The photo above was take of me in Venice in June of 2001. Yep, almost 10 years ago (next month). Gosh, that makes me feel old! During my Junior year of college I had the opportunity to spend a year abroad in Freiburg Germany. It was hands-down the best year of my life. In addition to living in a foreign country for 11 months, I had the chance to travel to a number of other cities and countries. Venice Italy was one of the most beautiful places in the world. It was sunny and warm while we were there and the (polluted) water was just breathtaking. The culture of the city was just mind-blowing and I wish I could have spent more time there. On a positive note, I did spend my 21st birthday in Venice and it was a magical day. My travel-mates (and friends) Angie, Meg, and I woke up and went site-seeing, took a gondola ride, ate at Harry's Restaurant, drank a bottle of excellent red wine, and ended the day with chocolate gellato. It was a fantastic birthday, probably the best of my life!The photo above is me standing in the Piazza San Marco. It was one of the first things we sought out, and we had a truly magical experience there. That first evening we sat at the cafe (to the left of the photo) enjoying a cappuccino and watching the sun set while an orchestra played. As the sun went down, the water crept into the Piazza. Eventually, everyone had to leave because the Piazza was soon covered with water. This happens every evening.
I know it is common knowledge that Venice "is sinking," but it really was shocking to see the water come in and bring everything to a halt. The next day when we went inside Saint Mark's Basilica (back of the photo), we were able to see how the floor was buckling due to the water damage. It was truly sad to see.
Anyway, that's the story behind my photo above. I really would like to make it back to Venice again one day!
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