Carnevale in Venice!

I am so glad we went to Carnevale, even though it was just for a day, because Venice is so beautiful and Carnevale is definitely a unique experience!  I'm completely convinced we were meant to be in Venice for that one day, considering we almost didn't make it.  It's a long story, but basically we got to the platform of our train about 10 minutes after it was supposed to leave, but by a stroke of luck the train was delayed by 15 minutes, I couldn't believe it!  We got into Venice at 6am.  The whole town was asleep and the sun hadn't risen yet, so it was kind of cool wandering around in the dark.  We quickly learned that a very detailed map is needed, because it literally seems like a labyrinth.  We couldn't get a good map until later, but we managed to find our way to St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco) and finally saw the sun coming up.  We walked along the water and starting seeing some of the people dressed up in elaborate costumes and masks for Carnevale.  After getting some food, we walked around an area of shops, looking for masks since we each wanted to buy one to wear for the day.  Then we basically walked all over Venice, exploring, during the day.  I still can't believe how confusing the streets are, it seems like half of them dead end and the other half are really narrow and wind all around.  Venice is so unique because besides the Grand Canal, there are little canals everywhere, so you're constantly walking up and down steps to cross over water, it's really amazing how the city was built.  At night we went back to St. Mark's Square, where there was a stage set up for Carnevale events.  There were bands playing and people throwing confetti all over the place.  We joined in the festivities while drinking Bellini, which is a cocktail that originated in Venice, made of sparkling wine and peach puree (it's delicious).  Later that night, we took the train back to Rome, very happy with our experience at Carnevale! 

The Grand Canal at 6:30am

My friends and I in our masks!

Throwing confetti!

I can't wait to be back in Venice with my family in less than 3 weeks!  There's definitely no other city like it.  Our spring break starts Friday, so I will be in Greece for 10 days, I'm so excited!!  I will update you all when I get back.  Thanks for reading!

Ciao,
Allison