day twelve: Rome to Venice

The next morning we packed up our stuff and loaded everything onto the bus. As we ate breakfast, it started to rain and by the time we were ready to get on the bus, it was pouring and we were all soaking wet. Not exactly a fun way to start the day, but at least we were glad that it hadn't rained like that the previous two days we were there. We really did luck out in terms of weather during the whole trip (except of course for the extreme heat we experienced through most of Italy) and didn't miss out on anything due to bad weather.

We had a bit of a drive that day, but Jase told us that we were going to get to stop somewhere on our way to Venice. Our options were either some beach or the city of Verona. Due to the rainy weather, the decision was made to go to Verona, a decision I was very happy about. Shakespeare's story of Romeo and Juliet takes place in a town called Verona, and according to local legend, the play was based on a true story. The town of Verona is known for two things: a smaller version of the Colosseum that they call the Arena and Guiletta's house (the house where Juliet supposedly lived). Although I don't know if I believe the story or not, the house was cool to see.



As you can see in the picture above, there is indeed a balcony where the famous scene could have taken place. All of the pieces of paper on the wall are notes from lovers, pledging their undying love to someone. It's kind of romantic, but mostly just seemed like a tourist trap.

There was also a statue of Juliet in the courtyard. Apparently if a guy rubbed her right breast, he would be lucky in love. So, all of the guys on our trip took turns molesting the statue and we got lots of funny pictures.

However, my most memorable moment of Verona came when I needed to use the public toilets. Now, Jase had warned us at the start of the trip about some differences. First, they make you pay for them. Ok, that's fine; it ate up all my change, but it wasn't too hard to deal with. Second, the Europeans don't like toilet seats for some reason. We saw this right away in France and I still don't understand it. However, Verona took it one step further: no toilet at all. When I got into the bathroom, there was just a hole in the ground. No joking! It was one of the "squatters" we had heard about but didn't really think existed. And to think that I actually paid for this!

After some more driving (I think we drove more this day than any other) we arrived in Venice in time for a late dinner. The campsite we were staying at, Fusina, was pretty nice. They had really good internet that I used happily for half an hour after dinner. I was able to talk to my dad and a couple friends for a while through instant messenger and read all of my email. One problem with the campsite was that the bathrooms and showers were kind of not-so-close, but at least they were clean. There was also a bar that served these really strong drinks called "attitude adjusters" and gave girls free shots if they flashed the bartenders (and their cameras).

Also, all of our cabins were arranged in a circle, facing inwards. Someone nicknamed it "Melrose Place". It was nice how we were all so close together. Definitely after Venice everyone in our group was much closer and less cliquey. this is probably due not just to the arrangement of our cabins, but also to the amount of alcohol that we all drank there.

The first night in Venice I went to bed pretty early since I was starting to feel sick (some kind of cold) and I wanted to make sure that I was well-rested for the next day which I was really looking forward to.

next day...