Night trains are really not the most comfortable way to travel, but the good thing about them is that upon arrival I had the entire day to explore Venice. When I stepped out of the train station I felt like I was stepping into a postcard; a canal in front of me with the sun rising in the background, it was perfect. It was still early in the morning so I tried to hit up all the major sites before the tourists started pouring in.

St. Mark’s Basilica is stunning a permanent remainder of how great Venice was in its glory days. The entire interior is frescoed with gold flakes that sparkled like the water in the Grand Canal.

I ran around the square for awhile, scaring pigeons, then headed to the Doge’s Palace. I really didn’t find the interior of the Palace interesting, what was cool though, was the dungeon. I did notice that most of the prison cells were twice the size of hostel rooms I’ve been staying in. Next, I headed to the museums at the Correr (it was free with the ticket I had already bought). There wasn’t really anything interesting except these amazing chandeliers made from Venetian glass, they were so beautiful for a split second I contemplated building a house large enough so that I could have one of my own.

I have found a substitute for French pastries… Italian gelato. I found an amazing gelato place with a cute Italian boy working there. I flirted a little bit and got an extra big scoop, its great to be a girl in Italy.