Friday, January 10th, 2014

Gondola

17 Americans traveling to Venice, 10 hours on planes, 2 water taxis, 1 connecting flight, 0 hours of sleep, and we all made it!

At 2:00 PM on Friday, January 10th, Marymount Manhattan students arrived in the Venice airport, where we met up with our tour guide, Jon Bouillot.  From the airport, we made our way to the water taxis, which would take us to our hotel.  

The fog that covered the setting only added to the magic, though, as we pulled closer to shore and got our first glimpse of Venice, with its multi-colored buildings, church steeples, alleyways, and ancient architecture, it took our breath away.  Many of the students describe Venice as “magical,” stating it was as though they were in a story book.  

It’s easy to get lost in Venice, not only with its multitude of winding alleyways but also because it has a relaxing and calming feel over the town that just takes away any stress. 

Our First Glimpse of the Piazza San Marco

After making our way to the Hotel La Fenice, we set back out onto the streets in search of the Basilica of San Marco.  The Piazza in front of the church is jaw-dropping, a wide-open space filled with people milling about, pigeons approaching citizens, and, of course, the famous Campanile (bell tower).  The museum was closed for the evening but we quickly made plans to return to the site.  

Following our adventures in the Piazza,we headed back to our hotel, stopping for some much-needed espresso and gelato (yum!) along the way.  

Our class discussion focused on the students’ first impressions of Venice and how they related to the readings we had done in preparation.

Dinner was a delicious pasta, chicken, & salad, and tiramisu for dessert.  

Day 1 was an absolute success and if represents the rest of the trip, we’ve got a lot of exciting adventures in store for us!

Published: January 10, 2014