Yesterday I went to Venice for Carnivale! Carnivale is the Mardi Gras celebration that takes place for 2 weeks before Mardi Gras. Venice has one of the biggest celebrations in the world. My friends and I took a bus from Florence and then took a ferry through the Grand Canal into Venice. As soon as we got there, we saw people everywhere. There were tons of people in crazy costumes celebrating Carnivale. All my friends and I bought masks as soon as we got there so we could fit in also.
All the costumes were so elaborate and detailed. A lot of women were dressed in huge medieval dresses. We also saw Teletubbies, a family of Smurfs, knights, princesses, Noah's Ark and much more that I can't even describe.
The weather was perfect for walking around all day. It was sunny and warm, which was such a relief since it had rained for the 2 days prior. After taking in the atmosphere of Carnivale, we walked to San Marco's square. The square was packed with people but I was still able to see the incredible church and buildings. My friend and I split a Bellini, which was delicious and comes from Venice!
After hanging out in San Marco's square, we went to a glass blowing demonstration in a Murano glass factory. I had never seen glass blowing and it was so cool! It takes 15-20 years of training for someone to become a Murano glass blowing artist and the trade is disappearing quickly because of the lengthy training process. The artist pulled hot glass out of an oven on a long rod and twisted it around to prepare the glass. Then he blew through the rod and made a vase. He also made a horse figurine in about 2 minutes. It looked like he was just pulling on the glass and then it somehow became a perfect horse. After the demonstration we looked at all the Murano glass. The glass was so beautiful but also very pricey. I wish I could've bought something but I was also worried that it wouldn't make it home. 
After the glass blowing, we went to watch the Carnivale parade, which showed off even more costumes. After the parade was over we went to dinner at a Venician restaurant. It was nice to sit down for a bit! After dinner we wandered back through San Marco's square to see it lit up in the dark. It was even more beautiful at night and a little less crowded too. 
We left Venice at 6 pm and took the ferry back through the Grand Canal in the dark. Although I was tired, it was such a fun day. Venice was beautiful and Carnivale was quite an experience. I definitely want to come back to Venice sometime in my life and maybe even ride a gondola when I have a little more money :) 
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