Icebreaker

My first two meetings with the main part of Venice were not on the best terms. When I arrived, I was tired, stressed, and a little disoriented, and I ran into a bit of trouble. The second time, I was on a mission; I was not there to enjoy myself. Yesterday, though, with the arrival of most of the other American students, I was able to decompress a little, and with their and the professors' help today, I was ready to face the city again. Professor Felluga gave us a mini tour, which helped us get our bearings a little, and it also helped that this time I had no goal in mind except to explore and enjoy myself. The result was a pleasant, stress-free visit and plenty more pictures.

Here is the Rialto Bridge and my proof to you (and also myself, somewhat) that yes, I'm really here in Venice.
No need to visit Pisa; Venice has its own leaning tower.

Here are some streets, canals, and bridges.

Venice is full of statues, monuments, sculptures, and fountains.

And after a long afternoon of wandering, we took the number twenty vaporetto back to our home away from home on San Servolo.

This is a view along one of the outer walls of San Servolo, near the vaporetti stop. The building at the end is where I'm staying. As you can see, it's not next to the wall, it's part of the wall. Thus I have a great view and the peaceful sound of waves lapping against the side... and the not-so-peaceful sound of boats going by. I didn't get much sleep last night; I think there were a lot of Saturday night parties going on. It's been fun to wave at tour groups going by, though.

Speaking of boats going by, I still can't believe that something the size of this cruise ship we watched yesterday can make it through the lagoon. I need to find out how deep that water is.

More of San Servolo

Today I discovered that there is, in fact, an elevator in Palazzina 14. Not only that, but it's right next to my room. I didn't see it Tuesday because I came in to the building from the opposite side. Even if I had come in the other door, I may not have noticed it; on the ground floor you have to go around the corner into a common area to get to it. I'm not sure how I missed it when I passed it Wednesday and Thursday, but I promise it had nothing to do with the juice boxes of wine they serve in the restaurant. I picked one up today, but I couldn't bring myself to taste it.
Aside from that, today was just another lazy day here on San Servolo. Many of the others will arrive tomorrow, and if/when they feel like venturing out, I think I'll see if they'll join me for a day at the beach. I thought about doing that today, but I didn't want to go alone.

Here are a few more pictures, including one of that lizard I mentioned before, or maybe one of his friends, and, as requested by my dad, a vaporetto. This is the number 20, going by my room. I'm sure I'll get a better picture soon.

I went to a garden party...

I spent all day today on San Servolo, the island where I will be staying for the duration of my trip. Not only did this give me a chance to recover and work on my journal and blog, but I also went out and did some exploring. First, here are some pictures of my room.

And outside my window.

This is the outside of the building I'm in currently, Palazzina 14, with the restaurant beyond.

Here's a view from the vaporetti stop where you land at the island.


Most of the island is covered with shady paths and gardens. There are little signs to tell you what all of the plants are. The first thing I noticed were the huge agave plants. I saw a lizard on one yesterday.

Here are some little lime trees, olives, and a pomegranates.
Laurel, oleander, jasmine, and something called a "strawberry tree".

There are even some sequoia trees.
Of course, plants aren't the only things on San Servolo. Here are a bunch of other pictures I took as I strolled the grounds.
Thankfully, the mosquitoes in my room last night looked nothing like this guy. I swatted a few more of their brethren as I walked this evening. Not surprising, considering I'm surrounded by water.
That's all for now. I'm off to dinner!