"Venice. You either love it or you hate it." Venice by ScarletCake

I've been told there are two sides to Venice. The well-trodden tourist beat, and the 'hidden' world tucked away in the maze of smaller side streets. On this (my first) trip I decided to tackle the tourist beat... Well, really, I kept getting lost trying to find my friends and sticking to this road just made life easier.

We hit many of the big sights - piazza San Marco, the Grand Canal, St. Marks Basilica and Campanile, the Rialto bridge (I won't go on) - and they were wonderful sights see indeed. Definitely things I am grateful for the chance to experience. But the verdict is... I kind of don't like Venice. Sure its big and the architecture is awesome, but it just felt fake. Perhaps it was just the overabundance of camera-toting gawkers like myself, and the shops trying to cater to our touristy needs.

Next time, Venice, I will experience your roads less travelled.