I’m not going to lie; I don’t think I’ve been as excited on this trip as I was for Venezia. Ironically, my family jokingly calls me a fish, because I’m in the water whenever I can be. There’s just something utterly relaxing about drifting in the waves, and when I can’t swim, all I need is the sound of them. Getting to stroll along the street of a (literal) water city was akin to Heaven for me! We also had wonderful weather all day long, which felt wonderful after being shrouded in clouds beforehand. There was plenty of shopping to be found (as many of my fellow classmates discovered as well) and I found myself especially drawn to the glass blowers in the area. About halfway through the afternoon, however, my group and I got horrendously lost in the back streets of Venezia. Don’t get me wrong; it’s lovely to let yourself enjoy the unknown and beautiful, but a few sets of bad directions can push anybody to annoyance. After several hours of this, we finally made it back to the grand canal, where I had my very first gondola ride. It was such a pleasant experience, I’d almost completely forgotten how frustrated I’d been earlier! While the ride itself may not have been cheap in any regard, it was well worth the expenses, as the serenity is unlike anything else in the city. When night fell, the whole of Venezia lit up like a fragile lantern, and I managed to snap a few pictures of the evening. There’s not a doubt in my mind that my free day was worth it, second by second.