Padova! Check, check!

Okay, so today was pretty much amazing and I have to say, I am pretty proud of myself for not getting TOO lost and not getting kidnapped. Just saying, I am very happy! I left for Padova at 8am from the train station in town. Angelo came to help me with the machine to buy my ticket but it wasn't working. He told me that if this ever happens, just board the train that you need and then if you see a train operator or ticket puncher wandering the train, you can stop them and you can buy your ticket from them. Well, I waited and waited but there was never anyone who came into the same train car as me soooo...I never paid for my ticket! I figure if they wanted my money, they should have had their machine working or had a more watchful eye on their passengers, right? Well, I got off at my stop in Venice - Mestre, a suburb of Venice, to make my next train. I went to buy at ticket for my small journey from Mestre to Padova and it was only 2,85 euro! Good deal! Bad news was that the train to Padova was VERY late so I had to wait for almost 2 hours. It gave me a chance to eat something and make sure I had everything ready in my nice backpack! I haven't worn a backpack since junior high so I felt a little mommy on the go, especially with my soccer mom sneakers! Finally, I got off at the right stop in Padova and I found an information desk where I could get a map of the city. This map was a travesty...it gave me such a headache by the end of the day! Whoever made it, I would like to personally ask them why they made it so hard when it could have been so easy! First off, the map was the size of a small child so holding it and looking at it back to front and sideways all day just wasn't working out. Thank goodness I had the sense this time to borrow one of Angelo's backpacks to carry all my stuff in and not my flimsy messenger bag. I found the road I needed to get to the city center and off I went. Of course, because I didn't know how to read the map yet...I was walking past half of the sights that I wanted to see and I didn't even know it! I was taking pictures of them and wondering what their names are but couldn't find anything on the map! I just kept walking and walking until I finally found a street that was on the map...but it was past everything that I wanted to see. I didn't use one bus today...just my feet! They are still throbbing tonight...I think I overwhelmed them a bit today. One of the first sights I found was the main campus for the University of Padova. It is called Palazzo Bo, where you can find an old courtyard from the 16th century, Galili's chair on display from when he taught there in the late 1500's, and a very nice cafe called Caffe' Pedrocchi. I didn't even attempt to go in and take a picture because the waiters were wearing nice suits and it didn't look like I would fit in very well with my tourist attire. Then, I found two piazzas where they have daily markets, Piazza della Erbe and Piazza della Frutta. Both are very pretty with gorgeous apartments and shops surrounding the squares. In Piazza della Erbe, there is another huge building that is said to be the center of Padova called Palazzo della Ragione. It is the building in the pictures that has the huge horse with the beautiful frescos on every wall. It was built in 1218 for the court system at the time and is now only as a museum to preserve the wall to wall frescos, a huge and amazing building to see! I went a little further down the narrow streets and found two other piazzas on my map, Piazza dei Signori and Piazza Capitaniato. It is a big square like the others with many shops. The picture of the tunnel with the clock tower of the sun is in these piazzas. Going a little farther down the street and now understanding the map a little better, I found the Piazza del Duomo, a small and beautiful church that was more simple in black and white colors. I had a few other places to see before I made my way back to the train station. I had to find two large churches that I was told I had to see and one of the biggest sites for a theater in Europe, Prato della Valle. It used to be an amphitheater around the 16th century. Later, it became a site for gatherings with its 78 statues surrounding the canal and 4 bridge entries. What a huge place! It couldn't even fit in one picture shot from across the street! I found one of the churches called Basillica of S. Giustina. It was built in the 1500's, with a total of 8 domes...just beautiful to look at inside! From the gift shop, I bought a St. Christopher's medallion. It is a cheap one but I thought it wouldn't hurt to keep it with me while I am here alone! The other church that was a must see was the Basillica of Saint Antonio. It was by far, the most amazing church I have ever seen. There was a lot of construction on the outside so you couldn't see the details but it was still exquisite. I walking in thinking there was going to be a charge to get in, only there was an actual church service going on so I snuck in and went around very quietly! I don't know if I am going to hell for that but it was worth it. You also aren't supposed to take pictures...I don't understand why but I snuck a few in anyway. St. Antonio's tomb is there and people wait in line to touch it and say a prayer for a loved one. There also is a shrine of notes and pictures that people have left next to the tomb. I am so glad I found that church and I can't wait to bring Natalie to see what she thinks! Finally, I was making the long trek back towards the station. First, I had to check out one more spot. The Arena, originally built in the 13th century as a Roman amphitheater, has only a little part of the wall left on all the sides. It is still very impressive that it is even standing! The church across the street from the Arena had so much damage from the bombings in 1944 that some of the frescos were ruined. I am surprised the entire Arena isn't in pieces! Inside the Arena, there is a chapel called the Scrovegni Chapel that is said to be one of the greatest art monuments of all time. It was really late and very expensive to get into so I thought I would wait for Natalie to come and we could go together. I can't wait to see it! I had a couple slight problems at the station leaving Padova. I went to the ticket counter and the man said, "You have 2 minutes to make this train, run to platform 2!" He didn't have to tell me twice! It is really awful to miss a train and have to wait for the next one. Thank goodness I made it! I give all the credit to the backpack, made it not so hard to run with all my stuff! The other problem was...my phone stopped working. It wouldn't let me send texts or call anyone...I had no idea how I was going to let Gianna know that I needed a ride home and when! I hadn't heard from her since this morning and they were probably up on the mountain still...I was in trouble. Thank the lord Gianna called my phone about a half hour before I arrived in Conegliano and she said they were making their way to the station to pick me up. It all worked out in the end but I had a mini heart attack for a second there. Oh and Kelly, I must admit that I haven't tried a kebab yet but I promise you that I will! I saw a couple shops in Padova and Verona that I want to try soon! Well, I took a ton of pictures today so enjoy and more tomorrow! Hopefully I can feel my feet by then!