Venice, Italy

Once again, I'm a train from somewhere amazing to sp somewhere equally breathtaking. This time I'm leaving the island of Venice and on my way to Florence. Hear is a brief recap of my adventures in Venice.
Venice is beautiful. That much was clear shortly after I arrived on the island on the high speed train that brought me there. The series of canals that snake through the chain of islands give it a surreal feel and I doubt I'll ever see anything like it again. But because of this particular style of beauty, the island is a hell to navigate. Getting lost is simply part of the experience.
I spent my first day doing a good bit of that and established a solid diet for by time on the island: chocolate and pizza. I was pretty happy with most of my selections, the gelato was delicious, only one cookie let me down, and I had a brownie that almost rivaled by reward from the London airport.
As always I had great camaraderie to go along with the new city. A friend studying at St. Andrews in Scotland flew down to join me before heading off to meet another friend in another part of Italy. She was formally an art history major and kept me well informed on the beautiful works of art we encountered.
The most stunning part of Venice would have to be St. Marl's Square, which houses the Basilica of the same name and the Doge's Palace. I got to see the plaza at night on two separate occasions and on Sunday morning I snuck into mass on Palm Sunday. I was impressed. The Doge's Palace rivaled Versailles in my mind, as the ancient palace was a testament to the power of the rulers of the Republic of Venice well into the 18th century. It was more stately than the opulent Versailles and commanded a sense of respect rather awe at the sheer opulence of the structure. Which isn't to say it was without its gilded halls, grand archways, stunning courtyards, but it left a different impression.
Two runner-ups in this competition was my visit to the island of Murano where I made a few purchases, and my ride up the Grand Canal as I made my way to the train station to depart. I'd definitely like to return to the island someday when I have enough money to decorate my house with some of the amazing pieces of glasswork I saw in Murano. But until then I'll just settle for having the funds to continue my journey.
Also, someone keeps demanding pictures, so here's what I'm going to do: I'm looking through the pictures to pick out some of the best so that they can be uploaded quickly the next time I have internet access. Hopefully that will satisfy my many followers.