Piggybacking off my last post, my trip to Venice further reinforced that I enjoy feeling like I’ve discovered something for the first time. I’m not going where you think I am with this though… Venice feels like every inch of it has been discovered already.
Its an interesting place, Venice. There are two opposing energies happening in this city. On one hand you have these awe-inspiring buildings and bridges that are hard to imagine were carved out of stone without the help of modern technology. If you just stand in any one spot in Venice you will see something that will take your breath away as you ponder over how it was constructed. Venice is reminiscent of a time when people took great pride in the things they made. On the other hand the city is now over-crowded with tourists and the place feels somewhat like an amusement park. It’s now about making as much money as possible and at 120 Euro for a 20 min gondola ride you can be sure that they’re making money. I would assume that the only locals we saw were the people working in the cafes and shops. The feelings of claustrophobia, consumerism, and irritation are fighting hard against the romance, charm, beauty, and history that Venice commands. On my visit the negative unfortunately won over.
Initially I thought that I had no desire to return to Venice. But now as I sit back and look through my photos I feel that Venice deserves a second chance. There really is so much beauty there its just hard to see it through the crowds of people in one whirlwind of a day. If I go again I will do it differently. I will go by myself or maybe one other person rather than with a group. I will go without a plan and just take my time wandering without trying to see every “must-see” site there is. Perhaps if I were to visit in the morning before the tourists arrive I would get a better glimpse of the side of Venice that everyone comes to see. I could watch the shops open, the fish market setting up, and sit in a cafe and enjoy some coffee and just watch as the city wakes up.
Whether I go to Venice again or not I will surely return to Italy before the end of this trip. There is one major reason why aside from the obvious. I am extremely sad to report that BOTH meals I had on my first day ever in Italy were pizza! At lunchtime we had forgotten about the fact that Italians close up shop for siesta so the only thing we could get was pizza. It was great pizza and the Italian guy serving it was nice to look at too but it wasn’t the first meal I imagined having in Italy. Unfortunately for dinner we were directed by a local to another restaurant which turned out to be a pizza place. So, Italy…I will be back!
I took a lot of photos so in no particular order they are below. Just click the thumbnails to expand and then hover on the photo and click the arrows to navigate through the gallery.
