Venezia, il mio amore

How can I possibly capture the perfection that has been the past week? Exploring Venice and its neighbouring islands and discovering their distinct culture, their rich history, the warmth of their people, and their overall way of life has been, quite simply, a blast. It's just so different from where I've been, where I come from and what I know...just the mere fact that it's a city in water is enough to set it apart from everywhere else. The trip and my learning of the old Venetian Republic's history served as a powerful reminder of just how much beauty there is in the world, in nature, in man, and in our ability to create, adapt, and discover...

The city oozes with that old school romance that we now only watch in movies or read in books. Everywhere you turn is a potential subject for a painting, every sound a possible song, and every street corner a story to tell. Like I said, it's everything I imagined it to be. Artists tucked away in hidden alleyways painting the sights before them or acordion players performing in gondolas...it's a sight I thought only existed in movies. But voila, I lived it for the past few days. C'est incroyable!

As I sat by the canals I imagined wars being waged on those waters with the Turks or the Slavs. I imagined the days when it was a commercial hub where merchants from all over the world traded their goods with one another. As I walked the hallways and rooms of the Ducal Palace, I imagined the everyday lives of the doges and dogeressas...such a distant past that I found it difficult to fully conceive. So distant as to be so unrelateable and seemingly irrelevant...and maybe that's what adds to its allure...

But more than anything else, I loved just roaming the streets and canals of Venice with absolutely no plans or maps and just going, literally, where the road took me. There's nothing quite like losing your way and trusting your inner compass to find your way back. It's amazing the things you'll discover...the small shops, the hidden alleyways, the odd writings on the wall, or (my favorite) the kind people. If there's anything I'll take away from this trip, it's the beauty of the city (of course) but also the warmth of the people. You wouldn't believe how many people I came across who were so eager to help or just so happy to say hello. Out of all the countries I've been to here in Europe, Italy is by far the friendliest...and really, what is a city but the people who comprise it?

 

So with all that, let me be the first to say that I've fallen in love with Venice. I was so sad to be walking across Piazza San Marco for the last time this morning. The city has stolen a piece of my heart and there's no doubt that I'll be back to get it...

Ciao belli amici!

Ciao from Venice, Italy!

Made it to this quaint little city yesterday morning and no sooner do I step out of the train do I see that famous Grand Canal with all the gondolas. Let me tell you...it's everything I imagined it to be! Everytime I step outside, it shocks me to see boats and gondolas as the main mode of transportation. And walking along so many bridges to cross not a street, but a canal! It's like I'm living in a totally different world!

I've been spending the past two days just walking everywhere and turning at every small little alleyway and trying, as much as possible, to take the unbeaten path. I've done some hefty exploring walking from San Marco to Accademia to Rialto to San Lucia...and let me tell you, my feet are on fire! I feel like I've walked the entire island already (almost actually).

The weather has been gorgeous and promises to be for the rest of the week...lovely to see everyone just hanging outside with a glass of vino listening to the live band playing in the background. It makes me think of everyone back in Toronto who are always so excited when patio season comes knocking around the corner. Excited to find a spot near the canal sometime later this week and just take in the sun and a good book. This, my friends, is the dolce vita!

Anyway, I've got to run. I've got an early morning train to catch tomorrow AM to Milan. Just for the day though and then I go back "home" to Venezia.

Ciao for now!

The Travel Bug

At around this time last year, I discovered the thrill of travel. For those of you who know me or for those of you who've been long time readers of this blog, you've certainly heard me talk about my kickass trip countless of times already. But for those of you who don't, let me give you a brief run down. Last year, I decided to go study abroad in Central Europe by myself with people I've never even met before in a country I knew almost nothing about. And let me tell you, it was hands down the single greatest, most exciting thing I've ever done! I won't say too much about it now as I've already written about it extensively here...

But anyway, there's been something in the air in the past few weeks that have been so strongly reminiscent of my time in Europe. I don't know...maybe it's just the change of season but there's this unshakeable feeling inside of me as all of these flashbacks from last year come rushing back. Walking the streets of Brno and stumbling upon that gem of a bookstore, sitting in Rudas Bath til 2AM practically high off fatigue, hiding underneath the Brandenburg Gate waiting for the rain to pass, hanging with random dudes with guitars on the streets of Krakow, getting rejected at the hottest club in Berlin (cuz we're classy like that), and just spending almost every night in the bar annexed to our residence (greatest student accomodations, ever).

Yep. I've been hit with the travel bug, my friends. And the only way I can possibly cure it is to get out there and, well, travel. So with that I'm off to Vienna, Austria tonight to embark on a new adventure and catch up with some friends.
It's funny because I actually started this blog to document my travels and adventures but when I got to the Czech Republic last year, I think I only blogged a whole two times. I got so caught up in the sights, the sounds, the smells, and the people that I just totally forgot about it. But this time around, I'll try to stay true to my word and actually write.

Catch you when I touch down in Vienna! Tschau Toronto!

Au Naturelle

So I decided to commune with nature and the cold winter air yesterday and took a trip out to Peggy's Cove, Lunenburg, and Mahone Bay. Now I'm not your outdoorsie kinda girl but it was definitely nice to get out of the city and see the natural world in all its glory. When we first got to Peggy's Cove I'm telling you, the same feeling of awe that I felt when I visited (dare I say it?) the Grand Canyon rushed right through me...the amazing grandness and immensity of the landscape is more than enough to put you in your place. In the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives it's easy to get lost in it all and forget that there are things much bigger than ourselves. Being right smack dab in the middle of the vast expanse definitely helps to put things into perspective. Cliché? Maybe. But it was my moment of zen.

Before getting there I was a little worried about it being off season and beyond freezing but I'm actually really happy I went there this time of the year instead of the summer time. I can just imagine how packed the place would be with all the tourists and though I'm sure I would've enjoyed it nonetheless, there's something different about seeing a place when it's empty. There's a certain je ne sais quoi about it...a kind of romance of solitude. It's like I had the entire ocean all to myself as I was walking along the rocks...

...But now I'm back in Toronto and back to the daily grind. Loved getting away even if it was just for the weekend. Loved spending time with my mom just hanging out, chatting, chowing down on seafood, and sippin' on lattés like nobody's business! It was refreshing. The pace of life in Halifax is definitely different from here in the city and as much as I enjoyed my quiet time for self-reflection...can't deny that I'm glad to be home. There's nothing quite like the feeling of interconnectedness, of knowing that there's always something exciting happening somewhere, and of being right in the centre of it all! What can I say? I'm just a big city girl and Toronto...I love you.