Happy stress-free Sunday to you all!
Well, may I first say, SO much has happened while I was gone, whew! I feel like I've been on CNN all day long.
Now, on my many tales because I do have quite a few to tell :)
Before I begin, let me recommend that if you want to go to Venice, DO NOT GO IN THE SUMMER. It will be packed with sweaty tourists and you will never appreciate everything Venice has to offer. Go in the fall, beautiful weather and MUCH more authentic.
I spent wednesday through saturday in Venice. By far, my favorite destination so far. I had quite the push to visit Venice, from Azzurra, of course, and from two very close to my heart friends in San Antonio :) I wasn't so sure it would live up to its reputation, but it is one of the most unusual, indescribable, magical places I have ever been.
We arrived wednesday evening and reunited with our best friend Chelsea, who trained in from Switzerland. After settling in to our hotel, we went to the main square of San Marco and explored the beautiful church. Then, of course, we got lost wandering through the narrow streets, over bridges, and through alley ways and in the end discovered a cozy restaurant for dinner and topped the night off with the first of many gelattos.
Thursday we woke up and went to meet Azzurra's aunt and cousin at their home on one of the beautiful canals. We had a fabulous lunch of calamari and risotto at their home and afterwards went to the Guggenheim Museum.
The Guggenheim, is by far, my all time favorite museum I've ever been to. The Guggenheim in Venice is the private home and collection of Peggy Guggenheim, the illustrious New York socialite famous for her eccentric sunglasses and incredible taste for the beauty of life, whether art, men, cities, everything Peggy surrounded herself with was fabulous. Definitely someone that I am adding to my inspiration board. Her house, now museum, sits on the Grand Canale, the main canal of Venice, and is made of beautiful white marble. Inside, her walls are covered with the most famous abstract art in the world, most notably Picasso, Pollock and my favorite, Kandinsky. Her garden is also full of sculpture art and covered with ivy from ground to sky. The entire property is like Alice in Wonderland meets the Secret Garden and I was in heaven.
On one of the walls in her garden there is a giant light sculpture that states:
Changing Place
Changing Time
Changing Thoughts
Changing Future.
I LOVE this. She was ahead of her time in her ideals and in her lifestyle and I admire her for pushing boundaries and refusing to be anything, but who she was. Fabulous.
After goofing around in the museum and gift shop, where Azzurra bought Peggy's replicated sunglasses, we went for a romantic sunset gondola ride, just the three of us, haha. Aside from some of the most gorgeous pictures of Venice, I learned that Venice is 120 islands on a blue lagoon connected only by bridges. In the center of Venice, what is known as Old Venice, the canal is a black lagoon, one of very few in the world and it is a mystery how the black and blue lagoons maintain the color. Interesting, no?
After our gondola ride, we did what we do best: shop. I bought a traditional Venetian mask and beautiful Venetian glass that is handblown on one of the islands known as Murano, hence Murano glass.
AND, I also found a beautiful pair of Italian leather gloves. Yay, me!
Friday we went to meet a family friend of Azzurra's family Bepe and his wife Maria. He gave us a tour of the Palazzo Cini, which belonged to Azzurra's great grandfather and has now been turned into a museum. There are amazing piece of medieval art throughout the palazzo. Afterwards, Maria prepared us another fabulous homecooked Italian lunch and they sent us on our way fat and happy!
Afterwards, we stumbled upon something that we were VERY lucky to have found. Leonardo Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man. Google it, you'll know what I'm talking about :) It is only on display ever three years for three months at a time and is never on display in the same city. The odds that we would be in the same city at a time of its display is incredible and we were in awe!
We then caught a ferry to the San Clemente hotel. A beautiful 5 star hotel that is on an island about eight minutes from the center of venice and has stunning views of the city at night. We had bellinis, our favorite, AND they "originate" in Venice, so it was only fitting. For our last meal we ate by the Academia bridge, the largest in Venice, that is over the Grand Canale. We stayed up very late just talking about life and what we were discovering about ourselves, who we were becoming, and the direction our lives are taking. Maybe it was because we were in Venice, or maybe its because we are constantly inspired being in Europe for such an extended period of time, but escaping the "L.A. bubble" has done wonders for each of us. I believe we have a humanity and dare I say a more adult-like perception of our purpose in life. We all agree it is the scariest, most fun, fulfilling feeling of our lives. This is what college is about and should always be about.
Saturday, we woke up late and had a final meal filled with pasta and I of course had my latte, because only Italians can make it so creamy and frothy, yum yum yum! Then Azzurra and I parted with Chelsea, who hurried off to catch her train and we took our last water bus to the airport.
No cars or bikes, only the motors of the boats and the singing of the gondola men, isolated from the mainland, but so connected to the world, emphasizing the importance of family, food, history, art, preservation: Venice, it is magic.
I leave you with some of the pictures of our time. They clearly explain the magic better than my words ever could.
ridiculous.
Chelsea and I
beautiful church in San Marco square
Palazzo Cini
Beautiful Venetian sunset
the entrance of the Peggy Guggenheim Museum....jealous.
Chelsea and I in front of Peggy's Museum
loving our lives
inspiration.
illegal photo of painting by Pollock.....come on its Pollock when will I have this chance again?
illegal Kandinsky
in the garden
gondola ride! Azzurra was not amused but she was a great friend for going with us :)
Marco Polo lived here....not that great, poor marco
Casanova lived here....now we're talkin
cool reflection photo at the Guggenheim
zu in her ridic "peggy glasses" pretending she isnt on a gondola hehe
looking out from the Rialto bridge.....can you tell all of these photos are DEFINITELY being prepared for framers around the appt next year ;)
San Clemente Hotel having Bellinis
Kappa's will find Fleur de Lis no matter where we are.
our cool masks
beautiful views of Venice from the San Clemente hotel
It rained for a bit, being a Londoner I was prepared. Being a Swiss girl, Chelsea had a scarf. Both being fashion forward, we had our rainboots :)
Our last meal in Venice.
See ya Venice!
This Friday, myself, Azzurra, Chelsea, Claire, Chelsie, Spencer, Hanna, Kooper, and Jordann are headed BACK to Italy, this time to Montalcino in Tuscany for my birthday celebration weekend! I cannot wait!
“Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.” -Buddha
LOVE LOVE LOVE,
Carson
