Romantic gondola rides, candle-lit restaurants, and couples walking hand-in-hand. Ahhhh...what better way to enjoy the romances of Italy than as a single girl. Poor Mandy. She had to indulge in it as a girl in Italy with a boyfriend at home, yikes! But at least we had each other.
As we strolled amongst the maze of streets we each had favorite activities: Mandy's was eating the gelattos while mine was trying on all the masks. And when I say all, I literally mean ALL. There were so many it styles, materials, colors that it was so hard to resist. I permanently had glitter stuck to my face for 4 days straight and yes I did shower!
We couldn't afford the gondolas but we did splurge and spent 6 Euros each on a circular route along the main canal. Of course we planned it at sunset, I'm a sucker for the romantic, but what we didn't plan was not completing the circuit because the waterway closed (minor details). We also finished the night off listening to Vivaldi e l' Opera at a church within Piazza San Marco including my favorite piece by Pucchini "Nessun dorma". **(side note: I don't recommend dining along the canal! Nothing ruins an apetite or romance like the odor of sewage...ewww!)
During the days we also explored and took in the sights of Palazzo Dolce, the Bridge of Sighs, and Piazza San Marco. And of course I had to feed the pigeons but rather than pay for the bird seed I brough my own bread bits (sorry but I have to cheap it out when I can, Venice is expensive).
One of our most memorable experiences had nothing to do with the city but rather the entertainment provided by the hostel. We returned on the late night bus from the city center and were disembarking when we heard a horrible sound. As we got closer we realized it was someone singing and we figured it must be karayoke night. Boy were we ever wrong, it was actually the DJ playing the beat of songs on an electric sound system and singing the words! He was even kind enough to make drum and guitar noises with his mouth while he air guitared during the instumental solos! He was so enthusiastic about it all, he was really putting his heart and soul into his performance. As a sober person it was so bad it was good and for those drinking it was just plain good. Must have been beer goggles for the ears! Plus he provided a wide variety of songs: Michael Jackson to James Blunt and even Gloria Estefon. Did I mention there were hand gestures and dance moves?!
