I last wrote to you all on Wednesday, and since then I have had a weekend full of celebrities, good food, and fun by the Grand Canal! I also started my new courses for the semester (Archeology, Italian Opera, History of Venetian Art, and Italian), and I'm a fan of them all :-).
It has also started to cool down here in Venice. Today had a high of 72 degrees Fahrenheit and low of 57 degrees Fahrenheit. It's nice that it's not in the 90s anymore, but it's about time to start pulling out the long sleeves!
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It has also started to cool down here in Venice. Today had a high of 72 degrees Fahrenheit and low of 57 degrees Fahrenheit. It's nice that it's not in the 90s anymore, but it's about time to start pulling out the long sleeves!
Cross the Bridge Weekly!: I was asked if there was a way to subscribe to the blog in order to receive a notification whenever I publish a post. Now you can follow the blog! You can click the link below to sign up:
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THE RED CARPET IN LIDO!
On Friday, I visited Lido. Lido in English means "sandbar." It's a small island that belongs to Venice, and it's about a 20 min Vaporetto ride from the stop nearest to our apartment, San Toma. In Lido, you'll find cars, more modernly designed apartments and restaurants, and the beach! Without canals and bridges at every turn, gondolas, and ancient cathedrals, Lido has a very different vibe from Venice's main city. I liked the change of pace!
Check out this gorgeous view of Venice's main city on the way to Lido:
On Friday, I visited Lido. Lido in English means "sandbar." It's a small island that belongs to Venice, and it's about a 20 min Vaporetto ride from the stop nearest to our apartment, San Toma. In Lido, you'll find cars, more modernly designed apartments and restaurants, and the beach! Without canals and bridges at every turn, gondolas, and ancient cathedrals, Lido has a very different vibe from Venice's main city. I liked the change of pace!
Check out this gorgeous view of Venice's main city on the way to Lido:
The 72nd annual Venetian Film Festival called La Biennale di Venezia started last week, so some of my classmates and I went to the red carpet in Lido on Friday evening. Johnny Depp starred in the movie Black Mass which premiered in Venice at the theater in Lido that night, so his appearance was the main attraction on the red carpet! Italians articulate both consonants in words with double letters, so as Depp walked the carpet, his Italian fans chanted "John-ny! John-ny!" I didn't notice it at first, but one of my classmates pointed it out!
One thing's for sure: I definitely did not anticipate coming this close to celebrities like Johnny Depp and Amber Heard on this study trip to Venice!
One thing's for sure: I definitely did not anticipate coming this close to celebrities like Johnny Depp and Amber Heard on this study trip to Venice!
On Saturday, I went out for lunch with some classmates to a Pizzeria called Al Vaporetto. I ordered a pasta and bean soup (la zuppa= soup in Italian)! It had pasta, pinto beans, spinach, and potatoes. It tasted delicious, and I felt full but not stuffed afterwards! My classmates ordered pizzas. Often the personal pizzas here are very large!
I went to Padova on Sunday to visit an international, English-speaking church and had a great time. I made a new friend who studies in Padova and is from the Honduras! While waiting for my train back to Venice, I heard a sweet piano melody playing, so of course, I followed the sound to the spot pictured below. There's a piano set up with a sign that reads, "sounami" or in English "Play Me." These Italians have a baby grand piano set up in their train station! That's classy haha :-). Do we have train stations with pianos in the U.S.? I've never seen one, but I'd like to know if you have!
REGATA STORICA DI VENEZIA!
Venice hosts an annual regatta on the Grand Canal called Regata Storica di Venezia that commences with a parade of 16th-century style boats and rowers in attire to match the time period! After the parade, a series of races begin starting with the age 8 and under category.
People lined the Grand Canal sitting in boats, peering out of their windows, and sitting or standing along the canal as we did! As we hung out by the water with our feet swinging over the Canal, and little fishies kept coming to the surface of the water. I think they might have thought that our shoes/feet were food!
Here's a clip of some of the younger kids racing!
Venice hosts an annual regatta on the Grand Canal called Regata Storica di Venezia that commences with a parade of 16th-century style boats and rowers in attire to match the time period! After the parade, a series of races begin starting with the age 8 and under category.
People lined the Grand Canal sitting in boats, peering out of their windows, and sitting or standing along the canal as we did! As we hung out by the water with our feet swinging over the Canal, and little fishies kept coming to the surface of the water. I think they might have thought that our shoes/feet were food!
Here's a clip of some of the younger kids racing!
These were the highlights of this past week!
Coming up this week: We have a class trip to Torcello and a group birthday dinner on Friday evening since 3 of us have birthdays in a 5-day time span! Next time I post I'll be 20 years old! Technically, I was born at 2:03 PM EST, so if I post exactly at 2:00 PM or before I'll still be 19 :-) haha!
Have a great week, everyone!
J McKoy
Coming up this week: We have a class trip to Torcello and a group birthday dinner on Friday evening since 3 of us have birthdays in a 5-day time span! Next time I post I'll be 20 years old! Technically, I was born at 2:03 PM EST, so if I post exactly at 2:00 PM or before I'll still be 19 :-) haha!
Have a great week, everyone!
J McKoy
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