Milan and Hell in Venice

Milan was wonderful. We stayed at a nice hotel near the train station that was near the metro. We saw the huge gothic duomo and shopped down the main streets. The main shopping strand reminded me of Georgetown in D.C. where I was this summer.


We randomly went to Lake Como and were stupid for it because it was nighttime and raining. It was an hour trainride and we ended up getting off, taking pictures freezing by the dock for 30 minutes, having nasty hot chocolate, and then heading back to go back on the train. We had a good laugh at least.

Venice, on the other hand, was another story. Read this list that I compiled as we boarded the train to go back to Florence from Venice. Paul joined us late Saturday night, so he helped some as well.

1. Hotel location: after we got to Venice we asked and found out that our hotel was in a different city that we had to take a train to get to. It was in Meltre.
2. Not only was the hotel in another city, but it was also on the other side of the town and we had to walk in the rain for about 15 minutes to get there.
3. Did I mention that I was the one who booked the hotel?
4. ***I lost my Wallet: There was about 130 euros, a mastercard, Texas drivers license, copies of my student visa and passport, etc in this wallet. This was the worst thing that happened. Obviously.
   
5. My entire family was at our lake house at Possum Kingdom so there was no way I could cancel my credit card. I also got our roommate back in Florence to try to find a copy of my credit card and she could not find it. My extra copy must have been in my wallet. Perfect.
6. I used very expensive minutes to call the credit card company on my cell phone to cancel, but did not have the number so it was wasted.
7. As we were leaving the hotel to go back to the train station in Mestre where I had discovered I did not have my wallet, I was at the back of the group and was approached by several Italian men and pinched on the butt by one. They are lucky they are alive.
8. ***It was pouring rain in Venice the entire time. That night we were only able to be in Venice a short time before we had to go back on the water taxi to catch our train back to our hotel in Mestre.
9. We ate dinner at a random Osteria where the waiter discovered I spoke Spanish and would not stop asking if I was his lover in Spanish. Not only this but the food we ordered (fried fish) was nasty and the "fruit salad" was canned fruit cocktail that he had described as fresh.
10. Since it was raining the whole time it was also freezing cold.
11. Zena bought me gelato to make me feel better and was punished by it dripping down her new white top.
12. My new umbrella broke. No one else had a problem with their umbrellas and they had the same kind I did.
13. I ordered soup in Venice the next day for lunch. It was bland and I ordered it to be cheap and discovered it was 4 euros more expensive than pizza.
14. Had to pay to see parts of Saint Marks whereas most people snuck in.
15. Wading around in water the entire time
16. My flip flops broke. I somehow had to strap them on my feet so I could walk
17. I ended up having to pay over 5 euros to keep my backpack at the train station whereas I thought it would be 1 to check our bags in together
18. My scheduler, which is the center of all my planning, got sopping wet along with my Italy Frommers
19. We had to pay for the ferry on the way back because the random worker decided to randomly check my ticket
20. I had found cheap masks to get as souvenirs and was going to go back, but we didnt end up having enought time to get them
21. I got a lollipop to make me feel better and it was disgusting
22. I somehow cut myself on my chest. Probably a pigeon
23. Was never able to get on the internet to book a trip to Greece in a couple weekends so it probably wont happen
24. A little girl on the train kept hacking on me and I am afraid I will get sick now
25. I lost my pen
26. The watch my mother gave me is peeling and ruined from the water

This trip was heaven and hell. It was a lot of fun, especially at first, but the place that is supposed to be so amazing ended up being terrible (for me at least.) Just about everything that could go wrong did, but I am taking it as a learning experience. Toward the end of it all I just laughed as every new terrible thing happened. When my flip flop broke I couldnt stop laughing. I really do think God is trying to get my attention or make me grow as a person through perservearance or something. I am the one who plans the trips, reads the maps, and gets things done. At least the other girls are learning from my mistake. I am glad to be back in Florence and I was finally able to talk to my family last night. This next weekend we plan to stay here and I could not be more excited.