Days in Venice (6-7?): Just too hot

Sorry things are a bit skrewy tonight but internet is expensive that the stupid swiss keyboards have switched the Y and Z keys which makes this especially difficult. So Venice was in a world...HOT! It was exactly the way everyone said it would be - beautiful but overcrowded with tourists.

But first our train ride which Emma never got to fill you in on before because our time ran out and Germany lost (sad, sorry Angus). We were housed in a tiny train car from Vienna to Venice for 12 hours (although it normally only takes seven) with three other people, two Norwegians - who were eeerily stereotypical 6 ft 15 and sandy blond hair- and a mute Korean guy who went to bed on the top bunk when we boarded the train and slept till we got off at 9:30 the next morning (it ended up takiong even more than 12 hours because the train stopped for some unknown reason in Salzburg and we had to switch engines - which was actually nice because it gave us time to explore the train station where Mozart grew up and learn that in the next town over was the father who inpregnmazted his daughter 7 times and kept her locked in the station (the Norwegians had taken the train out to look at the house earlier that day). But, on the whole the train ride was a lot of fun and we taught the Norwegians to play Hearts (Lawrence style, thanks Mom). We had a lot of fun and woke up the next morning tired, but eager to explore Venice.

Little did we know, however, that Venice is hot! We spent the first hour or so after settling into our hostel (which was located in Guidecca, on the Grand Canal directly across from St. Marks Square. The square was beautiful but overcrowded and reminesent of Disney World in the Summer according to all of our guidebooks. Buit we had fun looking around and visiting thousands of different churches. We also went to the Accedemia Museum which was amazing and housed Venetian art chologolically and allowed us to see its progression - they used a lot of gold leaf we noticed, any ideas where they got it all because it covers the entire city? We also went Muranno to see the glass blowing, but we went on a Sunday so no one was working. We did get to look at all the glass ware though and enjoy their airconditiong. Sadly, the heat soon wore us out and we were forced to retreat to our hostel each afternoon for a siesta. But our favourite part of the trip was the evening, when it was cool enough to venture outside, and many of the tourists had gone. There were orchestras in St Marks square and the light was beautiful over the water and we enjoyed riding along the grand canal and then trying to make our way back through the Our Consclusion - Venice should be located at a latitude where there is limited sunlight, like the North Pole.

Our third day in Venice we woke up early to catch the train to Milan - the first train of 4 on our way to Interlaken - but it was raining - like torential downpour - so the ferry was crowded and we were in the back and couldnt get off so we were stuck for another few hours in a corner of the train station with similarly standed backpackers. So for an hour or so the floor of the trainstation was taken over by different card games played in a least 4 different languages. It was quite posssibly the best part of the trip so far.

- Megan