Summer Holiday: Venice, Italy

The last leg of my summer holiday was spent frolicking around the (supposedly) most romantic city: Venice. With the same friend I was with in San Marino, we traveled to Venice and settled into our hotel. The next day we spent the whole day wandering around the city, getting lost in the tiny streets and watching all the gondolas passing us.

There isn’t much I can say about Venice that you haven’t heard before. It’s a gorgeous, old, Italian city. There are canals everywhere and such old architecture constantly surrounding you. You could easily feel as if you walked back into time, if it weren’t for all the tourists.

I was here late August (read: super high season in Venice and other Italian cities) and while I welcomed the weather (the heat!), I wasn’t too fond of all the tourists. I only spent a day here so I couldn’t possibly have gotten the whole experience of Venice, but I felt as if everywhere I went everything was targeted toward tourists (we sat down at a place for a drink only to find out that a glass of wine was 18euros!!).

Every time you stop along a canal, you’re guaranteed to see the contrast of a big door, old walls, and the gorgeous green water.

Do you see how many gondolas there are?! Taking a ride in a gondola in Venice is at the top of many peoples’ bucketlists, but not mine. It was just a bit too commercial for me to really want to do, I would rather wander around the teeny streets and look out at the canals. So that’s what I did. But I loved watching the filled gondolas ride by and listen to their drivers talk to one another and maneuver around the city like it was the back of their hand.

Although Venice isn’t my favorite Italian city (it doesn’t even make top 5), it’s still a gorgeous city that I’m so glad I was able to spend a day wandering around. After all, the city has so much history buried in its’ walls and waters, how could you not be fascinated?

And that was the end of my summer holiday. The next day, I made my way to the airport and hopped on a flight back to Amsterdam so I could go back to work the next day.

It was the best trip, successful in so many different ways. And although I spent time with family, new and old friends, it was the first lengthy holiday I had spent traveling alone. I learned a lot about traveling, myself, friendships, and so much more. I’m so glad I took as many photos as I did, so I could relive these two and a half weeks whenever I feel a little stuck.