Chris and I made it to Venice after a 2.5 hour train ride. 

We checked into our Airbnb which was thankfully only a 5 minute walk from the train station. Walking with those heavy bags on my back for long distances in this scorching sun is really not the move or fun. It’s nice because Chris carries one for me so it’s less I have to deal with. It’s also really nice with him because I can shut my brain off completely while traveling together and just live in my own world. He just figures everything out for us. I was seriously so happy to finally be in an Airbnb instead of living the hostel life for a little bit. I do love the craziness of living in hostels but you don’t sleep much and it’s an extreme level of socialization which sometimes burns me out quickly. It’s a great way to keep your trip affordable and meet people but it definitely can be overstimulating. The more people you have in your room the worse it is because everyone is coming and going at all times during the day and night. It’s like an unwritten rule in hostels that you set your phone alarms on vibrate only-never on loud so you don’t wake everyone else but some people don’t get that concept apparently. When I was in Florence, I ended up sharing a room with people who just partied until the morning and they’d come back so loud talking to each other and there’s nothing you can do about it because you chose this life. I just sleep with ear plugs and an eye mask and call it good. I stopped taking my Trazadone completely because I’m scared that that had something to do with my SVT episode since I was taking it every single night.

After arriving in Venice and checking into our Airbnb, we showered and got ready to explore the city. I got a real towel and it was the best thing ever. I forgot how nice that was. You don’t realize the things you take for granted in life. I’ve been traveling with my microfiber towel since they’re compact and dry so quickly but they are the worst to dry off with. Sleeping in a real bed again was also incredible and being in a room with our own controlled AC. The Airbnb was actually set up as a bed-and-breakfast and it was adorable. We had other travelers in the home with us who had their own rooms as well. We got ready and walked down to the train station to catch the next train to the island of Venice. It’s only a 10 minute train ride but the train goes over the ocean. It’s so crazy to me that they can do that. When I was in London, I also learned about the channel tunnel that goes from England to France. Its a train system that’s literally built underneath the ocean and i still can’t wrap my head around it even though it’s been explained to me twice. 

The island of Venice is freaking beautiful. There are canals EVERYWHERE with gondolas and small boats driving down them. Getting around the city is like walking through a massive maze. Even Google maps doesn’t know where it’s going. The buildings are beautiful. We’d barely eaten that day so we found a dinner spot at a place that everyone online was talking about called Ostaria Dai Zemei. The dish is called cicchetti. It reminds me of soft bruschetta with a bunch of different crazy toppings that I’ve never heard of before. We had no idea what we were picking out but they were sooo yummy and it was really fun trying something neither of us have ever tried. We walked around and did a bunch of site seeing and walked around the island. I wish you guys could see the canals and buildings. I immediately stepped out of the train and decided I wanted to come live in Venice. It’s such a vibe.

We found a fancy wine spot right in the center of the city where you could view the main sites. The cheapest bottle of wine was 70 euros and the cheapest cocktail was 20 euros. We were already sitting and looked at each other and decided, “when in  Italy”. Yeah, Italy was going to make me cut my trip so short and so was that phrase. We ordered the bottle of wine and it was worth it. We were sat outside under the string lights and they bring you a mini charcuterie-type board. We also sat in front of the stage where they were playing live classical music. The band was energetic and incredible. The waiters watched as soon as your glass was empty they were on their way over to refill it for you. It was such a romantic scene. It felt really special and I’m so happy we did it.  I’ve been learning so much about England since that’s where Chris is from. They also say a lot of funny phrases that I’ve never heard before and I think I might be picking up some sort of British/English accent here. 

We also found some gelato, of course, because, when in Italy. It turned dark and all of Venice was lit up. It was really beautiful We took the train from the island and found a little drink spot near our Airbnb. We enjoyed some drinks and good chats. Chris is so easy to talk to and converse with. We have really good banter. It feels like I’ve known him way longer than I have. We got comfortable with each other pretty quickly. A little too comfortable maybe. We were walking around picking out our favorite baby names and we went through the entire “baby name” list under my notes app on my phone. I know your eyes are big at this point and you think that’s insane. That’s valid. It really is insane. I looked over at him and told him that we are so crazy for this. 

We woke up the next morning with a slight hangover. We had a lot of fun though so it was worth it. We got up and got ready to go back to the island. Once we were back in Venice, we found a cute lunch spot and ate some carbonara. Do you know that all you consume in Italy is pizza, pasta, aperol spritz and gelato? Yes, its a thing. I’m so happy I don’t have a scale. Although I’ve been walking 20,000-30,000 steps every day here so I think it might be even out. After lunch we found a gondola and shared a gondola ride with two other girls. I remember Venice being one of my top spots when I was planning this trip at 21 and all I wanted to do was ride a gondola through the canal. So finally doing it this many years later knowing one of my long term dreams was coming true was surreal for me. It was everything I expected. We rode around the city for half hour, which didn’t fee like enough. 10/10 experience, We also went into a t-shirt shop and got some cute matching Italian t-shirts.

After leaving the island again, we went to the grocery store to buy some Aperol and a couple bottles of wine and things to make a homemade charcuterie board with. We made our board back at our airbnb and sat outside on the patio just us two as the sunset. We stayed out there for hours. It was the cutest fricken thing and make me realize how much i’ll miss chris when we go our separate ways. 

Speaking of splitting ways, Chris was heading to Bled, Slovenia after Venice and guess who decided to follow him since he followed me to Florence? I didn’t even know where Bled was and Slovenia definitely wasn’t on my list. But here we are. Sitting on this 4.5 hour bus ride on our way to Slovenia. Together. We had to take a bus to Ljubljana first and then take another hour train ride after that and THEN another bus ride to get to Bled. There’s a massive lake called Lake Bled and they have so many fun, active and outdoorsy things to do there. I really want to go canyoning. I think this will sadly be our last stop together because Chris is heading to Croatia after this and I’m planning on going to Budapest. 

We are almost at our stop so I’m logging off. Looking forward to experiencing Bled.

Chat soon.

Xo, 

Kals