Venice = Round 2!

Wow, what an awesome day! First, I woke up and got ready for the day while Gianna went for a long run. After she got back, I colored her hair for her! She asked me if I knew how and I said that my bestie Josh does hair and I think I have watched him do it a few times! It turned out really well and Angelo wants me to do his next! We got ready to leave for Venice and we were in the car by 12:30. Venice is only 45 minutes away by car...and Angelo's very fast driving! We parked the car in Piazzale Roma and off we went to find the restaurant for lunch. We met up with Giulio, Gianna's younger brother, at the entrance so it was nice to see him again. We finally found this restaurant, supposedly built in the 14th century and one of the oldest restaurants in Venice. I believe it too because I didn't even get the name of it or had the time to take a picture of it because it is so small and on top of a canal. It was by far the craziest meal I have ever had in my life!!! First, they start off with a mixture of popular Adriatic Sea foods...a raw sardine that still had all the bones, eyes, tail...everything. Then, they have pieces of PURPLE OCTOPUS on the side on top of some green leaf things. Then, a small pile of raw shrimp...tails and all. Then, a piece of swordfish...raw of course. At least I think it was raw, or close to it because it was very rubbery! The worst part for me was the octopus but I ate everything on my plate. I always do even if I hate it and never want it again. They don't take your plate away from the table until you have eaten everything, so I feel I have no choice but to eat every last bite! Then, the next course was spaghetti with red sauce, mixed with mussells and clams....but still in the shells! Oh man, definitely not my favorite but better than the first appetizers. Then, we had a slab of seabass...at least it had a lot of oil so it didn't taste so fishy! As you can probably tell, I am not a huge fan of seafood and I have never eaten more of it in my life! Angelo and Giulio had spaghetti with octopus ink as the sauce!!! I tried a bite and it was just too much for me...the pasta was pure black and just tastes fishy and very salty. Thank the lord for dessert because we all had tiramisu and it was heavenly. It was time to go and explore Venice a little more. We made our way to San Marco square, where Daniel and I had been before. We definitely went on a different path so there was a lot of new things to see. We reached the sea and San Marco square and walked clear to the end where there is a nice cafe with a big garden. We had a coffee and off we went to find the Realto bridge, very famous on the walk to and from San Marco square. It was fun for me to remember all that I had seen with Daniel and then to see it again was pretty amazing. We ate gelato twice on our adventures and stopped for only a VERY small coffee as well. Angelo told me that it is illegal to even ride a bike, vespa, or motorcycle in the streets of Piazzale Roma or San Marco square. I thought people could at least ride a bike but I guess not! If you have to go to the store and you live in the limits of the square, you go by foot....you have no other choice! I can't imagine never using a car or even a bicycle to get around but I guess they find a way to make it work by foot! My feet hurt so bad from walking all day but it was worth it! If I could give one piece of advice for anyone going on a long trip that requires a lot of walking, it would be to bring the most comfortable and reliable pair of walking shoes you can find! Otherwise, your trip will be ruined by blisters and an aching body. Ciao for now, I am going to bed now and sleeping well! The weather was perfect today, about 80 degrees and I didn't get burned! Tomorrow, we are going to Treviso to have lunch with Angelo's cousins. It should be fun! Ciao!