European Glasses

***This post is less up-beat and much more personal than my other posts. Please don't be alarmed or upset if it seems sad to you. Sadness is a part of coping and this blog is meant to show the reality of my experience in it's entirety. ***

Sometimes I feel like I'm on the outside looking in. You know that feeling? When everyone seems to be a part of some big event or emotion except you, and for some reason you can't quite get to where they are. Locked doors, closed hearts, different interests.

When I got off the plane it seemed like everyone was handed a pair of brand-new, rose-colored glasses. We all smiled until our cheeks hurt and loved every nuance of France. We were taking photos at every opportunity and eating delicious meals every night. Somehow, someway, I lost my glasses early on. Sat them down on the top of the Bastille or dropped them in the road when I was running to catch the tram. Everyone else kept theirs closely guarded but me....I've always been a little clumsy with loosing small but important things.

Here at the end of my trip I'm dragging, watching everyone else begin to tear up as they realize fully that they are leaving. Everyone is sad and hesitant to do the very thing that I've been waiting months for. The more time I spend here the more disenchanted I become whereas everyone else fell more and more in love. How can it be that I was so ready three months ago to go and live this "dream" of mine? How can it be that I was eager to leave my home behind and embrace this place with all my heart? I had been so certain that I would love it here. It never crossed my mind for an instant that France could let me down. But was it France that let me down...or myself?

 When I sit and think about my feelings and realize that it's not the place that isn't what I dreamed it would be. It's me. I did not make the countless friends I thought I would make, or see the many things I thought I would see. My French did not improve as it should have and at the end of it all I feel so disappointed in myself. So many back at home are proud of the "difficult" thing that I have done but I am not. I feel like I failed at something vitally important to me.

What does it mean to be the girl who falls in love with the idea of things but once she has them finds she does not love them at all? Constant disappointment? If I cannot come to love the place that I am in, and only look to get to the next stop on my road in hopes that it will be better, I know I will never arrive at happiness. But how can I force myself to be happy when I am not? And once I do reach happiness, how do I stay content but not have it evolve into placidity? I fear more than most things, contentment with a menial, trivial life without adventure or extraordinary happenings. (Although sometimes I feel choosing that path may be easier.)

Still, though, I think of other things. I would tell everyone I know to go and study abroad. I would take this journey again and again, and each time do something differently. I can't decide if this disappointment truly means I've failed, or if it serves me better as fuel to my fiery determination. I didn't accomplish what I wanted to but I will come back again. I will try again and again until I can keep my glasses firmly placed and say that I am happy.

I envy those who sigh and say that they will miss it here. I find that it would be far better to be sad because you will miss a place than it is to be sad that you cannot miss it at all.

Heart in Two Places

Only when you must leave something behind do you begin to truly appreciate it. Despite all my homesickness and time spent counting down the days until I leave for home, a strange sadness swept over me this afternoon.

My host parents invited me to their friend's house for dinner. Usually we have them and their daughter Alex over to our place, but this was the first time I had been invited to theirs. It was a wonderful dinner and I sat in the cozy atmosphere listening to the incomprehensible babble of five french people talking about things I couldn't begin to understand. Sometime between finishing the last drop of champagne from the crystal champagne flute and cuddling with my after-dinner mug of mint tea, I realized something horrible: I was never going to see these people again.

All at once there was an ache in my stomach. I missed out on so much. Alex who had always been so nice to me could have become a great friend. What if I had spent my days trying to see a movie or get a coffee with her, instead of being alone in my house? What if I had had a host family who liked to play board games in the afternoon instead of watching news shows that did not interest me? What if, what if, what if.

But there is nothing I can do about the "what ifs". I can only appreciate what I did have here in Grenoble, and remember everything fondly. Although there are dozens of things here that I won't miss at all and will be glad to be rid of, there are just as many that I will find myself feeling lost without. Of course this means I must follow up with a list of things I'm going to miss here.

