In Italy!

Before I start, just wanted to let you all know if you want to leave a comment and aren't a Blogger member you can now because I have changed the settings. Didn't know I could do that but now five months into my  six month journey you are free to comment as much as you like! A little late but oh well.

Our Italian adventure started on a bus in Graz, Austira. Six hours later we arrived in Venice, one of the most famous cities in the world I'd say. Sometimes travelling feels like a dream and it's crazy to think in one day you can hop from one country to another just like that. So when we arrived in Venice I really had to stop and think, 'Whoa I'm in Venice, the city I've heard so much about because it is so unique, surrounded by water and gondolas and I never thought I'd be here but I'm here!' I loved taking the water bus which worked just like a tram or the metro but on water - so cool! We stayed in a bed and breakfast because there are like no hostels in Venice and there was a sweet Italian man that seemed to run that place that spoke little english but tried really hard. So cute. We just spent one full day there on the main island, walking around, checking out the little shops, taking tons of photos and enjoying another carnival (we seem to be hitting them all lately). Some people had phenomenal costumes. The first night we found a really cool resturaunt and needless I was excited for my first meal in Italy. Italian food is my favourite and I've only heard good things about the real, authentic, straight from Italy food. Savannah got pizza and I got pasta with pesto and ricotta cheese. Mmmm! The next day we took a train to Cremona where our friends Dom and Jen live. We met them through Capernwray and Dom is Italian, Jen is Canadian and they have the cutest little daughter. We had a great time at their place. Lots of relaxing and a bit of sightseeing. Jen took us into the city centre one day and we just wandered around some shops and ended off with some hot chocolate which is like no hot chocolate I have ever had before. It is seriously like drinking chocolate syrup - amazing! They both took us to the market one day as well which was cool. You can't really go wrong with markets. A couple of nights some of Dom's family came over for supper which was really neat because in any sort of movie where there are Italians in it you are guaranteed to have a scene where they are enjoying a good meal at the dinner table, talking loudly, laughing lots and taking their time. This was no exception and I loved it. Did I mentioned we never ate supper before 8:00? Last night we didn't leave the dinner table until almost 10:30. This was a fun cultural experience. Another day Savannah and I ventured out on our own to Verona which is a very pretty Italian city. They have a colosseum similar to the one in Rome except it is still up and running with concerts and different events going on there. Verona is also the home of the famous, Juliet's balcony. I first heard about this just before my trip in the movie, "Letters to Juliet". Super cheesy but good when you're in a big chick flick mood. In the movie, actress Amanda Seyfried enters the courtyard in curiousity to find a whole bunch of women sobbing about whatever love troubles they have and writing and stuffing letters in the cracks of the wall that holds Juliet's balcony. Part of me wanted to believe this is what I would see when I walked in but the other part of me was like, "Karin, get real, this is like Verona's biggest tourist attraction." And it was true, the place was packed with tourists, it was nothing like the movie but still really cool. You can no longer stick letters in the wall's cracks (though I did see three squished in a corner) but as you walk through the corridor before entering the courtyard people have written all over those walls usually with something like, 'John + Cindy' in the center of a heart. Oh Love - such a beautiful thing. We hit up another nice resturaunt not in the touristy area where the prices are jacked up ridiculously but on some random street. Savannah had a tomato and cheese macaroni dish and I had a salmon and zucchini, really thin spaghetti noodle dish. Great place with great service. Oh and we got gelato that day too...twice. I recommend the coconut if you're ever in Italy. Best I've had yet out of pistachio, straciatella, tiramasu, hazelnut, chocolate and coffee. This list will definately be getting longer, I can assure you. Throughout our time at Dom and Jen's we also found it fitting to watch The Godfather. This wasn't planned but one afternoon while Jen was at work Dom, Savannah and I decided to watch a movie, after each of us picking three, we narrowed it down to only two - I Am Legend and The Godfather. Savannah and I had never seen the Godfather and since we were in Italy, what better place to watch it seeing as it was about the Mafia and all? I had actually had no idea what is was about, all these years of hearing endless quotes from people who seem to love the movie so I was curious what all the hype was about. We ended up watching all three (not in one day) and now I feel like my Italy experience is complete. Well, almost. We are currently in Rome and you can't do Italy without seeing Rome. Just arrived today and can't wait to write about it when we are done but so far...amazing!!
Ciao for now :)