Adventures in Venice (Image Heavy!)

Ciao, tutti! (Remember that clicking on the pictures makes them bigger!)

This past Saturday (the 12^th of April) I had the pleasure of accompanying my gracious roommate and her friend on a daytrip to Venice, Italy. This little guy right here.

We awoke early to head to the train station. It was still dark once we finally rolled out.

The train ride was estimated to be around two hours and forty minutes long, which is just a little more than it took riding a bus to Verona. Keep in mind, though, that Venice is nearly twice as far away from Milan as Verona is. I think it’s obvious which is the more efficient mode of travel.

The view from the giant windows was very similar to the one I had on my way to Verona, so, as expected, there were several unused and decaying buildings near the tracks, some of them old train stops that have since been replaced by newer, better buildings close by.

I always think I might be able to catch a little shut eye on the train, but honestly there is no way I could sleep because of the view out the window. How could I let myself close my eyes when there’s so much to see? I’ll only maybe get a few chances to really embrace the Italian countryside – there’s no way I could waste that opportunity.

So I didn’t.

The train stopped a couple of times along the way to deposit and gather passengers. One of them was in Verona. I waved as we passed by buildings I had become familiar with only days before. I must say it was a very satisfying feeling to pass by that city and not wish I could stop to see it, because I have. I went. I saw. I photographed. A lot. And I planned to do the same with Venice.

As you probably know, Venice is known as the floating city, but here’s an interesting thing to keep in mind on how, exactly, it is a floating city: “The buildings of Venice are constructed on closely spaced wooden piles. Most of these piles are still intact after centuries of submersion. The foundations rest on the piles, and buildings of brick or stone sit above these footings. The piles penetrate a softer layer of sand and mud until they reach a much harder layer of compressed clay. Submerged by water, in oxygen-poor conditions, wood does not decay as rapidly as on the surface. Most of these piles were made from trunks of alder trees, a wood noted for its water resistance.” Pretty nifty, huh?

The view as soon as we emerged from the train station immediately seized my interest and Venice held onto it tightly for the remainder of the day.

My roommate, who had been there twice before, was able to play a very trustworthy tour guide and led us first to Saint Mark’s square. On the way there, many things became apparent: firstly, there were no roads and therefore no cars, so at least traffic with wheels was nice to no have to worry about. Secondly, canals twist between houses everywhere, providing many photo opportunities.

Thirdly, the “streets” are less like streets and more like alleyways which, between the squares and main streets, can sometimes be barely one-person wide. Neighbors could hang out of their windows and shake hands with ease if they wanted to.

            Fourthly, the water in the canals is an odd teal color, which I didn’t expect. I’ve read that it’s due to the brackish and polluted nature of it.

Lastly, the Venetians like color (the Milanese seem to as well, at least in buildings – perhaps it’s an Italian thing). The buildings pop everywhere you turn.

Saint Mark’s square was beautiful, but bursting with tourists, which made it difficult to take pictures without people crowding the lens.

We wandered inside the Basilica Di San Marco, pressed in by the current of people. There were signs posted everywhere warning against taking any pictures whatsoever of the history inside. That didn’t deter everyone, though, since no officer was inside watching to make sure it didn’t happen. Thus I sadly don’t have any pictures of the inside, but I can say it was the most extravagant church I have been through yet, and there have been many.

On the whole, I understand discouraging photographs of the statues and mosaics inside the religious monument because simply looking at it through a picture detracts from the overall atmosphere and environment that a cathedral provides – it’s almost like stepping into another dimension, really. So I get that it can take away from the experience and it is best seen with your own eyes and felt in real time, but by the same token (and this is probably just the photographer in me talking), I don’t see what’s so wrong with snapping a few pictures to carry as mementos, to perhaps in later years somewhat recreate the experience and reminisce on it.

That’s one thing I have really appreciated while wandering through every other church I’ve been in – you are free to take as many pictures as you please, but the implicit agreements are that you don’t use flash (which makes things hard since the churches tend to be dimly lit) and that you keep the shutter noise on your camera to a minimum. The respectful silence is very easy to disturb and you’ll get dirty looks even if your shoes clack noisily along the stone. Those sorts of sounds pierce the atmosphere, and thankfully most people understand this.

One other thing that has been really neat to see is that the churches are still used; they aren’t simply museum pieces, destined to sit unmoving in a spotlight for the rest of their existences. While I’m not Catholic, I think it’s a beautiful thing that they still hold mass and sermons regularly inside the ornate cathedrals. They double as tourist attractions and functioning churches.

Unfortunately this is not the feeling I got from the Basilica Di San Marco. It felt wholly like a tourist attraction and nothing more. The atmosphere it cast definitely did not have the depth many other cathedrals did.

Following that, we wove through the streets back to a restaurant that caught our eye a couple hours previously. I ordered lasagna (surprise, surprise). Something I’ve heard, and this seems to be true, is that when it comes to Italian dishes, they tend to place more importance on the pasta and cheese than they do the sauce. My lasagna was delicious, but way cheesier than saucy, which I am not used to. My family places the most importance on the red sauce, the tomato-y and flavorful lusciousness, so this is an interesting concept for me.

After lunch, we made our way back to Saint Mark’s square to climb to the top of this monstrosity (in an elevator, of course):

The panoramic view of Venice from above was so breathtaking, I quickly forgot about how windy and chilly it was up there in the bell-keep of Campanile Di San Marco.

 

 
 
 

I am so thankful for these towers, because the one in Verona provided a very surreal view of the city as well. What I like about Venice, though, is the water – you see the curve of the coast and the boats, and not just rooftops (don’t get me wrong, those are marvelous as well).

Following that exceedingly satisfying sight, we took it easy, moseying through the alleys and taking a few breaks to hang our feet over the edges of canals. We sat and just breathed it all in. (The air was noticeably cleaner in Venice versus Milan due to the absence of cars and smog, I would suspect.)

 

The weather stayed gorgeous the whole day; the air was warm and the sun made several appearances. It was similar to Verona in that the weather was the perfect kind to travel in.

On our lazy way back to the train station, we went down some alleys that ended in stairs going directly down into the water, and as we were standing at the end of one specifically taking pictures, a few gondolas went by (the waterways were loaded with them) and as they passed, one of the gondoliers winked at me.

I’ve heard it costs quite a pretty penny to ride in one of those, which actually doesn’t surprise me since they are traditionally used for ceremonies, like weddings and funerals. Big to-dos, and all that. I bet the gondoliers make pretty good money during the on-season.

Once it was finally time to load back up onto the train, I felt thoroughly pleased with the time spent in Venice. I hadn’t felt rushed or that I had missed seeing anything. The setting sun on the way home provided a good finish.

Trip to Venice? Superb. Worth it? Very much so. I would love to have an apartment that has a window with a balcony over one of the canals so I could sit, hang my legs over the edge and read or write. I don’t know about you, but I think that would be the ideal perch.

The next few adventures on the books are to thoroughly explore Milan during my spring break, which started today and lasts till the 27^th, and that will consist of seeing The Last Supper by Leonardo DaVinci (yes, the real deal!), and popping around to the most noteworthy monuments in town, like the Monumental Cemetery, going to the top of the Duomo, and other things of that nature. I’m also scheduled to go to Florence on the 19^th of May, and that’s still a month off, but it’s happening! I’m very excited and very glad I was able to get out of Milan.

Thank you for all your support, love, and interest – the blog posts and pictures will only keep coming!

Arrivederci, amici!

V