Getting to Venice Eventually - Italy and Me

My name is Jay Swanson - I'm an American writer living in Paris on an artist visa and hoping to make the city of light my home base - at least for the foreseeable future. I write science-fiction and fantasy, vlog daily, and love pizza a little too much.

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FAQ:
How long have you lived in France? On and off for over two years.

What do you miss most about ho- NACHOS

Where are you from originally? - Pullman, Washington - a small university/agricultural town near Idaho (and yes, the potatoes are amazing).

What do you edit with? - Adobe Premiere - it's pretty much all I've ever used since high school.

Aren't you ever freaked out by leaving your camera behind to film yourself? - Yep. But not too badly - I tend to be careful when I do.

Do you make money off YouTube? - Ha, no. I wish. It took me over 500 videos to make my first $100 off adsense. I think it will slowly change, but VERY slowly.

[thedavidguy]

Venice is a maze of twisty passages all alike. My wife and I were staying in Florence and decided on a whim to go to Siena for the day. It turned out just by luck that it was the day of the Palio, so it was a day I'll never forget! Buon viaggio.

[marisolgandarillas]

Can’t wait to see what you experience in the daytime. Will be there at the end of the month.

[pathallam]

That was a long day for you! Hope the bed was comfy & you slept well. We'll see tomorrow!

[bogieboog]

My Italian side of the family all loved Siena when we visited Tuscany. As for Venice, the food was excellent, seeing glass blowing in Murano was amazing.

[andrewb]

Finally you got the Tim Tam slam! Love you're work and vlogs. Andrew from Townsville, Australia

[sarahgarcia]

So get this... In October I'll be in Paris. From Paris I'm flying from Orly to Venice...at night. I'm just gonna let myself believe that you have personally made this video for me. Thanks Jay! 😜

[elenadelavega]

When I went to Australia, no one told me about Tim Tams and I did not taste them until the last day. Boy, what a critical mistake! They are delicious. The good thing is that I can get them locally in Memphis now. There is a package in my pantry now. I did not know about the “straw” thing, so I learned something new from you today.

[WanderwithAwe]

Italy!!! One of my top countries to visit! Can not wait to see more videos in Italy! And thinking that Venice may be submerged in the next decade is scary! All that history gone, just like that! I'm going need to visit while I can.

[jenb]

OMG. Aus favourites. Most loved Tim Tams! Glad you had the chance to try them.

[raquelpetkovich]

OMG. TIMTAMS! Had them 15 years ago in Brisbane. Love them!!

[kaleidoscopeallie]

I'm looking forward to this. I've always wanted to visit Venice. Back in college my ex and I took a trip to Italy during winter break. I wanted to go to Venice and he wanted to go to Rome so we made the sort of compromise that more or less defined our relationship and went to Rome. When I finally get to Venice it's gonna be a SWEEEET day but I'm all for the vicarious living till then. :D

[margotlove]

My favourite restaurant in Venice is Trattoria San Toma I came across it in the rain so it was a place to take refuge, has really good mixed seafood and the best Tiramisu. I loved Sienna when I visited Italy, so much culture, it’s the one place I will return to to visit for longer. Venice can be really busy with cruise ships but getting off the beaten track is easy, also easy to get lost and go now dead ends but easy to find yourself again. Lots of art, a ride on the valparetto at night along the grand canal is so beautiful with the lights . Enjoy. Oh and TimTams and coffee is the best, ? I sometimes lose the biscuit into the coffee if I am not quick enough🇳🇿🇳🇿🇳🇿🇳🇿🇳🇿🇳🇿🇳🇿🇳🇿🇳🇿

[blivieriphoto]

Thanks, now I can’t get that Hall and Oates song out of my head. Lol 😊

[BrianInFrance]

Chill music track and an awesome vlog, as always. Looking forward to seeing Venice by day :)

[laraphoenix]

Enjoy beautiful Venice - hope the hordes of tourists have dwindled a little bit!

[annainaspen]

I love Italy. When I’m asked if I love Paris or Florence more I tell them, Paris has my heart but Florence has my soul.

The first sentence I needed to learn was how to order my coffee.
Ciao, un cappuccino per favore.
My friend Kim went to Florence with me one year. She insisted that she hated coffee. After going to the coffee bar with every morning for four days she decided she wanted to join in and get a cappuccino. She now loves cappuccinos and even bought a machine. Lol
I’ll be going back to Florence in January. It’s been a year since I’ve been in Italy and I’m stoked to get back there.

It went to Seina once. I have never seen it rain as hard as it did that day. I had to buy new shoes because mine were ruined.

Enjoy Venice!!!

[retropull]

Hey Jay, you're spot on describing Italy. I'm not from there (I'm from the neighbouring island country Malta), but the northern parts feel different, almost detached, to the southern areas of the country. Do enjoy your time in Venice.. and although the food may not be great, remember that there's always the Italian espresso making up for it ;)

[erinintechnicolourII]

I would love to hear more about your time in Italy! My dream is to move there when I graduate, hopefully end of next year and hopefully to Florence, I just have no idea where to begin! Also as an Australian, watching you Tim tam slap was so satisfying!

[paulhowlett]

Train connects in Sydney and Brisbane have a surcharge to go to the airports. (approx $20 Aus).

[TYOrder]

I'm excited to hear your review on Venice. I went last year and found it to be way too touristy. I much prefer Florence and yes Sienna is incredible.