Tales Of My Life: When in Europe the UK and Beyond: The Golden Staircases of Venice

I made it into Venice around 12:30. The moment I walked outside the train station I saw the Grand Canal. Its water was pure as gold and slick as ice. The water itself had a hint of a green tint to it. Lining the canal were various pastel colored houses that seemed to go on endlessly down the canal. This first magnificent view of Venice is one I will remember for the rest of my life.

I hopped on a water bus to my hotel. However, I ended up getting on the wrong water bus by mistake, and ended up by the Rialto Bridge. My hotel was not too far away from here, but it was not very easy to find the hotel. This was because the hotel was situated down a back alley way. It was very quiet and remote in this area, which I really enjoyed.

After checking into my hotel, I excitedly made my way over to Marco Polo's House. I thought it was a museum, but was instead just a plaque stating where he lived. Disappointed I moved on wandering in a random direction. Eventually I came upon Saint Marco Square. In this square there were many restaurants, a cathedral and Dodge's Palace.

I went into Dodge's Palace and let me tell you this place tops anything I have seen in Italy. As you walked up to the staircases inside the building the ceiling was covered in a glitzy glamorous gold. It was such a transcendent experience walking up these staircases.

The function halls were even more impressive. Never before have I seen so much gold in one place. The walls and ceilings were lined with paintings on every inch imaginable. Not to add to the fact that the function halls were massive in size.

Dodge's Palace also had a very impressive armory dating back to the middle ages up until the early 1900's. There was everything from knight armor to various guns.

There was also a dungeon in which was well known for the bridge of sighs. This bridge has a window that would offer most prisoners their last view of Venice. The dungeon itself was really cold, so I did not dwell to long down there.

For about an hour after the Dodge's Palace, I wandered around the streets aimlessly. It did not take very long to get away from all the tourists. Walking a few blocks in any direction will get you into peace and quiet. Being by yourself like I was, really helped me enjoy the streets of Venice more. The key to Venice is getting lost in its streets, it is only then that you'll be able to enjoy Venice to its fullest extent.