French guys

I don't want to fall for a stereotype buuuuut.... The French guy in my dorm room smells. Bad. It's the sort of stink that makes you take a step back after opening the door and exhale sharply, trying to get it out of your nose. Ever since I let him borrow my iPad while I was Skyping home, he's been making subtle French hints that he'd like to borrow it again to check out his Facebook wall. I'm all for helping people out, but not as a permanent fixture, so I'm sorry to say I've played the "Eh, what? Sorry, I still don't speak French, not even today."

It's my last day in Venice and I'll admit, I'm going to be glad to move on. It's much better in the evenings, when all the street hawkers have put away their goods and all the tourists have settled in for a meal. It's also a lot better in the sunshine: this morning for example, was all sunny and I had a good walk about the place but it's now turned cloudy again and the mood has taken a similar turn. I hadn't realized how very much affected I am by the weather, but I like to just blame it on the city instead. I feel boxed in, walking through all these narrow streets. I'm sitting outside my hostel right now and everything I see is cut off by buildings not 50 ft in front of me. Is a hard change after being on a hilltop in Florence, being in a camp ground in Rome, and just having much more open spaces in all the other cities I've visited.

The best things I liked about Venice were the smell of food in the air during the evenings and the way the light reflects off the water surface at night. Having no cars in area to worry about is a strange experience that I'm still only vaguely aware of and, even though it's a prominent figure of the city, it's not something that comes to mind immediately.

I tried some cannoli, which has to be among the best desert foods ever, and took the water bus for a spin last night just to enjoy the sensation and the sights. I fell for the "Venice" flavored ice cream and was disappointed to find it's just vanilla with candy bits sprinkled in. I looked at more masks, but even the most elaborate ones through the shops start to look like copies of each other.

I'm just really excited for when Andreina comes into town. In a little less than a day, I'll be walking with her in Milano! Now, if only this day would go by faster!!

Location:Salizada San Geremia,Venice,Italy