My first trip to Venice, Italy for Carnival was a voyage of discovery in a fantastic world made of music, theatre, games, and magic. A whirling universe where people from all over the world can experience the jokes, the masks, and make-up with hundreds of thousands of their closest friends.

There were so many people visiting Venice for Carnival. Everyone was shoulder to shoulder, and it took hours to shove my way through the crowds.

St. Mark’s Square

It was fun seeing all of the colorful costumes. Even children enjoyed dressing up!

To escape the crowds, we made our way through a maze of narrow back alleys and explored some of the less congested parts of Venice.

 
One can not visit Venice without cruising the canals of this floating city on a gondola.

Beautiful Venetian architecture is being destroyed by frequent flooding of the city, a phenomena known as “acqua alta”.

 I’m pretty sure our gondolier also works as a model during his free time.

My favorite thing about Carnival was seeing people dressed in beautiful costumes posing all over the city.