Travel Update - October 23rd

I'm totally lying on these dates. But man, fuck it. It happens.This is my official Venice update. Are you ready?? I am. I spent 2 nights in a hostel outside of Venice, and one full day in the city. Which, I feel like, was enough. There's not an awful lot to actually do in Venice, but there is a lot to get lost in. Which is the best part of any city, honestly. If you can get lost and find new things, you'll be really happy. I promise. Alright. So I missed my bus from Florence to Venice. Off to a good start, right? Right. So good. I was so impressed with myself. ... absolutely. So in a last minute and albeit expensive decision, I hopped a train and made my way to venice. Fuck the bus. There's a lot to be said for them, but the bus stations are always in weird places that don't make any sense. Quick tip though! If you're going to book a bus, make sure you know where it leaves and arrives at. It could be in some random little building in a sketchy side of the neighborhood, or just as a little public bus stop, or on the other side of the city. Super cheap option, but frustrating when you miss it. Not advisable.So yeah, made it to Venice real late. Came into an almost hotel style hostel, made some food, met up with the gang, went to bed early. Most relaxing night since I got to Italy. The next morning, we were ready to raise hell. After a 20 minute bus ride to the island, we stepped off into another world. Quite a bit like Amsterdam in the canal sense, but there are no cars. No bikes really. Just boats, gondolas, and a hell of a lot of bridges. For whatever reason, we ended up on the other side of the city, away from the crowds.We walked into an art exhibition, where the Venetian girl inside led us out to her balcony so we could see the canals from above. I'm actually very upset I didn't get her name, cause she was lovely to us. After getting a few pictures, we eventually left the balcony and took for the streets. I must have walked at least 22k that day. There's just so much to see around every corner, and you never feel like you're going a great distance. It's actually quite refreshing.At this point, I think it's important to introduce you to Tabea and Jamie. After traveling around 3 different cities together, I think it's safe to say, we've gotten to know each other a bit. This is Jamie. Freshly turned 18, freshly adventurous. One of the most laid back people I've met. Very much ready to party, and loves meeting new people. Can hold his own in almost every situation and incredibly intelligent. I have grown very fond of Jamie. He's genuine, hilarious, and easy to get along with. 10/10 would recommend Jamie. Plus he can take the shit I deal out without a problem. I love it. Eventually, I would meet up with Jamie again in another city. I'll tell you about that later.This is Tabea. I have come to really love Tabea. She's someone that I anticipate knowing for a very very long time. Together we have pissed off some venetians with our tiny bladders, swindled free drinks from Roma bartenders, snuck our way into VIP areas in Spain, watched the sunset from a mountaintop, had at least six life changing food experiences, dominated some aussies in beer pong, gotten truly and forgettably smashed, imitated Swiss guards at the Vatican, geeked out over classical music, experienced political riots in Catalonia, went to at least four different markets, worked our tan on the beach, shared four pistachio gelatos, shaved someone's eyebrow, splurged on quality tofu, and gave as much shit to everyone as we could. It has honestly been such a good time. Bilingual, 15 years on a violin, top of her class, adventurous, way more fit than me, and a great laugh, Tabea is one of the most ambitious people I know. She's incredibly outgoing, very passionate, humble, kind, accommodating, patient, and funny, all wrapped into one. Her personality is magnetic and she makes friends wherever she goes. If there's anyone who has taught me more this trip, it's her. Definitely.Alright. So. Venice. Met a waiter named Paulo who gave us the best darn gelato recommendations. Ended up in a hole-in-the-wall take away pasta place that way TO DIE FOR. Took as many selfies with random strangers as we could. Annoyed a few Venetians with my bladder. (There are no public toilets in Venice, so good luck if you chug a 2 liter bottle of water) Great scenery, great company, great food. No complaints about Venice.That evening, I got a call from my friend in London, Aaron. You remember him, right? I stayed with him and made an ass of myself and left in a rush. Yep. That happened. Well, Aaron called me and said he's going to Barcelona if I'd like to invite myself along. Initially intending to head east towards Greece, Croatia, Montenegro, etc, I changed my plans, booked the next flight, and was on my way to Barcelona.Let me explain why this was such an easy decision for me. Barcelona is possibly my favorite city in the world. I spent a week there in March (not sure if you remember) and didn't get around enough. So here I am, off to Barcelona again. Off to Spain. Off to the west. I promise you though, I didn't regret it. But that's to come later. I'll tell you all about it soon enough. Much love to whoever actually reads these. Try and hang in there with me!