Today a group of us took a day trip to Venice using the high speed trains, which in itself was a cool experience. It was impressive how quickly and smoothly we were able to travel between cities, especially compared to transportation systems in the U.S. The group included Jacob, Ben, Blake, Cullen, Jack, Sam, Hillary, Courtney, Hanna, Greta, Matti, Avery, Lily, and me. Once we arrived, we spent most of the day just exploring. We stopped at a cafe, went shopping, got gelato, visited a few churches, and let ourselves get lost while walking through the narrow streets. A smaller group of us (Blake, Jacob, Ben, Cullen, and I) also took a gondola ride through the canals, which was a highlight. Seeing the city from the water gave a different perspective and really showed how important the canals are to daily life there. For dinner, we went to Baraco Quebrado and had pasta, which was a great way to end the day.

From an engineering perspective, Venice is fascinating because the entire city is built on wooden pillars driven into the ground. It is impressive that structures built on such a foundation have lasted for centuries. I have also never visited a city with no cars before. Everything is walkable or accessible by boat, which feels like stepping into the past and seeing how cities functioned before modern transportation.

Other classmates also took various day/weekend trips.

Bryce and Larissa went to Parma to stay with a family friend and explored the city center of Reggio Emilia.

Aveline and Grace made some friends along the way on their trip to the five cities in Cinque Terra.

Mckernan, Carly, and Brynn explored Siena and went to the Siena Cathedral and Piazza del Campo.

Josh explored more of Florence including the Uffizi and Boboli Gardens.

In addition, Taye, Coen, Eric, and Erik explored and hiked near Lake Como.