Venice, Italy

We said goodbye to our friends Brad, Laurel and their son Landon. The time spent with you guys was spiritually refreshing. Thank you for letting us be with you. We departed early in the morning from Ljubljana in a van filled with nine people. The night before we tried to find someone to stay with using couch surfing, open invitations for travelers to stay in the town they are visiting. We emailed an Italian guy who lives near Venice and enjoys mixed martial arts. We hoped staying with him would work out. After a few email exchanges and a request to spar with him as conditions of the stay, we respectful explained that it would be best if we found another place to sleep. During the ride Mariella became aquainted with the person sitting behind us. It did not take long for Mariella to make friends with Yolima, a fellow South American from Colombia. Yolima was also heading to Venice so we decided to venture into the city together. We looked for a hostel that was recommended by an Italian girl riding in the van. After about an hour of trying to find the hostel we gave up and decided to go to a hostel that I read about. After weaving our way through the alleyways and bridges like the marble in the balancing maze game we arrived in the vicinity of the hostel. The hostel was booked up so we decided to go to the bookstore we passed earlier that had a bread and breakfast sign. Unfortunately the bed and breakfast room was filled, but the 15 euro a night storage bookroom/apartment was open. The girls took a tour of the room which was in the back area of the bookshop and we took it. Mariella, Yolima, a young German couple, and I shared the living space which included a courtyard surrounded by brick buildings. Oh, and we later found out that a couple of other people were living there as well. It was an interesting space for a great price.

Venice was great for the few days we were there. It is a fantastic city overwhelmed with tourist and we were there in the shoulder season. It must be crazy there in the summer. A highlight was the taking bus boat #2 for a tour of the Grand Canal for a cheap 6.50 Euro. We were blessed by Yolima’s presence in Venice. She brought renewed excitement and sense of adventure for exploring a city. We also found out that Yolima likes taking pictures as much as I do. Thank you for hanging out with us Yolima, nuestra amiga Colombiana, ciao bella!