Venice

WOW. I can't believe this city exists. I must say that my camera breaking is your loss more than it is mine at this point. The minute I stepped out of the train station, with The Grand Canal right in front of me, the narrow passageways hiding places yet unknown, and the busy arched bridges over the "streets," a smile came across my face and hasn't left since.

For two days, I did nothing more than walk the streets here, and nothing could have been more enjoyable. Like Rome, the narrowest gap between two buildings can be one of the major thoroughfares. They open to wide bustling squares with kind people and a lot of culture. The first, Campo delgi Santa Margharita, had a number of bars, cheap pizza places, the best gelati I've had in Italy, and a hostel right in the square (it was booked full, though). I walked from there to the Piazza delgi San Marco (I might be screwing up these names), which, despite the enormous amount of tourists and stores surrounding the square, didn't lose its charm. The stores were recessed and unseen from a distance under the magnificent building into which they were built, and the basilica to San Marco rose from the eastern side.

The streets were filled with street performers doing everything from water glass symphonies (Beethoven's ninth) to statue imitations. Kids played pick up soccer games in the streets while accordion players, young and old, filled the air with the classic music you'd expect for Venice. I even found a man telling a story to a group of school children using props and wild movements.

Not even my laptop falling could dampen my spirits in this town. I definitely have to come back here someday.