January 8, 2011 aka Venice! aka -40.50 euro

So today at the very beginning when we were going to Venice everything was going really well. We all got to the breakfast room relatively ontime, grabbed some breakfast and then we walked off base and were heading to the bus stop. We have been using the same bus tickets and not stamping them because it is 2 euro every single time and the ticket checkers rarely get on. And we sat next to the ticket stamper just in case so that we could do it quick if we saw them at a stop. Unfortunately, we got to comfortable in our ways and weren't really looking. Of course the fricken ticket checkers got on our bus and were like pissed we hadn't stamped our tickets. Anyone else who has gotten a fine it has been like 15 euro, and that's what we were warned at the very beginning too. We even tried playing dumb tourist and one of them was nice and was going to let us off it seemed, but the other guy was just like the meanest person ever and was being really really rude to us. Told us we had to pay 42.50 Euro. Really!? Thats almost as much as you have to pay if you are on the expensive Eurostar trains and do your reservation or tickets wrong. So for a bus, that's like unheard of. Of course. Just my luck. But really I was in the wrong. Thanks a ton mom for praying that I always get caught. You now owe me 42.50 Euro (Jk, but seriously). Not not not not fun. They like took our passports and typed everything into little pom piolets, except for Sarah who didn't bring hers, and then were all mean and rude. Except one of them gave Jesa back her passport without making her pay. We are wondering if it is going to be a fine she has to pay before she leaves the country or something. Who knows. But the rest of us were then out 42.50. And I had only 100 Euro left anyways, because that's all I was planning on spending that weekend. Now it is 20 dollars less a day I have. Still pissed when I think about it. So we continue on our way to Venice, and finally get there an hour later and by then we have cooled off some. Venice is absolutely gorgeous! The streets are literally water and then there are bridges over the water streets and stuff. We saw tons of gondalas too. It would have been so much fun to ride one, but we definitely couldn't afford it after we got our crazy lame ticket. So, we devised ways we could get free gondala rides as jokes. It was really cool even just walking around all the streets and stuff. There are really street names, and everything is so twisty. There are alleyways that are so small, so can sit on the wall and put your feet on the other one. But people walk through them a lot there. I could be afraid I like wouldn't fit through or something they look so small. We saw St. Mark's Cathedral and Square. It was beautiful. The clock tower was under construction, but it still looked gorgeous. The church had gold everywhere. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside but I ended up sneaking some. I am afraid I am like going to get kicked out of this country or something. Ten bucks the government doesn't even see half the money these ticket takers steal from people and they just go out and buy booze with it. Not that I am bitter and ranting or anything. Sigh. Anyways back to Venice. Then we saw the Bridge of Sighs, but it was covered in some huge advertisement. The other bridge, B something, was gorgeous, and all the sights from the water were amazing. I wish it was sunny, but I could literally wander the streets all day long there. We went shopping a lot (of course I had less to spend) and I got some souveniers for people and I got myself this really cool masquerade mask. I guess every February in Venice there is a HUGE masquerade ball where everyone ever comes and it is like this intensely massive celebration, so that is why they have these amazing masks all over Italy. I also got a couple more beads for my charm bracelet that are made of glass. Glass is another huge thing Venice is known for. Some of the islands that are just off Venice are basically just for glass blowing and then Venice has glass shops where there is jewelry, dishware, decorations, chandeliers, knick nacks, basically anything you could think of, made of glass. The glass necklaces are just beautiful. I wanted to get a glass ring, but I know I would somehow break it, even though I've heard thats hard to do. Rather have a necklace I am less likely to smash into something. With my luck I would smash a glass ring and the shards would get like jammed way down into my finger. Wow, that would be nasty. We came back pretty earlyish, Like five, which was still a very full day in Venice, and are going to relax, watch a movie, and perhaps make a music video to the angry rap we made about the ticket men. Perfect way to end an amazing and yet oddly eventful day. Til tomorrow!