1. French Dinners
   Not the food, surprisingly. (Everything here needs more spice if you ask me). What I'm going to miss most about dinners here is the way they're put together when company arrives. Everyone gathers around with champagne in pretty glasses and little tiny appetizer foods on colorful plates, and passes an hour or so just talking together. Sooner or later we'll all realize that the food and drinks are gone, and meander into the kitchen for four complete courses: salad, main course, cheese course, dessert. Naturally wine is served. We finish off with quiet conversation and warm cups of tea, enjoying the company and the feeling of being content and well fed. Yes, I truly will miss dinners here.
2. Wine
   The French attitude toward alcohol is wonderful. Wines and cocktails are beverages to be tasted and enjoyed together, not chugged in the dark and sticky atmosphere of a bar or house party. Drinking is a social event and not the kind of rage-craze you find at college that will leave you with a headache and a bad taste in your mouth after. I will miss discussing the flavors of wine and how they pair with certain foods. Miss holding the pretty crystal glasses and swirling the base on the table absent-mindedly as I try to understand table conversation. I will even miss the bar scene here, where people gather to play darts or dance more than to be drunk at the end of it all.
3. Public Transportation
   The trams go anywhere and everywhere I need to go in Grenoble for 25 euro a month. They run relatively smoothly about every fifteen minutes (except when there are strikes). If I want to go to another country train tickets are less than 200 euro and travel time is rarely over two hours. Need I say more?
4. History
   America is young. It might not feel like it to those who live there, but after spending time here in France there is no way I could ever feel the same about history again. There is something fascinating to me about  visiting places hundreds of years old and getting a glimpse into the past. Old architecture, art, music, and more can be found in even the tiniest villages. I will miss that dearly.
5. Variety
   Whether you realize it or not, America looks pretty much the same all over. One suburb is not too much different than the rest and neither are our major cities very different. Here there is no mistaking one city for another because the landscape changes swiftly.
   

There you have it. Although I'm still excited to go home, I will indeed miss this city. My heart will always be living in two places. 

Some Sort of "-Itis"

First let me apologize for the changes in the layout! I'm practicing with coding and fiddling with a few things here and there trying to get the look I want, so if you notice things are looking a little unusual that would be why.

Now, let's talk about "itis"es. We all know the regulars: arthritis, siniusitis, and even senioritis. I-t-i-s is a great ending that changes a word from a simple noun to the title of condition or disease. Thank you English language. Today I diagnosed myself with transitionitis. 

At first I thought about calling it "End of Study Abroad-itis", but that isn't the easiest of titles. I toyed with shortening it to "Study Abroad-itis" but that wasn't quite it either. Transitionitis is what I go through when it's time to make a life change.

My Aunt taught me that everyone has a different way of saying goodbye. Some do it in tears, others by detachment, and still more say goodbye in anger. I go through an entire roller coaster of feelings and emotions when I'm making a transition and saying goodbye to one stage of life as I trade it for another. End of the semester, end of the school year, leaving to visit home, returning home...all of those things give me transitionitis and trigger my coping stages.

Right now I'm getting ready to leave France and re-start my life back home, and I've got a serious case of transitionitis. Just eleven more days until I'm in the air on my way back to the states! I'm living in my super-excited, incredibly impatient, cloud9, ready-to-go stage. I had the same thing just before leaving for France. When I'm here, there's nothing I want more than to get to where I'm going. Everything about home sounds heavenly and suddenly the place I'm in right now seems gloomy and depressing. Today I was talking to a classmate about how tired I was of French and how excited I was to go home, and she shocked me by asking:

"Are you really that miserable?"

Miserable? Me? I started to mull over the past three months, trying to decide if I had really been miserable the entire time. It's true that France hasn't been everything I dreamed of. A lot of my posts are self-assurances just as much as they are meant to be assuring to you. I talk a lot about not being upset if you don't feel the way you think you should during your study abroad because I don't feel the way I thought I should. But did that make me miserable? Then she asked:

"Well, was it worth it?"

Yes. I can answer without a shadow of a doubt that this has been one of the most changing, worthwhile experiences of my life. No, I haven't been miserable this entire time. I can look back and see how much I've learned from the moment I landed here. Independence, self confidence, cultural acceptance, street smarts, courage, and of course, language, are all things that this trip has brought to me and I wouldn't trade them for anything.

Of course there were nights where I cried and wanted nothing but to go home. Sometimes I think I have had many more of those nights than some other students. I didn't do as many activities or make as many friends as I had hoped, either, and that was a big disappointment. But for all the things I didn't like I can think of one or more that I did, and I value the lessons this trip has taught me.

