Buongiorno Venezia!

DAYS 8 & 9: GO WITH THE FLOW – VENICE, ITALY

The sound of flowing water and motor boats could be heard from where we stood when we got off the bus; it was at this point I knew we were now in Venice. Usually, we always walked to our hotel, dragging the overweight luggage along with us, however there was something different this time; there were bridges to cross. The amount of people that were crossing up and down the several bridges, connecting the 108 islands of Venice was overwhelming, however, they were curious enough to let us pass, as they saw we were sweating and struggling like a turkey on thanksgiving. Once to our hotel, after slightly breaking the wheel on my luggage, I realized one thing; a suitcase isn’t convenient when travelling to Venice, after all, there are literally no cars.

As it was a warm, late afternoon when we arrived in the city of water, there wasn’t much planned. So, we were guided to the Piazza San Marco, right near the Ponte Rialto and were given free time. The vendors and stores that extended all along the Piazza was incredible. Of course, it wasn’t as big as Florence’s Mercato, however it was comparable. The prices, once again, great, so we decided to stick around for a little to bargain with the old Italian merchants. The variety of items was great because it was here where I got most of the gifts that I would bring back home.

Walking along the islands was not only unique, however had a completely different feel. It was the first time in my life that I walked along a sidewalk and instead of a street was a canal. It was the first time that everyone owned a boat instead of a car and it was the first time that I saw children going to school on the boat bus instead of the city bus – it was just astounding. One thing I realized, however, was that it was very easy to get lost in Venice. Because of little alleys that interconnect with others, it felt like we were walking in a maze. To avoid getting lost, we stuck to the main sidewalks, along the Ponte Rialto. This bridge, filled with vendors of all sorts was beautiful. It was built uniquely, with lovely designs and white marble, oh it was so much more than people made it out to be. I stood at the edge on the top of the bridge and looked as far as I could see down the large canal. I watched the boats swerve around each other and make ripples in the water. I watched the boat buses stop at the strategically placed boat stops, picking up and dropping off a throng of passengers. I watched the glowing gondolas sway back and forth in the water under the sun and I watched the people, the large amount of people walk along each side of the canal, some locals, but most tourists, all admiring and appreciating this unique city of water. Many rumours say that the water in Venice smells horribly and is fifthly, however that is an exaggeration. Obviously, there is a smell of fish and diesel that can be lightly smelled because of the constant flow of motor boats; however the city itself doesn’t smell disgusting as the bad smells are hidden behind the aroma of freshly baked Italian goods.

After walking around for a little longer and fighting our way through the croud of people walking in both directions, we met up with the rest of our school’s group and went for supper at a popular Italian restaurant. We had a choice between lasagna and pasta, so I took the lasagna, making sure I savour every bit of the warm, freshly produced Italian foods. After supper, we walked back as the sun set. It was already hard enough to navigate around Venice in plain daylight, I couldn’t imagine trying to find my way at night – tip: always have a map on you, especially in Venice. Before the sun set upon the horizons, I stood at the edge of the canal, protected by a railing and gazed into the water. It wasn’t that dirty, just a little polluted. People passed, however as our hotel was a good twenty minutes away from the action, it wasn’t as busy as before. I stared at the boat taxi that floated by and admired these Venetian boat driving skills, especially in the narrow canals. I looked down at the corroding bottoms of the homes and I was still amazed at how a city could be built over water. While the street, or, excuse me, I should say, canal lights flickered on and off, I decided to go into the hotel and rest up for tomorrow. Because of the uniqueness of the city and the atmosphere it gave off, Venice was now my favourite city so far.

The next day in Venice was an early morning. The boats were all well on their way and the Italians were already speaking loud and clear. We went for a short walking tour around the city, touching several areas. First, we went to the food market. This was the main place where the locals, including all the restaurants bought the food for the day. Every morning a large boat, filled with produce would sail in and deliver the food, I was shocked. There are no such things as Maxi’s, Metro’s and Wal-Mart’s, however this one Mercato where all the fresh, daily produce is sailed in. In addition, we went back to Piazza San Marco and were left there for free time.

After meeting up with my group of friends, we walked around the Piazza and sat down on the edge of the water, absorbing as much sun as we could. I took off my “I love Italia” sweatshirt that covered me from the cold air and tried as much has possible to tan under the, oh so bright sun. I gazed far and wide, looking a few meters off the shore. The occasional boat bus that passed blocked the sun for a half of a second, which was the only shade I would get for the hour. The ground was hot and so instead of laying down, I sat up and let my feet dingle above the water while ease dropping on the nearby Italian conversations. The Piazza was jam packed with people, all walking in circles.

Later that day, we met up with the group and were surprised with a gondola ride. We divided ourselves in groups of six and boarded the flimsy boat. I always thought the gondolier was supposed to sing some nice, gentle Italian music...I guess not! The beginning of the ride was astonishing as we passed through the narrow, dark canals. We passed under the tight bridges as the tourists waved hello. Once we gained speed, there was no stopping us, this gondolier was simply amazing, he could even dodge motor boats! As time passed, the gondola made itself in the wide canal, the widest one in all of Venice. The waves from the ACTV boat buses knocked us back and forth, swaying the boat from left to right. We passed beautiful buildings that were unfortunately corroding at the bottom because of the water. The small guppy fish that stuck beside the gondola swam in an orderly fashion, all in a single file line. As we passed other boats, we too, waved; after all, we wanted to show that us Canadians are a very humble people. The smell of the polluted water inundated my nostrils; however I had gotten use to it, being in Venice for two days.

The evening came quickly and unfortunately this meant that our time in Venice was almost up. Before going onto the boat bus back to the hotel, my friends and I celebrated Italy with a nice bowl of homemade Gelato. I stared once more at the large canal and knew that this was my favorite place. From the noisy boats that roared their way along, to the distinct Venice smell, to the humble and welcoming people, it was truly a world wonder.