we could get back to our hotel. As we walked out onto the square I felt like I was walking into a beautiful carnival. It went from a quite place and, as though the curtain was being pulled back, we were exposed to this beauty, wonder, and awe. 

Reid then set us loose to get lost and quite literally Mike and I tried (which is difficult to do). We wandered the alleys absorbing this culture we found ourselves in. 

 

Eventually we met up with our group for our first Italian dinner together. Afterwards we all grabbed some gelato when it started to pour. This is when I first learned about mobile street vendors. They have a keen ability to be where you are with what you need right when you need it. We grabbed our gelato, turned around and saw this little man standing there with a ton of umbrellas. Well we made his day because none of us were prepared for the weather. We all laughed as we tried to make our way back to the hotel in the pouring rain. 

Mike and I weren’t ready to be done so we put our rain gear on and headed back out wandering. We went to St. Marks Square and enjoyed the lights in the rain at night. Sigh…

First let me make a comment about the rest stops we visit. The rest stops we have visited are kind of like mini, gourmet, Costco’s. There are tons of items that you can purchase in bulk. From cheese and sausage in bulk to Twix. At this rest stop I found my favorite European candy - the Bueno. Luckily (at least I thought) I was able to purchase just one and knew I had made a new best friend. The Bueno and I enjoyed many moments together throughout Europe.


Our lunch in Neumarkt consisted of three little sandwiches- tuna and cheese, ham and cheese, tomato and cheese, and a salad. All so good. Then we enjoyed some gelato. I had hazelnut and cherry. Get in my belly!


For dinner we enjoyed caprese salad and seafood pasta and of course some more gelato. 

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