So maybe I'm not as in love with France as I was before. I might not come and live here like I thought I wanted to at first. That doesn't mean my journey wasn't worth it, or that I no longer love it at all. In fact I think my love is stronger than it was! Just different. France isn't a perfect dreamworld in my head anymore, it's a real place and I know it's good side and it's bad. 

Senior year of high school I starred in our all-school musical as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. It might be cheesy but I see a lot of connections to her story and mine. She ran away from her dusty old Kansas farm to find a place where she could live her dreams, but once she made it there it wasn't what she had always hoped for. Her new friends were wonderful and some things were fascinating, but even under all the color and excitement there were challenges and roadblocks. You would think Oz was more exciting than Kansas and Dorothy would want to stay, but she knew something I didn't quite feel back when I played her on stage:

There really is no place like home.

Image credit to google search

The Perfect Gift

I've already mentioned several times how much I love the holidays. Something about the bustling energy, delicious treats, and pretty lights gives me a warm fuzzy feeling every single year.  I know it doesn't happen for everyone, and that makes me so sad! If I could, I would share this amazing glow with everyone because it really does make December the "most wonderful time of the year".

My favorite part of Christmas, though? Gifts. I know, I know! Christmas is about giving, family, love, and the spirit of the holiday. Trust me, I'm all on board with that too! Besides, I don't mean receiving gifts. My specialty is giving them.

Whether it's Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, or "just because", I love spending time finding or making a gift that is just right. I'm pretty good at it too, if I do say so myself. ;) It's so exciting to watch someone open a present and grin from ear to ear. Even the tiniest thing can brighten someone's day.

Study abroad can be a bit of a challenge when it comes to picking out souvenirs for everyone back home. Especially when you get back just in time for Christmas. You have to pick and choose who to buy for, budget out a specific amount for each person, and make sure it can fit in your suitcase on the way home. It can get a little touchy and even overwhelming. Don't panic! There are tons of options if you get a little creative. Because friends and family read this blog, I can't exactly give away all my good ideas ;) but I do have a few tips and tricks if you're struggling to come up with ideas.

1. Think ahead
There are so many awesome gift ideas I could have been working on throughout my trip, but I didn't think of them until last minute! Before you depart, start gathering up inspiration. Trying to get everything together in the final weeks of your trip way less enjoyable than gradually collecting things from different places.

2. Collect
Photos, rocks, key chains, and more! Little collections of the same thing from every city you visit can be very inexpensive and make really meaningful gifts. This kind of present shows the person you give it to that you were thinking of them every step of the way. You can even write little description tags for each piece to give the person a sense of the place you were in.

3. Create
Sometimes home made gifts are the best kind. This rule applies at home and abroad too! Take a little journal with you and write a note on each page to the person you want to give it to. You can even tape tickets, flowers, and other little trinkets on the inside. I know a person in my program who draws a picture of the scenery in every city and sends them to her friend back home. There is so much you can do when you travel and all it takes is a little thought and effort.

4. Buy local
If you're looking to buy something a little bigger, aim to buy locally crafted goods. Sure you can buy a nice scarf just about anywhere, but wouldn't it make a cooler present if the tag says "handmade in (insert place here)"? Lots of places sell goods that are made in china, so make sure you look for quality stamps or stickers on products before you buy.

5. Tell the Story
When you give your gift, be sure to include some information about where you found it! Souvenirs are meant to bring a little bit of your adventure back to the people you love, and they're going to want to know all about it. Telling them how you found their present in a little street market one day while walking through a small village makes it more sentimental and personal than, "I bought this for you in Russia".

6. Look in unusual places
Some gifts you can actually find at local supermarkets or convenience stores! If you're looking for something very typical of your country, this is honestly the best place to look. In this case, telling where you found it is not as important as explaining why you picked it. Laundry soap  might make a great gift if you explain that nearly all french people use solid laundry soap and grate it by hand because it's gentler on soft fabrics and preserves clothing super well. 

7. Wrap it up
Find creative ways to wrap your gifts. Packaging can make or break any present, as weird as that sounds. I'm a huge fan of home-made wrapping paper. Observe the way people in your country arrange gifts, and take a few tips from them. Presentation is a fun part of gift giving and adds a special charm.

