Venezia, Day 2 (Part 2)

Later that day, I took a 15-minute vaporetto ride (explained below) to an island called Lido, off the coast of Venice, to go to the beach, an aspiration born partly of the desire to cool off, partly out of the desire to say I swam in the Adriatic Sea, something Beyonce does every summer.
View of Lido from the Vaporetto

Speaking of Beyonce, could this be the yacht she famously spent her 30th birthday on (or should I say infamously, considering that Gwyneth Paltrow was an attendee, their friendship being an aspect to B's personality I am wildly against). No, it's not. It's simply one of the many cruise shits - oops, I mean ships - anchored in Venice's harbor.

Holding on during vaporetto rides is not only authentic and stylish, it's necessary.
Speaking of vaporetti, this is an example of a vaporetto dock. Vaporetti are passenger ferries that act as Venice's metro system. This is a stop, specifically Arsenale, not fare from San Marco. It's expensive, at over 6 euros per trip, but Jai'me was smart and bought a 36 hour pass for 24 euros.

A vaporetto. Notice they have the line number on the side and the destination, just like any other metro. This is the #1 for example, in the Lido direction.

I treated myself to a fantastic lunch/dinner and enjoyed my favorite Italian drink - the Spritz - consisting of Campari and Prosecco, which unofficially has the gayest name in cocktail history.

A seagull in the midst of pigeons in San Marco square. I know how he feels sometimes...
After lunch I went to Palazzo Ducale, or the Doge's Palace, an incredible place that was the seat of Venetian government for centuries.


View of Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore from Palazzo Ducale
Later in the day, a view of the Rialto Bridge from a vaporetto.

Okay, SO. In terms of American tourists, these had to be the worst. We were on a vaporetto and the woman decides when she wants to get off that to solve the problem of intense crowding on the boat - a given in Venice, a city whose entire economy is basically funded by tourism - that she will start screaming "CAN WE GET OFF!? WHAT THE FUCK IS THE PROBLEM, CAN'T WE GET OFF!?!?!". I was like, wow, they're so embarassing. Then I saw the LSU t-shirt.

I unfortunately saw them several times throughout the trip, always in the same clothes.

However, what a magical day nonetheless. So much exploring and listening to music and seeing things I never dreamed of. Very peaceful for the most part and so great to spend time alone.

After all of this I met up with my new hostel buddies Jennifer and Candace and we went to dinner and had some Fragolino, my new favorite variety of wine, that tastes like a strawberry jones soda with alcohol in it (the Italian word for strawberry is fragolina). I suggest you try it - the wine and Venice.