Words I didn’t take as many pictures in Venice as anywhere else, for some reason. When we got there we realised we had a lot less money than we were expecting to, and at the same time realised that Venice is super expensive. Our plans for a gondola ride and a night at the opera were dashed against the rocks. I’ve decided it would be an amazing place to go one day when I’m incredibly rich, perhaps when I’m a cougar and I can take my toy boy. I was constantly, childishly amazed by the water. The water bus was surreal at first and then quite unpleasant (hot, crowded, an old bearded man moving closer and closer towards me). There were lots of free art galleries and exhibitions but most of the art was more than a little weird. The hostel we stayed in was awful. My shorts disappeared from the bathroom. When I asked about them the owner very casually told me they must have been stolen (as though it was a common occurrence) and then insulted my weight (in a roundabout way). They were eventually returned to me and it turned out they had been in the bin. I was not offered an apology. The hostel was called Ca’ Contarini. Don’t stay there, whatever you do.  We went on a Murder & Mysteries walking tour which was great fun: you essentially walk around the city at night (or late in the evening, whatever) while being told stories of, you guessed it, murders and mysteries. It was not at all spooky but really interesting. There was a crazy woman on the tour who kept shouting about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and complaining that her husband couldn’t walk over bridges or speak English, and she was pretty scary. We went to a food market which was lovely even though we couldn’t afford anything, and didn’t have the ability or time to cook it anyway. The seafood stalls were very cool, but probably quite disgusting if you’re not a fan so I apologise for the picture. We technically had another full day in Venice after we checked out of the hostel as our flight wasn’t until 10pm, but Venice did not seem to be the city for lounging around doing nothing on a budget so we went to the airport quite early in the day and spent a few hours reading and enjoying the air conditioning. I was very sad to leave Italy. I will definitely return one day, especially to Venice when I can afford to do expensive things and eat at restaurants that have a 6 euro ‘orchestra supplement’.