8. Put it in a basket
Gift baskets are awesome presents. You can go with a theme or compile a hodge-podge of fun little trinkets. My favorite part about this is that you can personalize them so easy, and offer variety if you can't decide on just one thing for someone! Have a friend who loves beauty products? Snag little sample sizes of things from a different store in every city. Grandma loves to cook? Pick up some cookie cutters in Germany, a wooden spoon in France, and a recipe book in Italy. There are no limits to what you can do.

9. Don't stress
Remember that whatever you do, people are going to love that you were thinking about them while you were away. Gifting should be fun, not stressful! Even if you don't get the magnificent presents you might have been dreaming up, it really is the thought that counts.

Strasbourg, Colmar, and Thanksgiving

Let's begin with a  throwback to last Thursday: Thanksgiving Day (to all of you in the states). Just as I was beginning to get down about missing all the fun holidays that happen at home, I was reminded of how blessed I am to be studying with API. The phenomenal directors of our program plan a potluck for their students every year so that they don't have to miss their families too much. Of course, if you are anything like me, I tend to worry that college students aren't  reliable when it comes to showing up with nicely prepared food to share with 30 people, so my expectations were pretty low. Lucky for me it seems everyone else thought the same thing! When I showed up at the door with my big bowl of mashed potatoes a delicious feast of sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing, pasta salad, cranberry sauce, mac n' cheese, pumpkin pie, apple tart, and more were waiting to be devoured! API provided the turkey and we all had a really good time listing what we were thankful for and stuffing ourselves over-full.

Photo credit to Jeanne, a fellow student.
I was in the back right corner, but apparently leaned back out of the photo. Oops!

Okay, now let's get to last Friday: a weekend vacation to Strasbourg to visit the Marche de Noel! Yes that's right, we got to visit a Christmas market. Not just any Christmas market, mind you, but the oldest and largest Christmas market in Europe.

Credit to Jasmine, a fellow student.
A shot of one of the restaurants decked out Strasbourg style.

Quick history lesson! Strasbourg is located in the Alsace Lorraine region of France, right next to Germany. The region has been fought over between the two countries for ages, and has a really neat mixture of French/German culture. However, if you ask anyone who lives there, they are 100% French. All residents speak French and German, and oftentimes English as well. The architecture changes between the two styles depending on the part of town you happen to be in, and food specialties are heavily influenced by Germany (think beer and sausages). Basically it's the best possible mixture in the entire world. I was in love.

Credit to Jasmine.
Lights and the Cathedral in the background.

Fairy-tale houses covered from ground to rooftops in Christmas decorations lined every single cobblestone street. I swear it was the North Pole minus snow. I've never seen a place look so perfect in my entire life! Lights, baubles, bears, wreaths, garlands, bells, and more in every nook and cranny of the entire city. We arrived at night to see the entire shin-dig at its finest, showering us all in the soft glow of string lights and teasing our noses with the luscious smells of gingerbread and hot spiced wine. If there was any lack of the Christmas spirit in me before Strasbourg, there certainly isn't now. (I'm bobbing my head to Christmas music as I write this.)

Credit to Jasmine.
Notice: giant stuffed bears strapped to a building. These people put your decorations to shame.

We dropped our things off at the hotel and took off immediately to find food. It takes 7 hours to get to Strasbourg from Grenoble, and a bus ride like that can work up some serious hunger pains. A few friends and myself ended up at a charming, narrow, 3 story classic Alsatian restaurant dining on the third (crooked) floor. I feasted on a delicious maple-syrup flavored smoked sausage with a side of fries and a small salad. Mmm delicious! I pretty much rolled down the stairs on the way out I was so full.

The front of the restaurant. Again, credit to Jasmine.

It was pretty  late by then so we only snuck in a few peeks at the Christmas booths on our march back to the hotel. We took a moment to tilt our heads back and stare in awe at the gorgeous cathedral illuminated from below, then it was off to bed!

The next morning kicked off with an hour and a half tour of the city. Although I couldn't hear too much, we were given an awesome view of the cathedral Clock (clockenspiel) and even got to see the quarter hour strike and bring an old man to ring death's bell.  I'm sure this thing has an awesome history considering how well it's been preserved so it's a pity I missed it this time around. Oh well, guess that means I'll have to go back! I did learn, however, that the only concentration camp in France is located near Strasbourg.

