Day 3: We still can't believe we're here....

This morning was a 6:45 am wake up call. We had breakfast at the hotel and then headed out for our first FULL day joined up with the entire group. We headed into Venice and made three stops before lunch. The whole time our tour guide spoke to us through a microphone and we listened through headphone sets.

Stop one was the Doge's Palace. We saw the governmental seat, the area where prisoners were kept, and famous wall paintings by Tintoretto and Veronese. We walked over the Bridge of Sighs!

Stop two was the Basilica where the remains of St. Mark are kept. We were forced to walk on platforms because the high tide flooded the entrance to the church!

The students had free time for lunch and shopping in Rialto before taking off on relaxing gondola rides on the Grand Canal! Our relaxation level was interrupted by an unexpected parade of people dressed as ZOMBIES! Makeup, fake blood, and fake chainsaws were everywhere! We suspect that it might have been a part of Carnivale, an annual festival in Venice that kicked off tonight! The city was covered in people dressed in crazy costumes, their faces covered in masks, ready to celebrate.

We walked to a Jewish ghetto, where we learned about the derivation of the word ghetto itself. It stems directly from the very spot we were standing! The verb means "to throw into the mold." 

We ate at a restaurant along the water where hundreds of people were waiting to watch the boats come in for Carnivale's opening ceremony. We packed our bags back at the hotel because we are heading out on the bus tomorrow for the next leg of our trip.

More to come tomorrow....

-Ms. Sullivan

PS I added pictures to the first post so check back and take a peek even if you already read it!