Italy- oh THiS is vacation

So as many of you know Italy was my mental highlight for the trip. I have always wanted to go to Italy, and regrettably had to cut some time short in Stuttgart Germany with my friend Elise (which I really enjoyed!) to get to spend as much time here as possible. And I will preface my experiences in Italy with the fact that since I love Italian food I have been pretty diligently following my lonely planet food section, as opposed to my normal traveling "eat what's local but make it cheap." and I'm actively searching out opportunities (though I also feel like I am more aware that they are present....) Ok so I took the sleeper train from Germany to Venice (not a bad experience....not the best but not a bad way to travel). Arrive in Venice to be shocked that I am not the only person who has always wanted to go to Venice!! There are cruise ships everywhere and the main tourist square is thus packed with these tour groups ( who you can identify by the tour guide holding a big number or something else on a pole and all the followers wearing an mp3 looking thing that transmits the travel guides voice. Actually pretty cool, but hectic and annoying). All my romantic notions of the small Venice canals with a lone gondola are destroyed. Which is upsetting. I escape the madness to go to a museum full of great Italian 15th and 16th century art (gold fresco Madonna and child galore), eat some pasta with sea food and call it a day. I decide the next day I'll escape to the island with the glass factories where there are bound to be less tourists. It's wonderful. Eat some delicious eggplant parmigiana and buy some cheap glass products and walk around, ducking into churches and just enjoying a quiet cruise ship empty place. Then I decide since I am in Venice, and my mother who rejected raffi and we sing had us listen to stories about famous composers where they lived, I have to go and listen to Vivaldi. In Venice. Pretty sweet. Then I get an iced coffee while listening to bands play on the main square (now devoid of cruise ship people because it's night time!!). The next day I fight the crowd on the square to go into the bascillica which is beautiful. I eat some Venetian tapas, so a lot of crostini and mozzarella and tomatoes, then ventur back to the island where I'm staying which I learn is also actually quite small and nice. Eat a delicious ( but expensive) meal right on the canal watching the sunset. And eating the best gnocchi I have ever had. And still in shock that this is my life. Head out the next morning to Florence, again super excite, and again distraught by the number of people who also want to come to Florence and that there are cars here (no more canals). Spend sometime window shopping the leather products then wander through the duomo( the big red dome) and climb to the top (432 stairs) for a gorgeous view!! Go to another concert held in the courtyard of a museum. The next day I attempted to go wine bike tasting but that didn't work so I spent more time wandering a church, eating a delicious lunch (tomatoe and bread soup that is thick so you eat it with a fork- as it was explained to me by the server who actually took my spoon. And some chicken meatballs) with a great somewhat local couple, actually based in Texas who gave me lots of great places to go! Went to another museum to check out some early Michelangelo and the like. Then I eat dinner at a recommended place with another couple from America, who actually turn out to be pleasant through the guy was loud and a bit annoying. Haha. A great day where people adopt me as a lone traveller and let me be there 3rd wheel :). Today I went to the uffizi gallery where there is some great Botticelli and all the ninja turtles (Donatello, Michelangelo, Rafael, and Leonardo). This gallery was packed with the cruise ship groups who are also LOUD despite the head phones. So that was not nice. The art was nice but not the noise or space pollution. After a few hours there, wandered around with the intent of finding a great place to read on the michellangelo plaza with a great view of Florence, but find a large parking lot instead. Gorgeous pictures and views but no reading. Now for dinner I think I'll find another lonely planet haunt and find a square with some live music ( which seems to be everywhere. I have a few in min debut they're quite far away so who knows). Basically loving Italy and can't believe I'm flying out to Paris in a week and home in 8 days!!! I'm meeting Alex in Rome on Sunday, and still trying to decide what to do with my last few days...may come back to Florence and do the wine tour. See you all in just over a week!!