Two weekends ago, my friends and I journeyed to Venice for the last weekend of Carnivale. We braved overnight trains, the convoluted streets of that ancient water-logged city, and what we thought would be massive flooding. Here are some things I took away from that weekend.

1. The city is an experience unlike anything you’ve ever experience (unless you literally live on an island). Walking through thestreets, seeing people driving by in water taxis, looking at the way the city works, in its damp glory, is singularly unique in Italy, Europe, and the world.

2. People at Carnivale go to lengths to get in on the experience. Due to poor logistical planning, my friends and I arrived at 5:30 a.m. while the city was still sleeping. Except, it wasn’t. We made our way to Piazza San Marco, cold and expecting to be bored for the next few hours, but what we saw threw those thoughts on their head. People were fully dressed up in their extravagant outfits at six in the morning. On top of that, there were innumerable photographers, tourists, and just general people milling around trying to get in on that spectacle.

3. Gondola rides. While this may be possibly the most cliche thing to do in Venice, they are worth it. However, what makes them so unique is not the fact that they are a fun boat ride by a man in a striped sweater who (if you pay him enough) might warble out some Italian tunes. What makes the ride so profound is the fact that there are no cars in the city – the gondolas and water taxis are the equivalent of our mechanical horses. We saw what it was like to “drive” through the watery streets of the city from the water. Yes, tourists and other people gawked at us from every bridge and vantage point, and yes, the ride was overpriced for its brevity, but what it meant was well worth the twenty Euro.

Go to Venice if you get a chance – but dress up, wear a mask, and be prepared to fight crowds every day.