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And we're off. Off for the glorious land of Europe, where dreams of castles and kings, myth and legend, culture, and overpriced water come true. It's ironic that the first city of interest was Venice, a place where water is an abundant resource. I've seen movies, shows, and books that so much more focus on the unique aspects of Venice and its crazy waterways, the rising water, and the boats. Especially boats. I can almost guarantee the next James Bond, Mission Impossible, or whatever twisted-maniac-trying-to-destroy-the-world type film will feature a section of a boat chasing through the waterways in Venice. It's not because it's easy to film, but the areas around the city are so iconic.

As soon as I entered the city via a water taxi, I had quite disappointed with the numerous amounts of arches, while the spectacle at first, looked identical to the other hundred arches in the city. And to be completely honest, I wasn't impressed with many. On the contrary, the most impressive aspect of the city was the color. I don't think I've ever seen a city as vibrant in real life as Venice. It isn’t as if the city had a specific theme. No, I think the city had a very specific theme, and that was to go crazy with the paint. I doubt you will find any two buildings side by side with the same color. As you will witness, the colors are extremely bright as well, with not many shades of brick red or brown, or black for that matter. The best way to describe it is a little kid using the Fill tool on Paint, randomly selecting colors to fill in the buildings on the streets. This provided the exact fun needed to keep my interest, especially after a sleepless eight-hour flight.

Another point I want to make in Venice is transportation. The main mode of public transportation was by boat, which makes sense. A number of privately owned boats swam around canals, some water taxis, and buses, but the most prominent ones were for tourists or public transportation. These ships, although ugly and bulky, are a form of entertainment themselves. For one, you can watch the crazy colors fly by, and perhaps also get a little sick. You can also lounge on the open deck and feel the wind nearly push you overboard. The choice is yours.

This mode of transportation has got to be the best method I've ever seen. While it might not be efficient, cheap, or comfortable, it serves its purpose and does it in style. It does provide well to hop your island to island but grows ridiculously hot if you sit in the sun for too long.

I am spending three more days in Venice before entering a two-week romantic cruise across the Adriatic Sea, Ionian Sea, Tyrrhenian Sea, Ligurian Sea, and Mediterranean Sea. What a Surprise. This allows for more in-depth exploration as so far as one of my favorite cities on earth. I am looking forward to the upcoming days. The water is still expensive though.

【红霞译文】

我们又上路了，朝着欧洲荣耀之地奔去，要将心里对城堡与国王、神话与传说、文化与超值氧烷的幻念统统变成现实。滑稽的是，水源丰足的威尼斯居然名列榜首，从电影、展览和书籍中我对无可比拟的威尼斯及其邪乎到家的水路水位水船早有耳闻，尤其是它的交通工具，甚至敢打保票下集詹姆斯·邦德的《碟中谍》或者任何驾舟追击妄想摧毁地球变态狂的镜头肯定离不开威尼斯水道，之所以这么说并非因为镜头好拍，而是因为这里风光独秀。

当水上的士带我进城，我便对不少拱式建筑甚感失望，咋看上去似乎大同小异，说句实话，多数楼房于我印象不深，而色彩却难以忘怀。现实生活中我从未见过像威尼斯这样充满活力的地方，仿佛没啥固定主题，不对，我认为全城立意明快，人人偏爱图画，恐怕你根本找不出任何两幢邻舍具有相同漆色，而且如你亲眼所见，彩绘非常亮丽，没有什么砖红棕黑色调变化，用小孩涂鸦来比喻这里楼房街道绚烂纷呈一点都不过分，让我禁不住情绪高涨，尤其刚刚度过八小时无眠飞行之夜。

另外我想强调的是威尼斯交通，水城自然离不开公共运输，大批私营船只包括的士蜂拥运河，无不变成游客或当地居民行之有效的代步工具，这些家伙又丑又笨，但不失为自娱自乐的绝佳去处，坐在上面保你狂揽秀美风情，两岸景色足以目不接暇。你权可呆在甲板上，感觉快要被海风吹翻入水，总之你爱去哪儿去哪儿。

这种交通是我见识的最佳方式，也许既不省时也不便宜更不舒服，但却满足需求因地制宜，为岛与岛之间的穿梭提供便利条件，但如果暴晒太久会热得受不了。

在穿越亚得里亚海、爱奥尼亚海、第勒尼安海、利古里亚海和地中海两周浪漫航行之前，我计划于威尼斯再多呆三天，真是出乎意料，这样可以让自己对迄今最为欣赏的城市之一深入了解，期待即将到来的美好时光。水依旧金贵。

Today in History(历史上的今天):

2018: Venice—Queen of the Adriatic, ITA(意大利威尼斯—亚德里亚海女王)

2017: Wachau Valley the Queen of Fruits,AUT(奥地利瓦豪谷—水果皇后)

2017: Dürnstein the Lionheart Castle, AUT(奥地利杜伦施坦—狮心王堡)

2017: Melk Abbey, Austria(奥地利梅尔克修道院)

2017: Wachau Valley Wine Tasting, Austria(奥地利瓦豪河谷品酒)

2016: The Channel Islands, UK(英国海峡群岛)

2016: Guernsey the Donkey Island, UK(英国根西—倔驴之岛)

2016: Guernsey over the English Channel, UK(英国英吉利海峡上根西岛)