The Unbearable Exhaustion of Being (In All Parts of Italy Simultaneously ).

My most recent trip was a blur. 3 days in Italy in an attempt to see all that there is to be seen in Venice, Florence, and Rome. A bit ambitious? I thought so too. I was joined by my roommates Matt and Kevin, as well as Kevin's friend Dave for part of the trip. Friday morning we flew into Venice, made a mad dash around the city, and took a train to Florence. We woke up Saturday and Venice and repeated the process, seeing the Duomo, The David, Ponte Vecchio, and some cool street markets. Saturday night meant another train ride, this time to Rome. Our most ambitious day yet, we had a guided tour of the Colosseum and Palatine Hill as well as seeing the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and St. Peter's Cathedral in a 24 hr period. Needless to say, we were bookin' it (despite the fact that one of the roommates was plagued with the stomach flu).

Things I've learned:
-Everything there is to be seen in Venice can be seen in an afternoon.
-When paying for a gondola ride, you pay for the gondola, regardless of the number of people in your group. However, it is strictly prohibited to form impromptu groups with strangers (regardless of group size). Lesson learned: Be sneaky. Strangely enough, my spanish speaking abilities got us a sweet deal on a gondola ride, which we split with a pair of nice spanish girls (pictured below).
-Italy's ridiculous "cover charges" to sit down and eat at a restaurant often counterbalance its sometimes reasonable food prices.
-GROM, in Florence, makes the best gelato in the world. Hands down.
-Train tickets in Italy are only sometimes necessary. Sometimes a man comes to check everyone's tickets. Other times, not. This may sound appealing to people looking to travel on the cheap, but be warned, I think they throw you off the still-moving train if you can't prove you have a ticket. Best Game Plan: If you don't want to buy a ticket, it is possible to spend the entire train ride in the bathoom (as proven by "stomach-flu roommate").
-Rome boasts the most embarrassing Metro system in the entire world. No, not for its lack of lines-- that can't be helped due to thousands of years of history being buried underneath the modern city-- but for its unorganized, filthy, always-under-construction, rat-riddled, poorly-lit existing Metro lines.
-Palatine Hill is way more interesting with a tour guide.
-Pears in pasta may be the most amazing invention since the Nutella/banana crepe (seen here).
-Don't ask for "Armando" at "The Living Room Club" in Rome. He's not there. He may not exist. No, you will not get a free shot. You may get discounted scotch, but don't count on it, Buck-o.
-Just go look at the pictures. That's the only reason the eight of you people check this anyway.




Grand Canal, Venice.



St. Mark's Square.



Some canal, Venice.



Our gondola ride crew.



The view inside the Duomo.



The view from the top of the Duomo.



The location of the best meal I've ever eaten.



Street market, Florence.


An illegal picture of the David (guest appearance by my roommate, Kevin "Where's the bathroom?" Capata).



The Duomo, Florence.


The Colosseum.


Inside the Colosseum.


Palatine Hill.



The Roman Forum.



Porphyry marble keys on the floor of St. Peter's.



St. Peter's Basilica.



Spanish steps.