Getting Lost in Venice | Part 2

Because of everyone's warnings about Venice, we spent just one and a half days (and two nights) in Venice, and it felt like a good amount of time (I have a feeling the people who didn't like Venice stayed for too long). If we had another half day, we would have liked to visit Burano, a picturesque island known for it's colorful buildings, seafood, and glass art. You've definitely seen photos of it before.

We didn't really know what you are supposed to see in Venice, so we just set out walking and ended up seeing a lot of the main attractions by accident. There is a giant square called Piazza San Marco where you'll find the famous St. Mark’s Basilica, Doge’s Palace, and Torre dell’Orologio, a 500 year old clock tower with amazing views from the top. The basilica is free (but always has a long line) and was really stunning and worth seeing. It was built a thousand years ago and known for the super intricate mosaics inside. While everyone was looking up, I was busy looking down at the incredible tile work on the floor. There are no backpacks allowed inside and we had a backpack with us (and our camera gear inside), so we took turns going inside and waiting outside with the backpack. With no partner and no cameras allowed, it was a pretty inspirational walk. The clock tower was not free but it was cheap and the views from the top were pretty spectacular and we also recommend it, especially if you're a photographer. All the photos in this post that look like they were taken from above were from the clock tower.

Venice is one of those cities that makes you wish so badly you could travel back in time to see it in its glory days... when it was one of the wealthiest cities in Italy and an inspiring home to so many artists. It was nice to see it, even if to set your imagination off. At the very least, we got a lot of steps and stairs in, walking all around the city and up and over so many bridges.

Up next: Florence 

- Julia and Yuriy