venice

afternoon tea in st. mark's square? you don't even want to know how much it cost. ):

although italy is known for great food, there were absolutely no gastronomic delights awaiting me in venice. all restaurants were expensive and the menus didn't consist of much more than variations of spaghetti and bad salads. there was also a charge to sit down in most places... harsh after all the walking you must do. even the pizza wasn't much to speak of, and those nights i dreamt of how many slices i would eat in naples.

the two days i was at the hotel that my parents accidentally booked were pretty luxurious. included was a decent breakfast buffet with many offerings of tarts and pastries that i can't handle in the morning. but there was fruit and yogurt and even tomatoes and cheese. for breakfast? oh yeah. not to say that i prefer it to penny pinching with hostels (the first one i stayed at was so much fun and they even provided decent breakfast AND dinner), but when it's a free stay it's just that much better. (:

the best meal was actually one i threw together in my second hostel's guest kitchen. heirloom tomatoes picked up from rialto market and organic mozzarella from coop grocery store, hit with some olive oil and a pinch of salt. simple and much-needed.

price and food gripes aside, i had a wonderful time in venice and it was a lot of fun meeting my folks there. it's truly a magical city. and delicious gelato and espresso kept me alive. :P