Ah Venezia

So I arrived in Italy three days ago. Let me just say traveling from Germany to Italy was like night and day. The Germans are much more reserved and well let's just say that while I can appreciate the country, its not my passion like Italy is. Frankly, I don't know the German language that well other than the fact that I can somewhat pronounce it because of my classical music background. But it mostly looked like 3 times as many letters for a word than I'm used to. Berlin wall was cool, beer was great, now onto Venice.

Walking through Venice is like walking through a dream. A city build on water, something that is actually impossible, except in 400 a.d. the Italians decided to defy the impossible and make it so. The water actually shimmers more in the moon and candle light than anywhere else in the world. The cobblestones seem to appear beneath your feet following the waves. The stones tell years of stories beneath their ever changing hues. As my friend Mauro once said "Venice is in your heart." With all this being said, the best part about Venice is its secrets. Every tiny street twists and turns and suddenly you're in a place you never expected with a little cove of flowers. It's like walking in a state of discovery at every moment. Invigorating. As if it couldn't get any better, I just had the best meal I've every had in my life in this Venetian dream. The beer was the perfect combination of bitter and sweet, with the most wonderful after taste. Called "Birra Rossa" we have no idea it's original name (it's Venezia's secret). The wine, was sweeter with every moment and flowed like the water through the canal. The salad with lettuce, tomatoes, red peppers, green olives sweeter than intended, capers, cucumbers and full luscious circles of mozzarella cheese, olive oil and balsamic vinegar to add the sweetness of the Italian Gods sang of refreshing in my mouth. Next, pizza. A pizza that puts all other pizzas to shame, it's the Jesus of all pizzas. Flawless to perfection. Fresh made dough only minutes prior, savory magical tomato sauce, mushrooms and a secret combination that made the cheese, with the thin warm crust, and sauce elevate to a level higher than any cherished topping or simple mix of flavors than ever conceived. All I could say was "Italy, Bam!" (said with food in mouth looking up to the heavens). There should be no other way to awaken the possibility of taste than this. My grandfather was right when he said "Italian food is God's food."

Walking through the streets, Italian flying its melody as if the wind itself created the orchestra of sounds. Speaking Italian is like singing at every moment. There is nothing more beautiful or invigorating than letting the sounds of bright e's and rolled r's with flowing s's release without reservation. There is a reason why Italy founded opera, because their language already sang without a note, but think of what it could do if it found pitch!

All this and it's just the beginning.Italy- Ti amo moltissimo. A Firenze e Tuscania!