The flight over to Venice is long and exhausting. Boring. Sleepless. But oh the excitement of knowing I will be landing in Venice!!!
You land in Venice and it's all amazingly simple. You get your luggage, you pick up your City Pass, you get on Bus No. 5 to the waterbus (No. 2) and you get off at Rialto. Lugging luggage is exasperating. I hate it. But oh the sounds and smells of Venice. Just as I always imagined it would be. We walk these beautiful historic streets and finally find our apartment. The apartment is gorgeous.
A nap. Definitely need a nap. Get up and run out the door - well, not really, but that is what I WANT to do!! I can''t wait to get outside and see and experience Venice.
The cacophony of voices, of so many different languages. The streets of Venice are crowded with people from all over the world. The Venetians are definitely outnumbered but happy. They clearly live from the tourism industry.
Gondolas! So beautiful. So VENICE!! The italian GONDEOLERO singing beautiful songs for probably an obscene cost. The tourists kissing and taking selfies of themselves in this most iconic of tourist traps. Everyone happy and smiling. Why not?? They are in Venice and many of them, I am sure, are like me, in a country they have always dreamed of visiting.
Everything is absurdly expensive but oh so exciting! Wine? Sure,, why not?! Then the bill comes..... WTF? Yep, you are definitely in Venice. Have to try the pizza - excellent. The wine? Not so much.
St. Marcos Square - I'm HERE!! Wow, it is exactly what I thought it would be. Hundreds and hundreds of people talking and laughing, dancing and taking selfies. Go ahead, have a private conversation, chances are nobody near you speaks your language any way. The flower "pushers" putting flowers in the hands of the women and then chasing them for money - Oh? You thought the rose was free? NOT! Young children running in the square chasing each other while the bands compete to play fabulous music and the waiters entice you to pay what amounts to your mortgage payment for wine you don't really want. But hey! You are in Venice right? So drink wine my friends!!! As long as your credit card works - drink and be merry!!!
So happy that you are in a country you always wanted to visit. Take it all in...with all your senses. One of my favorite things to do when I travel to a new place is close my eyes and smell or just listen...then try and identify what stands out. When I smell I often put on my earphones so that I don't hear or see. Sometimes our eyes shepherd our other senses; when I close my eyes the secondary senses become heightened to the experiences around me. I like to close my eyes just before the waiter places the dish before me so that I smell before I see. Continue to enjoy and share my dear beautiful friend. Remember to think of me when you see all the beautiful Titian paintings in Venice... Hugs Jacquie
ReplyDeleteA friend once said she looks at Venice as decadent and decayed at the same time -- and I totally get that. It's meant in the best possible way and I totally get it. By the way, those tables at St. Marks Square at night...amazing the amount of $$ they charge just to sit down for a moment. And this coming from a New Yorker who is used to being charged for everything.
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