Thanksgiving in Venice! :)

Hello awesome people,

To start off, I am sorry it has taken me so long to write a new post! I planned on writing one for you all a week ago. I promise to try really hard to not let so long go without a post! I hope this one makes up for the wait! Happy belated Thanksgiving to you all! I hope it was a great one! Everyday I am thankful for things, but Thanksgiving is just a reminder to always be thankful. I am thankful for my wonderful family and friends who have always supported me even if it meant I would be traveling far away.I am thankful for all of the opportunities I have been given to expand my knowledge and learn things about not only my program of study but about myself as well. I am thankful that I was able to travel to Venice for Thanksgiving. I have always wanted to go to Venice. I think my fascination began with Assassin's Creed 2. It is one of my favorite games, and I became enamored with Italy. Walking around in Venice, I just kept picturing Ezio, the main character in the game, running across the rooftops and scaling the buildings. I felt like I was in another world. It was such an incredible feeling I was awestruck by the buildings themselves and all of the canals. I loved witnessing all of the boats and gondolas. It felt magical to be there. I also love it because it is older, and I love the character and history it has. I always try to imagine what it would have been like to live there so many years ago. I wonder what it would have been like to see the city grow and change. Venice has a place in my heart, and one day I hope to return and explore so much more that there is left to see.

The picture on the left is the court yard of the Palazzo Ducale (Doge's Palace). The doge Palace was built in Venetian Gothic Style. I just had to take a selfie at this spectacular palace.

The left is a ceiling in a room in the Palazzo Ducale. They really went all out on ceilings back in the day. Every ceiling was breathtaking. You can tell a lot of time and effort were put into the ceilings. I couldn't stop looking up. The pictures in the palace were breathtaking as well. After walking through the Palazzo Ducale, I decided I really like Venetian Gothic style. It is absolutely stunning.

You cannot do Venice without a gondola ride, so that is exactly what my friend and I did! It was so awesome to go through the canals and look up at the buildings. It was a great way to view Venice from a different aspect. We also went down the grand canal. It was such fun!

The left is the view of Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square) from Basilica di San Marco (St. Mark's Basilica). The Basilica was breathtakingly beautiful! It is an example of Italian-Byzantine architecture. The ceilings were covered in gold mosaics. I was awestruck by its structure.

Canals galore! It was awesome to see canals everywhere and constantly walk over them. It was such a different experience, and I loved it. I constantly thought of Ezio climbing the sides of buildings, jumping across them, and running through the crowded streets. Sometimes I felt like I was in the video game. 

Venice is prone to some flooding especially with current rises in sea level. Here are some examples of it that I experienced! Taking rain boots to Venice would not be a bad idea!

There are some snapshots of my adventure in Venice, Italy! It was truly fantastic, and I hope I find my way back there again some day! 

Is everyone excited for the holidays? I know I am! This is my favorite time of year! 

Stay tuned for more,

:) Arianna <3