We left Milan on Sunday, October 28th and headed to Venice. We had intended to stop in Verona (as in, "Two households, both alike in dignity / In fair Verona, where we lay our scene"),* but as the train was already running late and it was cold and rainy, we decided time was of the essence and we continued on to Venice. We were greeted in Venice by pouring rain, strong winds, and cold temperatures (about 40° Fahrenheit) - grazie, Venezia. We found our hostel and decided to brave the cold and take a bus (about 20 minutes with traffic) from the mainland (terraferma) to the island. It.was.worth it. Since we'd had an unexpectedly long train ride with no lunch break in Verona, we were extremely hungry, so we randomly and quickly chose a restaurant (in order to get out of the elements). We had the BEST pasta of the trip; I didn't take a picture because it was a fancier place and I didn't want to be particularly embarrassing. Also, we were RIGHT on one of the canals, so we saw watertaxis passing by, and lots of people fighting with their umbrellas.
victims of the War on Umbrellas 2012
Grand Canal by night
This is Santa Maria de Nazareth, a church right on the canal
where we sought sanctuary from the elements and found ourselves
attending a service. I learned a little Italian that night...
"Santa Maria, madre di Dio, prega per noi peccatori..."
our trusty (real? fake?) bus ticket that our hostel owner sold us for a euro... It didn't fit in the composting machines, there were too many people to be able to talk to the bus driver, and no one ever checked it, so we just used the same one all weekend. Sorry Venice!
The next morning, we got up early and headed into the city for a walk
with no map. Which was fantastic. It was cold, but not rainy.
And it was SUNNY!
Seriously - it was a gorgeous day.
acqua alta - high tide
The water runs over some of the sidewalks!
garbage truck boat (also spotted later that day: delivery truck boat)
Venice's idea of a gated community: gate the bridge. That'll do.
tons of rain the day before + high tide = flooding
People just wear boots!
Hey look, I changed scarves and lost the umbrella!
If you've been searching for a strange figurine of the Queen,
look no further.
What if this was how you entered your school?
Sometimes, while exploring Venice without a map, you reach a dead end.
Sometimes, that dead end is made of water.
This worries me.
These men (inside the workshop) are making gondolas!
more acqua alta issues, along the Basino di San Marco
Grand Canal and the Santa Maria della Salute
I mean, really. Grand Canal. So beautiful.
We randomly stumbled upon a (free!) music museum, where we also got (reduced price!) tickets to a classical concert which was going to take place that night. (The lady allowed me a student price without really checking my ID... definitely a sign we should go to the concert!)
rockin' the elevated sidewalk
gondola + gondolier!
Somebody was representing.
Piazza San Marco
(left: Basilica San Marco, right: Palazzo Ducale - Doge's Palace)
(or, as I say in the video, the "Place San Marco" -
that's my Fritalian (French + Italian) for you).
Also, apparently the water levels in Venice were a big deal -
two people (one from Sicily, one from Athens)
have told us they saw it on the news!
gondolas and the Basino San Marco seen from the Piazza San Marco
Kimberly being cute in front of the Basilica San Marco
first Italian gelato!
(My all-time fave combo: fragola (strawberry) and cioccolato!)
fancy gondolas
Carnival is very important in Venice, so masks are an emblem of the city.
Grand Canal
Ponte di Rialto
just a random canal
our pre-concert dinner, featuring Bellinis, Venice's specialty drink
(sparkling wine and peach purée)
our concert - Interpreti Veneziani
the program: four Vivaldi pieces,** one Mozart, and a von Weber
It was a small venue (Chiesa San Vidal), and the musicians
indulged us with two encores!
Venice was absolutely beautiful, very unique among cities I've visited. It's an island city actually composed of over 100 tiny islands divided by canals and connected by bridges. It's very easy to get lost in (even for me, despite the fact that I have a bit of an internal compass!), and it's actually very enjoyable to get lost in.*** I thought its atmosphere was very beautiful, romantic, and artistic. Venice has always been a center for music and art, and it's evident everywhere you turn. I would absolutely love to return to Venice to spend more time. Arrivederci for now, bella Venezia!
*Shakespeare had a bit of a thing for Italy, it seems.
**Vivaldi, born in Venice!
***Yup, I realize I just ended that sentence with a preposition.
**Vivaldi, born in Venice!
***Yup, I realize I just ended that sentence with a preposition.
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