Carnevale, Venezia, Italia 02/11/12

Carnevale was so much fun! It was freezing cold, but a really good time. On our way in to the city, our faces adorned with masks, we ran into Vito, a little, old man we met on the train our first weekend in Italy! It was so random. I saw him and thought he looked familiar, and then it hit me-- he was the awesome man from the train! We reminded him who we were, and he instantly lit up. It was really hilarious. He fell in love with me and gave me a sweet mask (pictured above). Good times.
After our run in, we headed deeper into Venice and started to see more evidence of Carnevale. People lined the streets, and the closer we got to San Marco's Basilica and Square, the more faces were hidden behind ornate masks. It was really a beautiful celebration. Several people also had other costumes on... we saw some Kinder Eggs (loved it!). Apparently Carnevale is similar to Halloween for Italians.
We spent most of our time hanging out in the square, but we also meandered through the city a bit. We saw (and crossed) the famous Rialto Bridge and stopped in for a glass of Preseco at a little restaurant. It was a really fun trip filled with several hilarious moments. Unfortunately it was so cold that we had to call it a night pretty early. But still an awesome experience.