Airport Benches and Sunrise Gondolas

After our lovely last Greek dinner and Byron's tattoo we climbed into a fleet (two) of taxis and headed to the airport, where we sat on the outdoor terrace and recounted the last few days to much laughter and embarrassment. We boarded the plane at 1 am and slept for a few hours, arriving in Venice around 3 am. I slept on two metal benches in the airport lobby, using my cookie-stuffed backpack as lumbar support and jumping every time the floor cleaning Zamboni drove by my face. You could call me a jetsetter I guess.

By 6 am the glamour of airport life had worn off and we were ready to book it out of there. Being delirious from exhaustion we ended up buying the wrong tickets and then paying for a whole new set, but within the hour we were arriving in Venice. We made a lady under a bridge take our photo to mark our survival. The sun was just rising and the city looked incredible.

We found a little cafe by this bridge and sat down for some much needed coffee and chocolate-filled croissants. I made friends with the barista and I think he could tell I was about to cry from exhaustion, so when he brought my cappuccino out it looked like this :)

After breakfast we rallied and started our walk through the streets of Venice. Let me tell you that looking back on my physical and mental state in that moment it's pretty unbelievable that I was able to appreciate the city as much as I did. That alone says a lot for how beautiful it is. The sun was rising and people were coming outside on their way to work or open shop. There were fresh fruit vendors everywhere and Venetian masks or leather goods in all the store windows.

We may have gotten lost/separated a few times- Venice is pretty confusing! Especially when you have no map or conception of the city and you keep walking aimlessly based on which shoe store looks better at an intersection. After shimmying through some alleys we suddenly turned the corner onto the Piazza San Marco! The duomo was just sitting right there, I thought I was dreaming for a second. Byron took the moment to chase some pigeons.

We sat on the edge of the canal, covered in backpack sweat and grime, and just marveled. How amazing is our world that it's possible to watch the sun set in Santorini and rise in Venice? I am continuously struck by how blessed I am. After a bit I got up and walked along the Grand Canal for a bit. A sweet old french couple asked me to take their picture and then I started going up to couples and asking if they wanted me to take one for them. It was so fun! I may have pretended to be Italian...

We walked back towards the train station, bought some paninis and sat in a mini piazza eating and playing soccer with the wrappers. Just after noon we boarded our train to Bologna, and when we arrived and unpacked a bit there was a gorgeous restaurant dinner for us! Unfortunately my body decided to call it quits and I spent the next two days in bed with a 103 degree fever. More on Bologna soon!

I'll be back Venice!