Grow Through What You Go Through: Italy!!

Tuesday I got the great privilege to experience my first delayed flight… haha.

It was a two-hour delay in an airport where our terminal only had 4 seats to wait, for a flight that had probably about a couple hundred people on it. It was quite the adventure, but we were able to make it to Venice before dark! When we got there, we took a bus to a street a couple blocks away from our hostel. After we got all settled in to our hostel we went to go find somewhere to eat because we were all super hungry. We found a pizza place that was decently priced and when we were done eating there we were very satisfied!! The food was super good and filled us right up! It was a little late to take a bus over to the actual island of Venice, so we decided to just do a little exploring of our own around the area of our hostel. As we were exploring we found a gelato place and oh my goodness!! It was so yummy!! I was tempted to get a second gelato that night from that same place, but I stayed strong and refrained! Haha

Wednesday was our first and only full day in Venice! There is a bus that drives you across a bridge to the entrance of the city of Venice but that’s where the cars stop. From there, there are only small walkways between buildings and all the ‘roads’ are rivers! We walked so much! All the streets where lined with souvenir shops, candy/chocolate shops, and restaurants. In Venice (and Rome) the restaurants have the waiters waiting outside the building to try and get you to come eat at their restaurant, it was pretty funny to watch how all the different workers would try and get your attention. Also, a lot of the restaurants had seating outside as well, in Rome a lot of the seating for the restaurants were right by or on the road with trams and cars driving by right next to you. It was pretty fun!

For lunch on Wednesday we went to a fancier restaurant and I was able to get a dish with crab in it!! It was so yummy! And it made me super happy! (especially because I forgot to eat the crab my family saved for me right before I left for Romania). After our delish dinner we found a gelato shop nearby and had to try it out! It was pretty fancy and actually had a facet in the back of running Nutella chocolate that they used for dipping the cones in! After we ate our three scoop cones of gelato we were so full but then we walked by a little stand with fresh coconut and could not walk by without getting some, so we ate that too!! After the coconut was gone I was convinced I would not have to eat again for a week! Haha I was so full! Right before sunset we went on a gondola ride and it was so much fun and so magical! It had been pretty hot and bright all day but as we were on our gondola ride it was the perfect temperature and with the sun setting it gave off a beautiful light! Those 40 min went by way too fast!

Thursday we went back to Venice to explore some of the spots we had not seen the day before, I got my daily cannoli and we also got gelato and then around 8 we got on our train to Rome.

When we were in Rome we were able to go to the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Vatican, the new temple site where Rebekah will be working starting in January, the Trivi Fountain, the Spanish steps and many of Rome’s churches and breathtaking view. Rome was a lot dirtier of a city than I had expected but in certain places the views would take your breath away! We were able to spend Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Rome and we flew home Sunday night. I am proud to say that I had gelato and a cannoli each day I was in Italy!! Haha, I keep telling myself that all that I ate evened out with all our walking (even though I’m sure that’s not true…) It was totally worth it though, all the food I ate there was so yummy!

Sunday morning, I was able to go to church with Alessandro, a former foreign exchange student in Cashmere who was good friends with my family! Everyone there was so nice! I love that wherever I go I can find the church and everyone there is always so welcoming, and it feels like home!

Although I was excited to get back to Romania and see my kids I didn’t want to leave and I already miss Rome and Switzerland a lot!!

VENICE: