Venice: June 1st-5th

We arrived in Venice on June 1st. In Italy, accommadations are a bit expensive, so we had decided to stay at campsites. They were a lot cheaper and we didn't have to have a tent, they provided what they called tent houses. The one we were staying at in Venice was called Camp Alba D'Oro and it was about a 30 min. bus ride from the city center of Venice. A shuttle from the campsite was supposed to pick us up at the bus station in Venice when we arrived. We waited for about an hour, I guess, and then the shuttle took us to Alba D'Oro. Shane and I were pleasantly surprised when we arrived. There was a nice gym, a swimming pool, 2 hot tubs (that actually never got hot), a restaurant, a market and an internet cafe. We thought we had hit the jackpot, because everything was here in one place. Our tent house was pretty small, but it had two cots and it seemed sufficient for what we needed.

(Our little tent house in Venice.)

That night, we decided to check out the restaurant at the campgrounds, and had some yummy pizza and pasta. That was the beginning of our downfall:) Shane ate pizza at least once a day for the next 16 days, and I almost did (I switched it up with pasta and salad now and again.) That was also the night where I taught Shane how to play the card game, rummy. That would be entertainment for us quite a bit over the next few weeks.


That night, when we went to bed, it was raining lightly. We didn't think much of it, but during the night, I think one of the biggest thunderstorms I've ever heard happened. We had to move our cots towards the center of the tent, cause moisture was seeping through and getting our beds wet. The thunder was so loud that it shook the tent.





But, we survived and lived to go to the gym the next morning. We were really excited for the chance to work out, because we had not had many opportunties. We had really good intentions before we left on this trip, but it is difficult to find time and space to work out. So, we went to the gym, laid by the pool for a bit, and then got ready and went into Venice. We were attempting to find San Marco's Square, and ended up wandering through dozens of little alleys to find it. Venice is a beautiful, wonderful little city. You can see it all in about a day, but it is truely lovely. It was nice to be in a place with no cars after being in so many large cities. We decided to eat dinner in the city that night and thought we had chosen a really good restaurant, and the food actually was really delicious. The problem was in the size of the meal. Shane ordered manacotti, and when it came out, they were about the size of two rolls of quarters. It was just an appetizer for him, so we went to a pizza stand after dinner and both had a slice of pizza:) And then, of course, we had some gelato (Italian icecream) to top it off.




(There are dozens of little cafes for people to sit at and drink coffee.)

The next day, June 3rd,, we met some of the friends that we had gotten in touch with and spent the day with them. They met us at the train station and took us back to their home, and then we ended up having lunch with them. In the afternoon, they drove us back to our campsite, and we spent the rest of the day relaxing by the pool. This was also the night that Shane changed careers to Mosquito Killer. All night, I kept waking up to SLAM! and looking over to see Shane stalking his next victim. He didn't get much sleep that night.

(San Marcos Square)

(Me pretending to be in a James Bond movie and run through San Marcos Square. Unfortunately, the zillions of birds didn't play along and go flying up everywhere as I ran.)

(Shane and I standing by the canals.)



We decided that the following day should be voted entirely to working out and working on our tans. We spent that entire day by the pool also and then ate dinner at the campsite. We also discovered mosquito repellent which we ended up coating us, our tent walls, ceiling, floors and even our beds with. We wanted to be prepared. We slept very well that night.


( Views of the little canals everywhere. Venice is just a gorgeous and unique place.)







(Random views of the canals and the waterfront.)

(The friends that we met in Venice. )

On June 5th, we left Venice to head to Florence.