We had spent more than two hours in an overly crowded train. Some had already dressed up and were trying to save their beautiful dresses from getting stepped on. In the air was a mixture of excitement and frustration - too many people, on too little space. After two and a half hours the doors finally opened and everyone stormed out into the air, into the magic.
We were lucky to have an apartment right in the centre. As we were passing the canals, the first people cuaght our eyes with their crazy costumes.
Once we had put our bags down, we were ready to go and discover. We had no idea of where to go or what to do. We decided to just get going and take which ever way seemed fun. I won't lie, I think we went in quite a few circles. I got to the point where all the piazzas got me confused - 'I swear we've been here' I remember saying myself. Turns out, we hadn't...
We found a city map and were able to actually find some of the sights in the labirinth of Venice. The streets were packed with tourists from all over the world. Many were wearing masks and custumes.
When we got to the main piazza, I was speechless. It seemed like we had gone back in time - as the sun set, it became even more beautiful. There was a mysterious atmosphere, no one knew who was hiding behind the masks... We decided to get beautiful masks for ourselves too.
You have to know, there are two kinds:
- Plastic ones sold one the streets
- Handmade, hand painted ones
As we were walking into the first store, I was quite intimidated - there were masks hanging everywhere, some of them quite scary looking. I think we were in there for over an hour, trying to choose one, watching the woman who was painting and in total fascination of the masks hanging.
At around 9pm we had to eat (of course I have to mention our food and incredible discovery).
There we were - three girls in search of the perfect restaurant to let this beautiful night end. I can already tell you this, it didn't end as early as expected.
We were walking down so many streets, not able to decide. Then we found it - the perfect Italian Ristorante. It looked dark from the outside but super cozy. That was it we thought.
We sat down and quickly ordered a pizza each and a huge bottle of wine. Hours passed, one wine bottle after the other was ordered and we became friends with the cute waiter. Suddenly, we noticed something: This was the place where Johnny Depp had been to! We couldn't believe it, and we couldn't beilieve it took as 3 bottles of wine to realize that!
So despite finding one of the best pizzas I've ever had, we had accidently found a quite famous restaurant.
If you ever go to Venice, this is definitley the place to eat: Ristorante Rosa Rossa!
Tipsy as we were, we thought it might be a good idea to finally get some sleep. Nope. Didn't happen. Instead we found ourselves somewhere on the streets of Venice, dancing the night away with people from all over the world.
The sun was starting to rise and we decided to head back home. What a night!
History
Venice is a beautiful city, whenever you go. But during carnival, it turns into a magic place. It is the time when tradition and old cultures come back to life to fill the atmosphere with fun and laughter.
The history of carnival in Venice is said to go back to the 13th century. It has been popular ever since: suddenly no difference could be made between poor and rich, people could even make fun of whoever they wanted, everyone was hiding behind their masks! It allowed everyone to celebrate together and enjoy these carefree days.
My favorite Costumes
As the days passed, we came across some pretty crazy costumes that I absolutely loved. And I can tell you one thing for sure, the next time I go to Venice for Carnival, I will be dressed up!
Carnival in Venice has been an absolutely wonderful experience and I encourage everyone to make their own! Get you mask, leave all your stress and worries behind and celebrate life!
