Italy

Location: Venice, Italy

Travel Time: August 17, 2015

Our plan was to return back to Bratislava and spend 2 days there. However, since our whole group had already toured Bratislava, we figured let’s take advantage of the opportunity and drive to Italy. Since we were coming from Croatia, we were only 3 hours away from Venice. A few in our group had never been to Italy so we figured this was the perfect opportunity. So off in the caravan we went. It took us a little longer than 3 hours because of bathroom breaks and traffic, but we made safely and the weather was perfect! Since we had already visited Venice the year before, I didn’t document as many photos (See blog post: https://travelingthreefoldcord.com/italy/). I must admit though, it was fun being there with a group of friends and seeing their reactions to the picturesque view of the city.

We roamed around for a little bit until we found the Rialto Bridge. We decided to stop and have lunch right there off the canal. The price is definitely higher being in such a touristy area but the view was worth it. We then did a little shopping for souvenirs. Of course, limoncello shots and tasty gelato are always a must while in Italy. Since some of the other couples hadn’t been to Venice, they opted for a gondola ride. We decided to sit back and watch the bags for everyone. Rico went on his own to the top of St. Mark’s bell tower.

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That night, reality kicked in. We hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before and now we had spent the whole day walking around Venice. But it was time to drive back to Slovakia. The other 2 cars decided to drive straight through since they had young children and it would be too hard to keep them out longer than necessary. Tj, Rico and I thought about it but given how tired we were, we decided the best thing to do was stay at a hotel. Rico found one about halfway through our drive. For the first time this entire trip, we each got our own rooms and beds to sleep in. It felt so nice. The next morning, we were ready to hit the road and finish our drive to Slovakia. We made it back just in time to return the rental cars. Now, time to enjoy our final day in Europe.