Life or something like it...: venezia

merry christmas everybody! and hello from the best country in the world (malaysia). haha, oh no, i did not just say that. but home is home and i am loving every second of it. family, friends, dogs, food and tv; all far far away from the cold! i really cannot ask for a better holiday.

anyway. venice, as promised.

25th-28th Nov 2010

i LOVED venice. it's gorgeous, and i was pleasantly surprised to see that the beauty of the island is still very much preserved despite it being rather touristy. november isn't the best time to visit, but due to tight schedules and depleting bank accounts (it was the only place with cheap flights when we checked out), we decided, why not. after all we only had a few days' break after our exams and venice seemed to be the most logical place to go to.

actually the only reason i said november isn't the best time to go to venice is the rain. and also that it was getting a bit cold, but that wasn't at all a problem coming from england. venice floods really easily and the slightest of rain would flood many parts of the island. now i believe it when they say venice will be underwater soon enough. it is very likely, so please go to venice before it sinks.

the good thing about going at an odd time like november is that you can avoid the crazy summer crowd. it was already quite packed with tourists when i was there; i really can't imagine summer time! peihua said: it's so crowded in the summer even the pigeons don't have their own space to stand on the ground. hahaha. i thought that was very funny and the perfect description of how congested it gets. and we're talking about a place where there are no cars, no buses, no motorbikes... were there even bicycles? i don't remember seeing any. the only mode of transportation on land is your own two feet, though there are water buses running through the grand canal.

they say the key to really experience venice is to get lost. and get lost we did! we did not plan our trip meticulously like we'd always do. all we did was settle our flights and accommodation. then we hopped on the plane and before we knew it, there it was - the grand canal - right before our eyes. and then... we just walked. and walked. and walked. we were amazed by the hundreds of canals, big and small, as we crossed an astounding number of bridges. there's food at every nook and corner - cafés, pizzerias, fancy restaurants, bakeries, gelaterias... to be honest, i found that food in venice wasn't fantastic especially since we were on a budget, but everything seemed to be decent enough to fill our stomachs and get us going. gelato and coffee, though, were amazing! nothing beats italian coffee and gelato!

if there's one advice i'd give to anyone planning to go to venice, it's really, just go. don't think much of it, plan minimally, clear your minds and just go. go get lost on the streets and get lost in its beauty. don't like a busy, crowded street? simply turn into a quiet alley and stand on a bridge over a canal. watch people on gondolas go by. listen to the sounds of accordians or enjoy the music of a random italian fiddler. classic.

the famous grand canal - first thing you see when you reach the island

isn't this scene so picturesque? :)

a very flooded piazza san marco! the square is surrounded by high end shops, cafés and lots of fancy restaurants

the basilica san marco and doge's palace. flood had subsided a little bit.

the ponte di rialto/rialto bridge. the rialto market is here too - they have a variety of trinkets and foods and souvenirs

my outfit for the cold weather and rain. also a special note to commemorate my very loyal black umbrella which was unfortunately brutally destroyed by the strong venetian winds :(

in front of the *deep breath* basilica di santa maria gloriosa dei frari (super long!)

breakfast of panini and coffee! i love italian sandwiches. fresh salami, prosciutto, mozzarella, parmigiano, gorgonzolla, rocket, spinach, tomatoes, olives.. the list is endless!