Credit to Jasmine.
Left: Cathedral
Top Right: Christmas Market entry!
Bottom Right: Clockenspiel.

From then on the day was free! I went ice-skating with a few fellow students and had a blast! What a great way to spend a few hours and burn off some of last night's dinner. The ice rink had a huge DJ stand and some pretty neat disco lights. Everything was great, except avoiding the little bullies who were skating around pushing people over.

I spent the rest of my day wandering around wide-eyed, shopping for Christmas gifts. I've never seen so many beautifully crafted goods in one place!Leather crafters, metal benders, glass makers, wood carvers, and more were around every corner.  The little log houses added an extra charm to every square and I couldn't stop smiling. It was the real Santa's workshop. I was very pleased to come away with almost everyone's Christmas gifts and I can't wait to give them all out!

Credit to jasmine.
Top Left: Carriage going by
Bottom Left: Big Christmas tree!
Top Right: River and German style building.
Bottom Right: Myself, Jasmine, and Ernesto

Sunday morning brought an hour bus ride to Colmar to visit another, smaller market. I think the houses here were more typical German, but beyond that it was much the same as the day before. I did snag myself a pretzel (bretzel) and I am proud to let you know that America is making them just fine. I couldn't tell a difference between my Alsatian pretzel and Auntie Ann's except that  didn't get chemically processed cheese with mine here. ;)

Credit to Jasmine.

Seven hours later we were all back home unpacking and finishing last-minute homework assignments. I bought my host family a parting gift which they loved: a Christmas Advent Candle. The tall taper candle in the middle is decorated with little designs and numbered 1-25. You burn it a little every day of December until Christmas. It's nestled in a bed of pine needles, pine cones, cinnamon sticks, and orange slices. They said they would burn it Christmas eve and think of me.

Also, sorry about the lack of original pictures! I forgot my camera for the trip and was super bummed about it. I hope you all got a decent sense of the completely awesome Christmasness that is Strasbourg. I also wanted to mention that I found a Michigan cafe on my way out of Colmar! How neat?

Real Talk: What Study Abroad Really Means

Everyone has pre-conceived notions of what their study-abroad journey will be like. Chances are you imagine everything will be different, exhilarating, fulfilling, and exciting. You might be a bit of a realist as well and recognize that you will have boring days between all the good ones, along with the occasional culture-shock and homesick moments. Although all of those things are true in some aspects, I need to tell you the most important thing you will ever hear before you study abroad:

You will never be completely prepared for study abroad. 

No matter how many blogs you read, pamphlets you flip through, or how much advice you're given, you cannot predict what study abroad will bring. Even this post won't be able to bullet-proof you against the future that awaits. Honestly I can't even promise it will reach bubble-wrap levels of protection. 

I'm writing from my own experience as a girl who she thought she had it all together. (I didn't. Still don't.) So even if I can't help you avoid all of your potential road-blocks, maybe I can offer a little comfort in knowing someone has been where you are. I'm going to give you a run-down of what study abroad has been about for me.

1. Study abroad is not about adventures every day.
   Even if you already know this, you don't actually know this until you're in a foreign country laying in bed, wallowing because you can't use Netflix and you've scrolled your Tumblr dash four times already. You will have boring days. Sometimes you will not be able to find a single thing in your entire city that interests you, and that's okay. At the end of the day you're still living your normal life, you've just re-located for a while.
   
2. At the same time, it IS an adventure every day.
   You may not have a novel-worthy adventure every day it's true, but I promise you won't go a single 24 hour period without experiencing something new. Sometimes that means finding your favorite new food (Speculoos butter) and sometimes it might mean being forced to sit next to the one stereotypical French person who does smell really bad on the tram. Embrace the little adventures. They're what makes you grow.
   
3. Study abroad is about you.
   Whether you notice it right away or not, study abroad is 90% learning about yourself. How you function in stressful situations. How you manage money. How you make friends. How you learn a language. What you like best about a new place. What you hate the most. What you appreciate about home. How you problem solve. How you adapt. The list is honestly endless, and you'll be surprised at the outcome to some of those scenarios. Take what you learn about yourself and embrace it. If you find that you want to move to your new country and live there, great! If you realize that you never want to live abroad and are more of a visitor, that's find too. What is important is that you strengthen your relationship with yourself.
   
