Tomorrow- Venice!

Tomorrow afternoon I will be leaving for Venice! We will be flying into Cologne Airport, then traveling by train through Venice, where we will then go by boat to our Hotel on the island of Lido. Lido (we are told) is only about a 15-20 minute boat ride to the city of Venice, and I believe our hotel is located directly on the beach.

While in Venice, we will be spending our days exploring the many museums and churches around the city, focusing primarily on Renaissance, Gothic, and Romanesque architecture and art. The lectures should be very interesting and unlike the average tour guide's presentation, as my Art History professor, Dulcia, has her master's in Venetian architecture, and has already provided us with detailed framework for what we can expect. We will also partake in a day excursion to the small city of Padua. So overall, we will be in Italy from May 31st-June 6th.

Once June 6th arrives, we are able to travel anywhere we desire, as long as we're back in the Netherlands by the evening of the 10th. My friends and I just finished booking the remainder of our plans, and are plans consist of two days in Interlocken, Switzerland, and then the weekend in Paris, France. While in Interlocken, we'll be staying at a hostel that is located right in the Alps, and offers many activities such as sky diving, hangliding, swimming, cliff jumping, and more. While some of my friends are already set on sky diving...I'm not sure if I'll have the courage to join them, I'm not so great with heights and flying. But who knows! Then for Paris, we have a hostel that is a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower, and seems to be pretty great in terms of location, security, and comfort. I've already been to Paris when I was about 12 or 13, and I just remember how beautifully romantic and breathtaking it was, so I'm very anxious to return.

We're going to be relying quite heavily on the train to take us through all the different locations and ensure our safe arrival back at the Castle, and if we do our best to stick to our schedule, all should go smoothly. Overall, the next few weeks will surely be BUSY, but will also be insanely memorable, exciting, and unlike anything I've experienced before. :)