The {118} Islands of Boats, Bridges & Bellinis

March 31, 2015

The {118} Islands of Boats, Bridges & Bellinis

When I think of Venice, I think of the gondolas in movies. Before going on a school trip to Venice for the weekend, I had heard of the city numerous times and remembered seeing it in a few films. However, my knowledge of Venice and its history were very, very minimal.

Gondolas are not the only important thing in Venice's history. There are 118 islands that make up Venice. To get from one island to the other, you either walk and cross one of the 450+ bridges connecting the islands, or you take the ferry service. Their ferries are set up exactly like a bus or subway system (aka, there are colored and numbered lines and different stops/platforms). Personally, I was a huge fan of the ferry-bus system. I have always loved boats and having it as the sole form of transportation was a great break from planes, trains and automobiles.

As you walk around Venice you cross numerous bridges, watch hundreds of gondolas glide by and you constantly window shop throughout the many carnevale mask and glass stores. Their masks are exquisitely decorated and almost every store you pass will have a wall of big colorful masks waiting to be bought and a table set up with owners hand painting them right in front of you. Glass is another product Venice, specifically the island of Murano, is known for. Whether it be wine glasses, trays, ornaments, animals or any other object, there will be a glass version of it made within Venice.

(you have no idea how hard it was to not buy this Christmas tree...)

Traveling to Venice was pretty simple from Florence. After a quick 3 and a half hour bus ride and a ferry ride from the mainland of Italy, we arrived at our hotel. It was amazing being back on a boat and by the sea. On the first day we had a local guide take us to places such as St. Mark's Square, Dolce's Palace and the Bridge of Sighs. All extraordinary.

While we were in Venice I attempted to eat every lunch and dinner with seafood; not only because we were in the middle of the sea, but because Venice is also famous in Italy for their seafood. Between shrimp, sea bass, tuna and crab, I had my fair share of amazing fish for the weekend.

The next day we ventured off to Burano. A small island about 40 minutes off the coast of the mainland of Venice. Burano is famous for their lace and bright colored buildings. After somehow figuring out the ferry lines and arriving at Burano, it felt as if we had stepped off into candy land or a Dr. Suess book. The bright colorful buildings were overwhelming and it was hard to realize a place like this actually existed. We walked around the island and shopped for lace and glass for a few hours before returning to Venice.

Our last (half) day consisted of a morning visit to the Guggenheim Museum and some more shopping around Venice before we left. While shopping, Emma and I decided to pick up some bellinis to drink (at 11am...) just to make sure we did everything famous in Venice. A bellini is a drink invented by the founder of Harry's, a restaurant in Venice. It was then made famous by people such as Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles who would sit at Harry's and drink a bellini.