SIF: Day 4 & 5

Sunday May 15

Bright and early we boarded the bus, departing from Lucerne, headed towards Venice. 

As Alfonso drove us through southern Switzerland, we passed through several tunnels, one measuring 10 miles long!

Crossing into Italy, Alex began to prepare us for our lunch stop. We enjoyed a delicious two pasta meal, and continued on our journey through Italy. 

Stopping in Verona for a few hours, everyone unloaded from the bus. To our dismay, the dark clouds brought a thunderstorm, trapping us in the underground street crossing. 

Eventually the sky cleared up and we were able to venture around the coliseum-shaped ampitheater. 

Walking through the streets was amazing! I could not believe how incredible the houses were. 

We made our way to Juliet’s house, with the entryway adorned in handwritten names of people in love. 

Enjoying some free time before we headed back on the road, we ate gelato (the coffee flavor is to die for) and explored open air market. 

Boarding the bus once again, we continued the journey to Venice. 

As we entered the town of Jesolo, where we are staying, we found the hotel and walked to dinner. Our group dinner was pizza! I was a little surprised, but holy cow! Not only was it fantastic, but it was a huge pizza for one person. 

After dinner we stopped in a little shop to buy some wine, and headed out to the beach. BEAUTIFUL. The water was cold, but it was fantastic. I could not wrap my head around it. I was on a beach. In Italy. Having a glass of wine and enjoying time spent with friends. 

Goodnight from Italy!

Monday May 16

Arising at 6:15 am, I was beyond excited for the crazy day. Today we ventured into Venice, and oh my goodness. It is beautiful. 

From our hotel in Jesolo we travelled by bus to the boat dock, where we loaded onto the boat that would take us to the islands of Venice. 

Our morning in Venice began with a glass blowing demonstration. The demonstrator crafted a horse from the hot glass in minutes; amazing! 

With some free time we ventured through the narrow streets, crossing a few of the hundreds of bridges in the city. 

Making our way to the canal, and the famous Rialto bridge, we were disappointed to find the bridge under construction. Thanks to the selfie stick, we were able to see above the construction walls and see the views from the Rialto. 

We grouped back together for a walking tour with a local guide, who described the many buildings and elements of St Mark’s Square. 

After our tour we broke off for lunch and free time. We had an excellent Italian meal, and found ourselves some awesome finds in the shops. 

Then we toured Doge’s Palace. Holy crap. Jaw dropping. It was simply incredible. 

Next we toured St Mark’s Cathedral. Also jaw dropping. It is magnificent how incredible and intricate the architecture is. 

The views from the balcony were superior. 

Now we get to the best part of the day. A few weeks ago, Logan asked me for some help on the trip. We took a gondola ride through Venice. Absolutely incredible. 

And then the best part happened. Logan proposed to Emma in the sweetest way. And I cried. 

I am so happy for these two best friends of mine!

Photo credit: Cassidy Barnard. 

After all the excitement we enjoyed some gelato and took the boat back to our hotel. 

We enjoyed a great Italian meal, and ended our night once again on the beach. 

Goodnight Jesolo and Venice! Tomorrow to Florence!