The world renowned city of Venice floats in the middle of a lagoon in the northern part of the Adriatic sea. Without cars, trains, or even bicycles, Venice is a city of boats. In the center of town is the well known Piazza San Marco, where it’s hard to tell if there are more tourists or pigeons. Down the way is the massive complex of the Venetian Arsenal. With its intimidating walls surrounded by water, it can be a bit hard to find the entrance. The Arsenal was once the base of the powerful Venetian armada, which dominated over the Mediterranean in its heyday. Nowadays it holds the Venice Biennale, which dominates the art world today.

Wandering through Venice, you often find yourself zig-zagging back and forth over the Grand Canal, climbing up and down the crowded bridges. Throughout the city you find immaculately preserved monuments in between regular venetian dwellings with the paint peeling and laundry strewn outside the windows. Taking one of the boat buses is a good way to see the totality of Venice, jumping from island to island. One interesting spot, the Giudecca, is a long island out from the main part of the city where you can find old churches, supermarkets, apartments, and regular, everyday Venetians.