Venice

* The high school on base had their junior-senior prom on Friday!---We all had the perfect view for watching all the parents take pictures and check out all the dresses because they got on the bus to go in front of our hotel! We also met one woman who's son was going to prom...she was from Waterloo, IA!!

* Friday night most of our Camp Adventure group went out to eat. Afterwards we saw a community event outside a church...there was food and music so a few of us stayed to check that out for a bit. I think the old people were doing th

e Italian version of polka/line dancing! Brittney and I tried it. Then we walked around awhile a

nd then got gelato....because it is so good!

*Saturday we headed to Venice:

-It was interesting and exciting to figure out how to get off base, find the bus stop, figure out when to get off, which train to take,etc. but we didn't do too shabby for the first time! There was a nice English speaker and his grandma who helped us figure out the ticket machines a bit.

-Because we wanted to take the cheaper train, we had to wait in the train station awhile but I was entertained by watching trains and feeding the pigeons bits of the peanut butter sandwich I had brought along.

-Once in Venice, our plan was to walk and wander until we made our way to the Piazza San Marco Basilica (the main plaza and tourist attractions). We saw so many little vendors selling masks, pasta, wine, gondola man hats, etc. The streets were really windy and cool because there aren't any cars on the main part of Venice--only boat traffic around the canals.

-We found the main piazza and took lots of pictures! We wanted to take a gondola ride in the canal but the man said they cost 80 Euro! We said no way and were a little disappointed....until we found a little later a gondola that would take us across the main canal (very short!) for only 50 cents--that was good enough for us (we just wanted to ride one, not really go anywhere)

- It was quite the walk back to the train station after walking for about 5 hours already that day...but on the way back we were in a more residentia

l, quieter area and even saw the University of Venice-Architecture School.

- While waiting for the train, I finally bought one of the fruit cups we saw at the beginning of the day! It was cheap and filled with pineapple, watermelon, and kiwi!

-On the train back we met some guys who visited Venice that day too and were heading back to post as well. We thought there would be more of a chance of finding our way back with their help, but they didn't know any more than us! We all figured out when to get off and the buses back together.