4. It's about culture.
   The good, bad, and the ugly. You learn so much about a place when you live there that you can't learn when you're a tourist. Honestly there is no possible way to comprehend how "American" you are until you are completely separated from the American culture. Everything from the tone of your voice to the way you interact when you're standing in line at the grocery store is going to feel completely out of place. This is probably my favorite part about living abroad. Sometimes it can get frustrating, yes, but at the end of the day I realize how much more there is of the world than just what I can find in 50 states, and how much more there is to people than I ever realized before. Culture is beautiful, interesting, and important.
   
5. Study abroad is about change, growth, and acceptance.This one kind of ties into the previously mentioned aspects. You're going to change and learn how to deal with things changing around you. Above all else, though, you will learn a great deal about acceptance. Acceptance of yourself,  the place you are in, the people you meet, the differences you find. Even if the experience is not what you hoped it would be when you started, you will be a different person because of it. 

Finally, let me close with what I have found to be the most important advice I could have received.

Get rid of any expectations. Let life happen. You don't wake up every morning with a grandiose, Utopian, Ihop-commercial idea of what your breakfast will be like do you? Good.  Then think as little of study abroad as you do of breakfast.

It's hard to live up to someone else's expectations, particularly if they are un-achievable. If someone holds impossible expectations, they will always be met with disappointment. You can't expect anything of your study abroad experience other than that it will change you. 

Queen of the Adriatic: Venice Italy

The next language I am going to conquer is Italian. Even if it means that I wait until I'm 70 years old and looking for something to do in my spare time. My trip to Venice this weekend was the best trip I have taken so far and I doubt any other place in Europe could compete. I would rank this second only to my mountain-climbing experience.

Unfortunately we got off to a rough start. 7 am at the train station, I couldn't retrieve my ticket because I brought the wrong credit card with me. In France you have to present the credit car you bought your ticket with in order for the station to print it out, or you may use a confirmation number. A few tears and bit of a hassle later, I ended up just buying another ticket (UGH expensive!) and getting to the train on time. From there we proceeded to take every kind of transportation to get to Venice. A bus took us to Valence from Grenoble to catch the TGV bullet train, which took us to Marseilles to hop on a plane that touched down in Munich and then got us into Italy where we snagged a boat to get into Venice itself. Twelve hours of traveling. Whew!

Left: Boarding pass from Munich to Venice
Middle: Window seat view
Right: Starbucks at the airport! Red cup love <3 

Katie was my travelling companion, and we met her friend from home, Ryan, at the bus-boat station. He had already spent a day in Venice and helped walk us to the apartment the three of us rented for the weekend. The dark, narrow, winding streets were amazing and we crossed canals every few turns. Venice is completely safe at night. The average age of residents on the islands is 50 years old so there isn't much of a night life, and very rarely do you need to be concerned about normal big-city problems. Although it was perfect for us (I would have been so scared otherwise because every single street is an alley and it's so easy to get lost), it's a bit sad for the city. Venice exists now only for tourism. Somewhere around 5,000 native residents leave the city each year because of the high living costs and inability to find work.

Left: First Gondola sighting!
Top Right: A too expensive, but pretty, outdoor cafe
Bottom Right: Neato graffiti.

The apartment was located right next to San Marco's square, absolutely gorgeous, comfortable, and affordable! Check out airbnb to find listings of apartments and single rooms for rent when you travel. It can be a lot cheaper than a hotel! Remember: hostels are still the most economical.

Top Left: Bedroom
Top Right: Living Room
Bottom Left: Kitchen
Bottom Right: Bathroom

It was late at that point and Venice shuts down pretty early, so we took a walk to go and find dinner, staring into the dark shops on the way. I feel like this city is absolutely magical. Any moment I expected to stumble through an alley way and end up at a Cirque du Soleil performance in the middle of the streets! Venice is known for it's Carnivale masks, and the glittering faces in the darkened windows added a certain romance to our night exploration. The restaurant we found was classic Italian, inexpensive, and pretty good. I chose Gnocci al ragu with red wine. Read: soft potato puffs in tomato sauce with meat. Mmmm. Ryan was kind enough to share a bite of his Tiramisu with me too.

