October 23 , 2003 - page 2


The first night my room had no electricity, which also means no heat. Now, keep in mind that in the fall Italy is by no means warm. In fact, it was about 30 degrees at night. Needless to say, I did not sleep and was quite numb by morning.

The bathrooms were all outside and didn't have toilet paper. The showers were also outside and didn't have hot water. Therefore, we were a very dirty and smelly group for a few days.



 

The next day, though, things were much better. We all took the bus from our hostel into the town of Venice. There is no other way to describe Venice other than absolutely beautiful. The architecture is stunning, from the detailed sculptures to the elaborate cathedrals. Gondolas silently swept through the canals carrying groups of friends and pairs of lovers. I might add that gondola "drivers" no longer sing opera, but rather talk on their cell phones. But that's really not such a big deal.

We spent much of our time wandering through St. Mark's Square admiring St. Mark's Cathedral and feeding the pigeons. Feeding the pigeons is really fantastic since they hop right into your hands. However, one should beware since, like all animals, pigeons poop too. This is what happened to me, which ultimately meant that I took a very cold shower that night in 30-degree weather. It was also in St. Mark's Square that we happened to run into the Centre Strasbourg students! What are the odds?