Tonk'n around Italy: I need some gumboots...Im off to Venice for Christmas!!

Well this is what I thought might be the case from what I kept seeing on the news and what everyone kept telling me when I told them that I was going to venice for Christmas...and not just italians and people in Italy but also family and friends.

Well I arrived ready to wade through knee deep water in all the streets and piazzas and there wasnt a drop of water in sight, apart from in the canals of course, where it was supposde to be!!

Apparently there HAD been a problem, and the only evidence of this was the piles of what looked like scaffolding everywhere, particularly in Piazza di San Marco (the main piazza), that I later worked out are what they had used for people to move around on above the level of the water. Apparently they worked out a way to open up the sewage pipes below the streets and drain all the water off. So I had a DRY christmas, never fear!! haha

Venice was BEAUTIFUL!! Everything that I had thought and hoped it would be, not to mention that I stayed in a very comfortable and very different hostel.

The hostel was a very interesting situation in that the owners had gone away for the holidays and left two 21 year old american girls in charge!! haha

One of them had worked there over summer for a couple of months and the owners had called her in The States and asked her to come back for a month over Christmas and New Years, and to bring a friend, to run the hostel and that they would pay them enough to cover their flights...pretty good deal I think!!

The reason that I chose this hostel was because I had had it reccomended to me by a girl I met in Florence who had stayed there and said it was good as it was new and it was a very old and highly decorated building (as you can see in the photos of my room above...not the room I booked mind you but since there were so few staying in the hostel the girls gave me this for the same price!!) AND they not only provide a cooked breakfast every mornign but also cook dinner for everyone every night and so everyone sits down to eat together and it is very social. I thought this would be good for Christmas, and IT WAS!!

Christmas day itself wasnt huge but was just nice. It was a beautiful sunny day but very crisp in the shade.

The girls had said they wanted to do something a little special for dinner, other than the usual pasta for everyone and were talking about a roast but had no idea about the meat as one of them was vegetarian...so OF COURSE, Jo came to the rescue!!

I went out for a wander during the day, knowing that obviously nothing, or not much at least, would be open. There was quite a bit open actually but all VERY touristy!! And obviously since Venice IS very touristy, there were lots of people out and about. It was clear that all the italians were indoors with their families and all the tourists were out having a special lunch!! So I sat by the water in the sun and treated myself to a very expensive and not the nicest meal of Spaghetti Marinara and a glass of wine at one of the touristy restaurants. It was very pleasant...

Later I returned to the hostel to prepare my turkey for roasting!!

I stuffed it with bread and herbs and prunes and roasted almonds, and made a gravy (with the secret ingredient of Vegemite!! haha) and the girls made mashed potato and salad. It all turned out perfectly and was A HIT with all staying at the hostel!!

Oh and I also bought a traditional italian cake 'Pandoro' to share with everyone on Christmas day and we had it for dessert...here I am hacking into it!!

Christmas Eve, some of us made the effort to go and line up for the big midnight mass at San Marcos, the big cathedral. And of course it was big as the italians are all very religious.

It was all very interesting and the singing from the choir was amazing...not to mention it being an amazing church as well...but it was VERY long!! I was very glad I went though as a different experience...also as I have meant to go the last few years in Melbourne but have never made it.

The rest of my time in Venice I spent wandering around the many windy streets which are of course very very narrow and carless, and getting lost, which is very easy!! And I also saw a few very nice museums...in particular the Peggy Gugenheim collection.

I also took the ferry across to Merano, one of the islands close by which is known for its glass making and craft...but it was a VERY cold day and being that time of year and the afternoon nearly everything was closed...

So I will leave you with a few other classic photos I took whilst in Venice...