Left: Gnocci
Right: Tiramisu

We spent the remainder of the night in the hotel reading guide books and planning our journey for the next day. I had no pre-conceived agenda of where I wanted to go, so it was really easy for me to to go along with anything and everything. The next morning I lounged about with my coffee reading the history sections of the guidebooks until Katie was ready to take off at about 10:30. Ryan opted to go visit two of Venice's famous islands: Murano and Burano. Murano was the birthplace of glass-blowing, and Burano is famous for lace-making. Although the idea sounded appealing, the ferry to the islands was a bit expensive and there were plenty of important sights on the mainland to get to first.

How to plan for an adventure.

We made it to San Marco's square to find that it had flooded! In high-tide season, the square floods nearly every morning. We didn't have rain boots so we had to navigate the crowded little boardwalks made for tourists. Not every boardwalk led to the same places though, so it felt a lot like a video game! Our first stop was the Correr Museum, but not before taking pictures of the flooded square and playing in the water.

A montage of the flooding. That's me in the top middle!

Also, my favorite clock in all the world can be found in this square. It tells the date, time, and the position of the stars! It is said that after the designers completed the clock, they were blinded so they couldn't make another one like it anywhere else in the world. I love the zodiac signs.

The Correr Museum is hosted in the Napoleonic Wing of the Grand Palace. When Italy fell under the rule of Napoleon, he declared this building the new palace for his representatives, rather than the existing Doge's Palace (we'll get to that in a bit). Now the museum exists not only to show off the gorgeous building, but also holding a massive collection of works of art and objects that represent the history of Venice. It was absolutely beautiful and the collections were fascinating! Libraries, armories, trinkets, paintings, and more were to be found at every corner. Pictures were illegal, but I snuck a few anyway. ;) Shhh.

Left: Palace Ballroom
Top Right: Tarot cards!
Bottom right: Leather globe

I chowed down on a caprese-style panini for lunch, and we made our way back through the flooded square to San Marco's Basilica. The history behind this is a little funny, actually. The Patron Saint of Italy was not originally Saint Mark, I believe it may have been Saint Theodore(?) don't quote me. However, two Merchants from Venice visiting Alexandria found the body of Saint Mark and wanted to "save" it from the "heathen" country. To do this, they stuffed it in a barrel of pork meat (considered unclean by Muslim people) and sailed back with it as a gift to the current Doge. The other version is that the Doge wanted to change the Patron Saint, and sent his merchants to steal the body. Regardless of how it passed, the Basilica now holds Saint Mark, and many other saint's, relics. The church is also decorated with goods from various conquests of the city in ancient times.

Outside pieces of the Basilica

Oh, did I mention it is stunning? All the artwork is mosaic and the church simply sparkles at every turn. Photography on the inside of the building was prohibited, but the entrance took my breath away. Still not prettier than the Basilica in Lyon, but absolutely breathtaking all the same. I didn't pay the extra money to see the treasury of Saint's relics, but you have the option if you so choose.

Basilica Mosaics

Saint Mark's lion is the official symbol of Venice, and can be found at the entrance to the Basilica as well as on the Venetian flag. It it said that when Saint Mark visited Venice, a winged lion came to him and said "May peace be with you, Mark, my evangelist. Here your body will rest." This is written in Latin on the book the lion is holding.

Onto the Doge's palace! Of course, I need to give a little background first. The Doge of Venice was the the chief magistrate and leader of the city. He was elected for a lifelong term by the city-state's aristocracy, and was often old and concerned primarily with preserving Venetian tradition. Although considered a leader, they really didn't do much more than the other officials. Often he would perform ceremonies such as weddings or funerals, but that's about it. Despite the fact, he got himself a really awesome palace! Each time a new Doge was elected they would build another wing onto the palace, until the money spent by the city on building so much caused an uproar and the city declared a huge fine would be charged for anyone who even thought about building onto it. However one Doge got a little sassy and just paid his fine so he could have his own wing. Not only was it the dwelling place for the Doge himself, but it was also used to carry out many political duties and meetings. So it was a city-hall and a palace rolled into one. Again, pictures were prohibited, but I did my best to sneak a few.

