Grace Upon Grace: Weekend in Venice

This past weekend we went to Venice! I think this city and I have a love-hate relationship.
I hate to even say it was anything less than amazing-- and parts of it were--but others were cosi cosi (so so).

The city was amazing. It's all on water. I knew that initially but I did not realize that by "all" it literally meant every aspect. There are no cars. Only boats. People own boats, the taxi system is on water and even the fire department goes by boat. It's crazy. But the craziest part is that the entire city is sinking. So I'm thankful I got to see it before that happens!

This weekend was the beginning of Carnivale, which is Italian Mardi Gras. It's a really big deal throughout Italy, and Venice is like the New Orleans of Mardi Gras. People deck out in costumes to the point where it seems more like halloween. If you are not wearing a costume, you are wearing masquerade masks. We opted for that. It was fun seeing it in full swing.

The first full day (Friday) we went to discover the islands off of Venice: Murano and Burano. Murano is known for glass blowing and Burano is known for lace. Both were beautiful but Burano was my favorite because every home and shop is painted with vibrant colors. It was delightful just walking around and looking.

The boat ride back to Venice was about 45 minutes, and I started to feel sea sick. Unfortunately that feeling stayed the entire weekend. I think I felt a little water trapped. I'm not use to boat being my only form of transportation.

The next day (Saturday) I ended up laying around the hotel with two of my friends. Partly because we felt sick but also because it was rainy and freezing cold. It was a nice day to bond with those girls and to relax. It was a time of much needed rest.

Sunday morning was sunny again. It was strange how different the weather was from one day to the next. But I was thankful for the sunshine. I went on a morning gondola ride (cue sea sickness) before leaving to go back home.