It Was Love At First Sight.

St. Mark's Church, Venice, 2016.

It was love at first sight when I first saw Piazza San Marco on the Venice leg of my solo trip. I remember being so tired because I walked the entire way from the Santa Lucia Station, which is on one end of Venice, all the way to my apartment, which was near St. Mark's Square, on the other end of the island.
Lesson learned: Google Maps is not to be trusted when it comes to walking somewhere!
It straight up took me more than an hour to reach the hotel, where I was supposed to pick the keys to the apartment.
It was dusk when I got out of my apartment to go to the infamous St. Mark's Square. I did not expect anything much after the tiring day I had already had.
Believe me when I say this, the moment I got out of one of Venice's meandering streets and stepped into St. Mark's Square, I was spell-bound. It is one of those places that makes me realise why I love travelling so much. The Cathedral in itself is a sight for sore eyes, especially at dusk, when the sky is somewhere between a pink and a soft purple, which perfectly compliments the colours of the Cathedral.

By the time I finally managed to walk away from the Cathedral and take a right towards Palazzo Ducale the pink street lamps were turned on, throwing a warm pinkish glow over everything.
There are these two outdoor restaurants on that side, where a live band plays music every evening.
Now although eating at those restaurants is not something your girl could afford, I did the next best thing. I bought this amazing 2 euro chocolate gelato and sat on the steps nearby. Weirdly enough, eating this very same Gelato from the very same vendor and sitting on the very same steps is the only memory I have of visiting Venice with my family all those years ago.

If I thought that St. Mark's Square was breathtaking at dusk, I had a whole new thing coming for me, once the sun actually went down. The entire span of the Square was bathed by the soft glow of the street lamps, all the different live bands taking turns to play music in the background to soothe your soul and the laughter of the Gondoliers, who finally sit down to catch up after a day of work.

It was love at first sight for me.

Bridge of Sighs, Venice, Italy.