Thursday, October 16, 2008

Don't be Confused...I really am in Vienna, not Venice

So I am so neglecting my blog. It is hard to update it frequently with the life I lead these days. It is an excellent way to live if I may say so. I spent last week exploring Florence and Venice. I hesitated to post pictures of Venice because it should not but often is confused with Vienna. I really am on a study abroad in Vienna, Austria, I promise. We just took a trip to Italy because we can . It was by far one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my entire life! I saw tons of artwork that I have studied in so many classes. My favorite by far was David. The statue is both beautiful and flawless. I stood in awe. You could see every vein, every tendon, all the glory of the moment. It was truly beautiful. I also went to the Uffizi and saw so many Botticelli’s I thought I had died and gone to heaven. We climbed up to the top of the Duomo and took in the view of both Florence and the Tuscan countryside. It was beautifully rustic and inviting.
I also developed a horrible addiction while I was in Italy. I am now going through gelato withdrawals. The first time I got it in Florence I wanted mint chocolate and nutella flavored. The sign said menth and coco. I thought coco meant mint chocolate. So I ordered coco menth and nutella. Coco is coconut so I ended up with a massive amount of gelato with an odd combination of flavors. As I stood outside waiting for my friends to finish ordering theirs a small Italian woman stopped, stared at me, and then said something in Italian that I gathered meant “you are so small and your ice cream is so big.” It was really funny.
After Florence we headed to Venice. I love Venice. I am going to live and/or have a summer home there. I could not believe how unique and charming and just downright cool it was. Can you imagine crossing a bridge to get to your front door? Or how about taking a boat to work? Crazy! We took a water bus out to Murano where they make glass. We watched a man make a horse in about 30 seconds. It was incredible. After Murano we continued on to Burano where they make lace. Unfortunately the lace factory was not open so we did not see that but the island itself is charming, full of brightly colored houses and cute little alleys. We also saw the filming of a bollywood movie. It was so funny. We took a ton of silly pictures and basically had a wonderful day. Our addiction to gelato was also fed…I think I had at least 6 scoops a day every day I was in Venice. My friend just kept saying “don’t worry it’s water based!” I think for my sake I will believe her. Now that we are back in Vienna we have scoped out a good and cheap gelato place and don’t worry I have already paid them a visit.
We leave for Prague on Wednesday and I am actually going back to Italy at the beginning of November. I am headed to Milan and Rome so I am sure you will hear all about it!
I miss you all!

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