This past Saturday I had a scheduled class trip to Padova, Italy.  Not wanting to leave them behind, I told my professor that Lynn and Joe would be coming along as well!  Padova is a 20 minute train ride south of Venice, so we decided to spend a few nights in Venice before meeting up with my class on Saturday.

So on Thursday afternoon we departed Firenze for Venezia.  I may or may not have taken a short nap on the train, while Joe stole my kindle to read his book.  When we arrived, we got a quick look at Venezia before heading out to our hotel in Mestre - a 10 minute busride outside Venezia.  We stayed in a really nice Hilton Garden Inn (very traditional Italian chain of hotels) and then headed back into the city for dinner.  After a bit of wandering we found a pizza place by the Ponte Rialto right along the Grand Canal.

Friday morning we got up early, and by early I mean I dragged my lazy parents out of the hotel around 10.  We jumped on a real bus and then a water bus over to Piazza di San Marco - the most famous church and piazza in Venezia. 

It was really crowded to we decided to wander around and do a little shopping instead of waitiing in the lines, so we picked a street and started walking.  We walked over a bridge every couple blocks as we did some window shopping and bought presents for friends and family back home. 

Got lunch near the Rialto again, and I even captured my biggest crescent so far this trip (the symbol of my sorority)!

In the early afternoon we headed back to San Marco and went in both the belltower and the main basilica.  There was even a small mass going on while we walked through the church. 

After some gelato and people watching we hopped on the water boat and took it one loop around the city to get the cheap tour.  Then we ate on "restaurant row" as I've dubbed it and headed home.

Saturday morning we actually had to get up early to catch an 8am bus from our hotel into Venezia.  We then caught a train to Padova and got a bus from the Padova station to the piazza where we were meeting my class.  After a successful reunion with my friends our field study tour guide, Rocky, began leading us around the town.  My class was making this trip to look at some famous works from just before the Black Death and one building that was decorated after the Plague.

The most notable site we saw was the Scrovegni Chapel.  This was the private chapel of the Scrovegnis and the inside was completely decorated in frescoes by one of the most famous Florentine painters ever, Giotto.  This chapel is considered one of his masterpiece works and was amazing to see in person and have it explained by Rocky.  Pictures were not allowed of the inside of the chapel.

We had some free time to eat and look around Padova then we headed back to Florence on the bus - yes Lynn and Joe too.  My parents were staying at a very nice hotel literally next to the Duomo where my host "aunt" works, so I was able to stay with them and take them to my favorite cafes and restaurants in the center.  It was a great weekend in another part of Italy, and even the parents weren't TOO embarrassing.

 

Here is the link to all my Venice pictures - https://plus.google.com/photos/104859887244946738313/albums/56766569836327832...

And here is the link to all my Padova pictures - https://plus.google.com/photos/104859887244946738313/albums/56766588206389572...