My first encounter with the Carnival of Venice

Dear Venice,

I woke up to a beautiful day of sunshine: I feel a lot more in shape and less tired than when I've woken up before.

I've kept to my routine of getting up early, even at the weekend, which meant I had the kitchen and dining room all to myself (that only happens on Sundays normally).

Then I got ready and I left to go on a little walk. After having spent yesterday being ill (you can read this link), it was time to go out for some fresh air and make the most of the carnival!

Welcome to "VeniceLand"!

I went out with my camera around my neck and I took the time to stop and take photos.

As I was walking towards the Piazza San Marco for the carnival, I soon found that the streets were full of tourists.

It looked a lot like a queue you see for a ride in "DisneyLand": with the narrow streets, we got closer and closer, step by step, everyone in turn, etc... Anyway, patience! But I really like this childish atmosphere and seeing so many people dressed up in costumes. That made me think of the "Japan Expo" and other series, comics and manga conventions, where there are lots of people dressed up as their favourite characters.

The closer I got to the famous "Piazza San Marco", the more difficult it was to tolerate the crowd which was becoming more and more suffocating.

I guess it depends on the person, but personally, I get overwhelmed very quickly.

And I could no longer see the narrow streets because there were too many people... I decided to leave this place of festivities early (without having been able to see the traditional famous "swan dive" where an acrobat jumps from the tower in the square).

Vegan cakes and pastries to take away

I went to the cake shop called "Pasticceria Ponte delle Paste" because I saw on the Internet that it often made vegan cakes. And I was lucky, because there were still some vegan cakes left, tiramisu and an apple tart! So, I bought them to take away so I can have them for breakfast tomorrow morning.

I also wanted to try out the "Pasta to go" experience. The principle is the following:

• Choose the pasta.
• Choose the sauce.

And there you go! You can either eat it there (but you often have to stand), or you can take it away with you.

Here, it's known for being the "fast-food" pasta place (and therefore, known for being quite cheap).

I went to "Pasta & Pasta", but strangely the inside and the menu didn't seem like the one I had found on Google Maps and TripAdvisor... (I checked it, and I was definitely at the right address, and although it was different, the concept was the same)...

Well anyway, what I'm about to say is only because I felt really disappointed in terms of what I found there and what it had to offer on the ancient menu. I found the sauce really greasy, and I asked for the vegetable sauce (which on the menu said it was made of carrots, courgette, aubergine, potatoes, broccoli..., whereas actually, it was just a tomato sauce with two little lumps of courgettes)!

Yes, I admit that it may have been me who didn't completely understand the concept of how to choose the sauce and toppings for the pasta... But I don't want to give the impression that I'm always complaining about whatever! All that to say that I don't recommend this place, despite its popularity online! (and I will never go back there again).

Editing my photos and back for dinner

Then I went back home by making a big detour (and getting lost yet again) and I gave my legs a rest after having walked around for 4 hours.

Once I was in my room, I kept going with one of my personal projects, and then I couldn't help myself from taking one of my photos from this morning and editing it a little. That's my favourite part, editing the colours!

And here you have the result, my first "official" photo of Venice (I say official because it's the first one I've actually edited and the first one I took with my camera and not my phone):

For dinner, I finished the rest of the pasta from the weekend, and I went to meet Martina, who is studying a Russian Literature Master's. We found out that we were both going to be studying in Russia from September onward, and in the same school! Except she will be on the campus in Moscow and I will be in Saint-Petersburg. But still, what a funny coincidence!

I should stop there for today, after all, I would only bore you with the small details (I contacted many people to find a piano, I found out about the application "Slowly", I contacted my university to find out if it was possible to do a third exchange placement abroad, etc... )

Anyway, thank you Venice for:

• The lovely weather and the free time I have.
• Having found a cake shop which makes vegan pastries and having a good selection there.
• Having been able to photograph some of the masks.
• Having parents and friends who are interested in my time here.
• Having finally found a technique to open pistachios which are closed tight (even if I broke a nail doing it).

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