milan: day three

Ok, our last day wasn't exactly spent in Milan (but the day did start and end there), we had a day out in Venice. The bus trip there was really long but absolutely worth it once we got onto the boat that ferried us to the main part of Venice.

We were really lucky that the weather was so beautiful and we all took advantage by going wild taking photos, so apologies for this photo heavy post. We arrived around lunch time and the first thought on our minds was, of course, gondola ride. It must be a rite of passage that you have to go on a gondola ride whilst in Venice, its probably the best way to see they sights and if you're lucky, like we were, the gondola driver (captain? gondola man?) will show you any specific sights you really want to see. Travelling by gondola is so relaxing the waterways were so quiet, maybe it was the time of year, and the views were amazing.   

 Doge Palace

Once we had satisfied our need to be complete tourists we decided to wander off the beaten track to find somewhere to eat. Venice is made up of so many little alleyways and we just followed whichever ones took our fancy until we settled on a little cafe which also turns into a bar later on. After stuffing ourselves with greek salad (I know, not exactly a local delicacy) and sushi (either is this..) we had coffees, obviously, and tried spritz. We had been told to try them before we arrived and took this as our last chance. Spritz is a drink made with prosecco wine, a dash of some bitter liqueur such as Aperol, Campari, Cynar, or, especially in Venice, with Select. The drink is then topped off with sparkling mineral water. It is usually served over ice in a lowball glass (or sometimes a martini glass or wine glass) and garnished a slice of orange, or sometimes an olive, depending on the liqueur, according to wikipedia. They were lovely and so refreshing, which is exactly what we needed before we continued to explore. 

 Venetian Grafitti

 Just off St Mark's Square.

All the food.

We were leaving just as the sun was setting which I couldn't resist getting a few photos of. 

So spectacular, right? After this we all piled back onto the boat to take us back to the bus where I think the majority of us promptly fell asleep. So that sums up my Italian travels, I'd love to go back again for a longer trip, a day in Venice isn't enough time to venture down all the alleyways, and maybe next time I'm in Milan I'll tour it by bike!

Arrivederci Italy, until next time.