Shannon Ferguson and Taylor Gorman
Buongiorno from Italy.
We left Switzerland at 8:30am on train to head to the wonderful world of Venice. The 6 hour long train trip involved card games, catching up on that much needed sleep and enjoying the scenery through the Alps. We arrived in Venice expecting cloud and rain but were welcomed by booming sunshine which we hadn’t seen for quite a while and finally it was warm enough to take off our jumpers that we have lived in since our time in France.
After arriving in Venice, and doing our 26 person count off, we made our way to the ferries (vaporetto) to head to our hostel. Getting everyone on the boat proved to be a challenge with our backpacks. The boat became full very quickly and half the group missed out on boarding. Once the group reunited at the hostel we found out that the 16 girls were all in one room and all the boys were also in a room together. We headed off to meet our tour guide at Saint Marks square at 4pm, but arrived there at 4.30pm. Mrs Sabine Benoit our guide, was very welcoming and cracked a few jokes to lift our spirits. We set off for Saint Mark’s cathedral, and learnt about the mosaics which we discovered were made from 1cm cubed pieces of pure Venetian glass. Our tour then took us to Saint Mark’s Square where pigeons swarmed to be fed which is strictly prohibited and involves a 700 euro fine.
A request from the students was to purchase the famous Venetian glass. This gave us the chance to watch the glass being shaped and formed into magnificent creations. Gifts varied and were tightly wrapped, with hopes to make a safe travel home. After leaving the store, students had the chance to go on the much anticipated Gondola ride. 11 Students and Mrs Marley jumped at the chance and after a wonky step into the boat we finally headed off into the canals. In two separate boats we were guided through by our gondola driver and were told about the many bridges and canals throughout the city. While the 11 students and Mrs Marley were enjoying and relaxing at the site of Venice the remaining teachers and students had the chance to go shopping.
After the gondola ride, we met in a large group and discovered that it is quite easy to become lost in the streets of Venice. Whilst looking for our restaurant we lost a few teachers but they quickly caught up with us outside the restaurant, where we would enjoy a traditional Italian meal. After consuming our three course meal and discussing the afternoon we all had, we made our way back to the hostel with nearly every student carrying a bag of gifts ranging from glass ornaments and masks to small mementoes. After arriving at the hostel, the line up grew in the need to call home and talk to the much missed family and friends :).
