My sister wanted to go to Europe with me because we were both unemployed simultaneously, and she said If not now, then when? I was hesitant because I felt I should be trying to get back into job hunting. But I guess I wouldn’t have much holiday leave later on in life and would probably have more expenses to focus on. So, after the umpteenth rejection email, I decided to let’s do it. We planned most of it beforehand in terms of places to visit. We are lucky to have family friends in Italy, so we could have a home base to ease into the time difference, because the first few days were rough. They lived in Vicenza, so we flew in and out of Venice. The next few blog posts will be about my travels throughout Europe.

Verona

We first went to Verona, where our uncle took us. I am not used to this whole driving on the opposite side of the road. I low-key panic every time we enter a roundabout. There was a Saturday market, so we looked through what they were selling. We had decided to have gelato, so we didn’t buy anything. The authentic gelato was so good, I will miss it when I return. While in Verona, we went to these places in one afternoon.

Arena di Verona

This arena is older than the Colosseum and is still in use today. For my peers who grew up in the 2000s, this is also where they sang What Dreams Are Made of in the Lizzie Maguire movie. I have only watched the film a couple of times on Disney Channel, but I still remember it a lot. It’s so weird. We went inside, looked around, and walked up and down through some of the passageways. The passageways were different depending on where you were seated. They have also refurbished it and put in seats where I assume there was just a slab. Another interesting part is that the heights of the stairs are so high that my knees hurt. But yeah, it’s a pretty cool place of history and pop culture.

Casa di Giulietta

Casa di Giulietta, or Juliet’s house, is where you can see Juliet’s balcony. The Juliet they are referring to is from Romeo and Juliet, where Romeo professes his love in Shakespeare’s play. I remember when we read the sonnet in English class, being obsessed with it. I found it so beautiful and spent like three days reading it constantly. Speaking it aloud during lunch time, I am happy my friends humoured me through that time. As a teenager, I found dying for love the most romantic thing you could do. Which, now that I think about it, is a bit concerning… Anyway, now they have blocked off that part of the street, which is different from when my sister was there last time, so we took a photo by the entrance. Then we had gelato, which is really good in a nearby place. It was a chill day, and thanks to the Jetlag I slept in the car on the way back to my uncle’s don’t remember a thing.

Venice

Venice, the city of love that is constantly sinking! We took the train to Venice, and when we bought tickets, they announced that we should be aware of pickpockets. My sister was like “Why not just announce to target these two!” That’s how loud it was. From the train station we decided to walk because the ferries are a bit expensive from the train station. The routes are pretty scenic and a nice mix of bricks and bridges.

Piazza San Marco

Also known as St Mark’s Square, this is where Saint Mark’s Basilica is and the location of the Doge’s Palace. It was a 20-minute walk from the train station. There is a campanile or bell tower there, but it was being renovated when we were there. So, in NZ, we don’t have squares in cities maybe like Aotea Square, but you could fit four of them in Piazza San Marco. I imagined people 200 to 500 years ago walking the same places as me. Europeans didn’t even know NZ existed then; it’s so cool. Also interesting was that there was some music playing and couples were dancing together. I actually thought it was romantic rather than cringey. We walked around and took some photos.

Saint Marco Basilica

The current cathedral was built in 1036, almost 1000 years ago. We didn’t buy tickets beforehand, and the line seemed long, so we decided to admire the architecture from the outside, take some photos and then we were on our way.

Doge’s Palace

The Doge’s Palace was next door to Saint Marco Basilica, constructed around 1320 and turned into an art museum. The line for Doge’s palace was not as long. Still, tickets to the palace included tickets to the other museums in St Mark’s Square, so it didn’t seem worth it as we arrived around 1pm. Because we could not see everything the ticket would offer. So again, we took some photos and then left.

Ponte della Paglia

This bridge in Venice, near the Doge’s Palace, is popular for viewing the Bridge of Sighs. It was crowded, so we quickly took photos and were off. There is a nice view of the sea, which looked so blue and beautiful that day.

Original Murano Glass Factory

After our wander through the square, we decided to go to a glass factory. We agreed on the original Murano glass (OMG) factory. You need to take a ferry there, but they are frequent, and it wasn’t far from the dock. We arrived a bit early but were brought into the factory. Here, they make handmade glass items. We saw one of the workers sculpt a jug and a horse. The process of cooling and reheating the glass was so cool. There is an intrusive thought to touch it, but considering how hot it is, I can only imagine the burns that action would have. We were whisked to one of their gift shops, where we marvelled at the items. Were they all made here? Who knows? But were they pretty? Yes. We then bought some glass sculptures from some other shops nearby. There are dozens of them in this area.

Final Thoughts

After visiting the glass factory, we had some coffee and then went back to the train station to go back to Vicenza. Our original plan was to revisit some of the sights in Venice after we had gone to all the other places on our trip. But we were so exhausted later on that we didn’t get around to it. So, we just briefly visited these places. Hopefully, if I go again, I will have more time to explore these two cities.