English Is Everywhere

If you've ever wanted to visit Venice but worried about the language barrier, worry no more. Almost everyone here speaks English. Venice is crawling with tourists, and the whole city really is geared toward tourism, so all of the waiters, bartenders, shopkeepers, salespeople, bus drivers, etc. speak English, and sometimes other languages too. I guess they accept that Italy is the only country in the word where Italian is spoken, so very few visitors will know it.

There are tons of souvenir stands near Piazza San Marco.

And it's not just the service industry. In my class, all of the other students speak English to some degree -- Claire, the French lady, Tilman and Eckhart, the two Germans, and Marga, the Dutch lady, all speak it. As I said before, the classes are taught entirely in Italian, but when we don't understand something, the teacher will sometimes explain in English. Not French, German, or Dutch.

So I hear English all the time. Which I'm glad about, but sometimes I am amazed by the tourists. They will walk up to an Italian and just start asking questions in English. They don't even try to say hello in Italian. They just assume they will be understood. And I'm thinking to myself, can't you at least try? But they don't try.

So, here is my list of things every American should learn to say in Italian if you visit Italy. I think the Italians will appreciate the effort.

Hello: Buongiorno (said during the day)
Hello: Buona sera (said at night)
Hi: Ciao
Goodbye: Arrivederci
Bye: Ciao
Please: Per favore
Thank you: Grazie
You're welcome: Prego
Excuse me: Scusi
I'm sorry: Mi dispiace

Yesterday (Wednesday) after class we took a tour of the Castello district. It's the district that has the least amount of tourists. It also contains the Arsenale, the naval yard. Castello doesn't have as many of the tacky souvenir shops and the restaurants with menus in four languages. It's a great area to walk around in, and I highly recommend it. 

The entrance to the naval yards. Navy personnel only beyond this point!

A typical dead end street in the Castello district. Very pretty.

After the tour some of my classmates and I went looking for dinner. We ended up at at this amazing place called Enoiteca Mascareta, where I had one of those meals that you dream about having when you go to Italy. Fresh, delicious, amazing pasta, cheese, wine, olive oil, everything. I could have died a happy man.

Burrata di bufala caprese (buffalo mozzarella cheese with tomatoes and olive oil). It was OH MY GOD delicious.

We also passed by a bajillion churches, but this one was especially interesting because of the architecture. Note how the facade, dome, and rounded walls all seem to be from different styles.

The church Santa Maria Formosa.

This face is above the side door to the church.

There is no nightlife in Venice. There are no nightclubs. Most of the city shuts down after 9 p.m. because many of the tourists are gone by then. Many of the Italians who work in Venice live on the mainland. So there is not a lot to do at night. Sure, there are plenty of restaurants still open, and the cafes at Piazza San Marco are always an option, but that's about it. Most of the nightlife is on the mainland, and I haven't figured out how to get there and back yet. However, There are some small bars scattered around. One that I have been visiting is called, of all things, Guinness Bar. Last night I met a couple of British blokes, Chris and David, and had fun knocking back a few with them.

David and Chris.

And here is my new favorite bartender, Enrico. He kindly puts up with my poor Italian and has taught me a few words they don't teach you at school, like pinta (pint) and ubriaco (drunk). Also, did you know that barista means bartender?

Enrico, my barista.

Since I've spent the last four days walking everywhere from sunup to sundown, I've got two big blisters on my feet. So today I am just chilling. This weekend, if the weather is nice, I'm going to go to the Lido, the Venetian beach island.