I’m so glad I took of advantage of the opportunity to go to Venice on my free day. It was absolutely breathtaking and beautiful, and amazing. The second I saw the grand canal I instantly was in love. I never wanted to leave. The clear water, the gondola, the feeling of welcomeness, the calm, the buildings, everything. I did get lost there, while trying to find St. Mark’s Basilica and wound up going in circles for a good 3 hours. The place where I got lost though was nice because it was a town for the locals. I went on a gondola ride even though my mom said it wasn’t entirely worth it, but I wanted to. I’m so happy I did because that was amazing. The views from the black boat, the handsome gondolier, him singing Somebody to Love by Freddy Mercury. His humor, and his kindness really made my day. I could ride on a gondola all day, it was so calming and so beautiful. At night, I stopped at the Rialto Bridge and was opened to this grand view that nothing could ever top. When morning came and it was time to leave, I was sad. I didn’t want to go. I wanted to stay, I wanted to stay there for at least a week or maybe even the rest of my life. I hope to return there someday to get a better feel for the city, to soak it all in. You can’t really do that in a day. If the chance, I don’t return at least I’ll have a Murano glass gondola to remember my day, I got my pictures. I am returning there one day, there’s no doubt about that. Thank you Venice for making me feel welcome and at home.