Directly connected to the Palace were the prisons. A criminal could be tried, convicted, and sent directly to the dungeons from the same central area and the Doge could watch all punishments carried out directly. The prisoners crossed a bridge before forever shut away in the dark, and it is now known as "The Bridge of Sighs". Romantics chose the name because it is said that prisoners would pause and heave one last sigh as they took a final look onto the beautiful city behind them.

Top: Prisons
Bottom: Taking a picture looking out from the Bridge of Sighs

It was then time to meet up with Ryan and do a little shopping! Because Venice exists now solely for tourism, the shops are fantastic. It is true that you will find many stands selling cheap knock-off merchandise, but the real treasures are to be found in the reputed shops of the city. Artisan crafts are a Venetian specialty and even if you don't want to buy anything, talking to shop keepers is a thrill in itself. Most people speak English and are more than happy to explain their craft and tradition to you. I absolutely loved a leather shop we found where the man specialized in leather book binding. GORGEOUS.

Left: window display
Top Right: Wizard of Oz binding
Bottom Right: Leather Tarot set

Of course, our favorite part of all: the masks. They served many purposes in the day: disguises for royals, ceremonial purposes, theater, and of course, Carnivale. Interestingly enough, Venetians were historically permitted to wear masks for St. Stephens Day, the start of Carnivale at midnight on Shrove Tuesday, Ascension, and from October 5th to Christmas. Meaning most of the year was spent in disguise. You can read up on the different types of masks and the characters they represented. Like many old theater traditions, Venetian festivals had "stock characters" that had a specific appearance (dictated by the mask) and personality that was known to all the people. Anyone wearing the disguise would be expected to portray the character's personality as well. There are also masks without any character archetype attached.

Credit to Google Image Search. We weren't allowed to take pictures of shop displays.

We found a shop with a very friendly woman who spoke to us in English and French too! I was so relieved to hear French spoken- even more than I was to hear English. Looks like I'm learning a little more than I thought. :) Ryan had wandered in because he found masks that had hands poised over the faces, a unique and modern design with a rather stunning result. As they were talking to her, I was drawn to a specific mask on a shelf towards the back. It was love at first sight. I hadn't seen any other masks with this specific head piece, and I adored the crown-effect. The shop keep explained to me that they saved the eye pieces from other masks and shaped them to create different projections from the original eye-piece. She and he co-workers hand crafted all the masks in the shop, and each one came with a silk tag certifying it's quality. I am now the proud owned of one gorgeous Carnivale mask.

My new dream is to go visit Venice for Carnivale. It is the most lively time of year for the city and I dream of seeing it in full-swing with music and festivities pouring out of the typically quiet streets. (Can you hear my wistful sighing?). Once we tired of shopping it was time to scout out dinner. Although the place we found didn't look as atmospherically pleasing as our first meal in Venice, the food was phenomenal. I could seriously rave to you for paragraphs about my meal. Flat pasta noodles topped with a tomato sauce and shrimp, it tasted like heaven. The sauce was smooth, seasoned, and buttery. The noodles perfectly cooked. I swear to you it was melt-in-your-mouth amazing. No food will ever taste as good to me as that pasta dish. I followed it up with a rhum-apple cake, and I wished I had just ordered some more  pasta.

We retired with the rest of the city, around 10:00. The next morning only allowed us an hour of shopping around, but Katie snagged herself a mask of the Plague doctor. This mask did not originate for festivities like the others, but with the arrival of the black Plague which struck Venice twice. Doctors filled the long noses with purifying herbs so that they could "safely" deal with patients, and also donned a full-body black cloak. The scary disguise was thought to chase away the bad spirits which brought illness to Venice. He is definitely one of the creepier designs, but he's also one of my favorites!

Another Google Image Search result for the Plague Doctor

Leaving Venice was heart-wrenching. I already can't wait to go back to this perfect city. France has earned itself some serious competition!

A couple more fun facts to wrap up the post:

• The official color of mourning in Venice is red, not black.

• Gondolas used to be painted bright colors, but over time they were subdued and made a uniform black.

• Venice is built on sandy islands and supported by large wooden stilts drilled into under water sediment. There are millions of these stilts that keep the city above the waterline, but as you see from my pictures of San Marco's, the city is still in danger of sinking.