After fervently making a last-minute booking at an Airbnb, my group and I were off to Venice. We got out of class on Friday morning and hurried to the train station to board the first of four trains on our journey. A six-hour ride in all, with hurried changeovers in between trains, we were all exhausted and relieved once we felt the last train grind to a halt at the last stop on its route: Venezia Santa Lucia.

When we got off the train it was dark out, and worn out from our marathon run across Italy, we dragged ourselves in the general direction of our lodging — that is until our grogginess was interrupted by the sight of the Grand Canal. The main waterway in Venice that the city is built around, the Grand Canal is truly an otherworldly sight. The centuries-old marble palaces lining the water along with the lithe black gondolas slipping silently through the night gave the feeling of a fever dream. This feeling of awe would last the duration of our stay in Venice.

We dropped our bags at the Airbnb and on the advice of our host set out toward the San Polo neighborhood to find somewhere we could finally relax and eat dinner. We didn’t have to search long as we found a beautiful seafood restaurant right off one of the main canals in the neighborhood. As the only member of our group with Italian language experience, I was quickly elected speaker and urged forward to secure us a table. Unfortunately, getting a table for nine at 7:30 on the opening weekend of Carnevale in Venice is next to impossible. We settled for 9:30 and staved off hunger by getting spritzes (a typical Italian aperitivo) at a nearby restaurant.

Our reservation proved to be well worth the wait as we were treated to what we believe to be some of the best food in Venice. Fried mixed seafood and cuttlefish pasta were the dishes del giorno, and being the first meal we had access to all day, we ate our fill. Stuffed, exhausted and awestruck by the majesty of the city, we walked home excited to see what else Venice had in store for us.