Carnival in Venice

Carnevale di Venezia began in 1268 and usually occurs during a two week period prior to Ash Wednesday, ending on Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras). It is customary to wear a mask made of paper-mâché and sometimes a full costume.

We arrived at 9 am on Saturday morning, after taking a night train that we boarded Friday night in Vienna. We didn't leave until 11 pm Saturday evening, so it was 14 hours of touring around the city. I'm certain we must have walked a 1/3 of the city that day, and visited most of the popular/tourist locations in Venice, as well as many trips off the "beaten path" We visited Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square), Basilica di San Marco (St. Mark's Basilica), Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge) and the Grand Canal. Because of the number of people at Carnival, the famous pigeons of Piazza San Marco were not really present; however, we were able to ride a gondola on the Grand Canal under Ponte di Rialto, a necessity when in Venice.

I would be lying if I didn't tell you that a good portion of our day was spent eating, we were in Italy afterall! We had gelato three times throughout the day at varying places around the city, which was amazing at every place we got it. We had lunch at a small restaurant next to one of the city's numerous smaller canals. In the afternoon, we sat down for a break at a cafe, and after a caffeine overload turned to their hot chocolate. When i say hot chocolate, I'm almost positive it was melted chocolate that was heated up. It was delicious, and at the same time quite filling. However, we managed to walk directly to another restaurant and sit down for an Italian dinner, which was quite good.

We finished off our evening by attending the Carnival festivities which were in the beginning stages of a late-night party in one of Venice's larger squares. This party made me wish I had left my backpack in a train station locker and that we were staying the night in Venice. But, we had to venture back to the train station for our train back home.

More Pictures: http://travel.webshots.com/album/570253501dmXFyl

Schönbrunn Palace

This past weekend we visited Schönbrunn which is located in Wien (Vienna) as a day trip with a program from our school. Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed inside, so I was only able to snap shots of the exterior; however, you can easily tell that this place was amazing. The weather wasn't so great that day, and in the Spring the gardens (which are huge and some not even in pictures) are in full bloom. I will most likely travel here again once the weather is nicer. The palace is truly a work of art, and its impressive size was shocking.

It was built in 1696 for Emperor Leopold I, and then given as a present to his daughter Maria Theresa (mother of Marie Antoinette, I guess we know where she got her sense of lavish entitlement from). Much of the interior was altered by Maria Theresa to keep up with the times and many of the rooms are of Rococo era. The palace was also home to Franz Josef I of Austria, who remained in power from 1848 until 1916 upon his death. He was an extremely devoted leader and would spend countless hours everyday working through the daily task required of a ruler. The palace would only remain occupied until 1918 when the abdication of Charles I ultimately ended the Habsburg Monarch.

More Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/570185842HWXZwc