“This was Venice, the flattering and suspect beauty - this city, half fairy tale and half tourist trap, in whose insalubrious air the arts once rankly and voluptuously blossomed, where composers have been inspired to lulling tones of somniferous eroticism.”
Venice was my first stop on the "in search of myself" tour in May. Soon after my dad's passing, I realized life was too short and I didn't want to end up like him with so many dreams in the pipeline and never getting down to fulfilling any of them. Confucius said "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step". Dreams are in fact easy to fulfill. If you think like me, all you have to do is pack your entire life into a sturdy bag and bring yourself to the starting point of your journey. Travelling has always made me happy and my dreams can be fulfilled with every new place I visit, every new person I meet. I have never travelled alone before and I thought maybe that was what I needed to change about myself. So I decided to travel by alone through Italy, Switzerland, Hungary (and I landed up in Prague unexpectedly after Volcano ecjkeuiuhdizebfuczpolus* exploded which is a story I will tell another day) armed only with my journal and that sturdy bag. You know what? It turned out to be the best decision I ever made!
Of course I was really apprehensive at first. I remember the day of my flight, the weather was terrible in Normandy and my roommate (who thought this was a crazy idea! and I was a crazy person!) was being really supportive of my "mission" that day. I recall telling her "Look at my face, this could be the last time you see me!". She brushed it off as nonsense talk, but seriously that was how scared I was. I get to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, on time for my early morning flight and guess what? Easyjet cancelled the flight! The next flight was at 19.30 which would get me into Venice at 21.00 ish. Not the best time to land in a foreign country especially when you're a 22 year old girl, foreigner and can't make out the head or tail of the language. But I played along.
I land in Venice when it's pitch dark and during stormy weather. If you've been to Venice before, you will know the uneasy feeling you get when it rains. Because the water level rises and all transport towards the island comes to a grounding halt. Fact: Flooding regularly occurs between November and April with the worst floods recorded on 4th November 1966 when tides rose more than 6ft in 24 hours flooding low lying areas of the city such as Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square). My head was spinning with various questions. Will I ever find the vaporetto (Venice's complex system of water taxis) to my destination, will I even find my hostel in the dark, what are Italians like? Should I spend the night at Marco Polo airport and head to Venice in the morning? That couldn't be done because Marco Polo is not like Charles de Gaulle airport or any other international airport. The airport closes after midnight!
I brave myself for the worst and head for Venice. But the honestly, the great transportation system, the kind bus driver, the smooth roads, the happy tourists (most of them French people. Oh yes French people love speaking to other French speaking people while they travel and speaking to these French people made me feel really at ease!) all made me be more prepared for my Venetian journey!
I did find the vaporetto to head to my hostel and sure enough when I got off at my stop, it was pitch dark but there was music playing everywhere. And it was the sound of live violins! My favourite kind of music! There were the old and young and lovers in the street and I knew this was the start of something special. I stayed at a hostel called A Venice Fish. It was all I could afford on my budget and rule no.1. Don't be a skinflint when it comes to your hotel! Because the place was disgusting! Thank God I was there for minimum amounts of time during the day because I would have been physically ill.
My first day in Venice was mesmerizing. I have to confess that it began really badly because I couldn't stand the fact that there was romance everywhere! Just look at this couple above who came to Venice for their wedding shoot, they look liked they stepped out of a bridal magazine! Venice is like a fairytale. And I wanted to kick myself for not starting with Rome or Florence first. I recall going into the church of San Zaccaria just behind the Bridge of Sighs (Il cielo di Sospiri) and crying my eyes out! I hated being alone right then and I hated the idea of travelling alone for the next 20 days. Should I just turn back? I stayed nearly an hour in the church and the incense slowly calmed my nerves. I did get many curios looks from tourists and the sacristian! I began to think rationally again. Then I realized, had I been travelling with someone else, could I have stayed one hour in a church? Could I have walked across the Accademia bridge six time just because I couldn't get enough of the facades on the houses? The answer is no! Travelling with someone always means respecting two itineraries. And here I was. In Venice! Alone. Free to do whatever the hell I want in this magnificent kingdom of the Doges!! ting ting ting ting <---- That was the bell of revelation that went off in my head and heart. I was actually going to be OKAY.
After that it was smooth sailing all the way to the end of the journey. Ever since then, I have tried my level best to travel alone because it's the best kind of freedom anyone especially women can ask for! Venice has a special place in my heart because it made me stronger. That is why I will keep going back to find my peace, my courage, my beautiful church of San Zaccaria. Except this time, I will stay at a decent hotel!
The best thing to do in Venice is throw away your map, your guidebook and immerse yourself entirely in it's splendour. The island is a labyrinth. "Uno labyrinto glorioso", were the exact words of the Italian woman who helped me find the famous Piazza San Marco. This was an Italian lady who was also visiting the area. Venetians? Not a really helpful bunch. You know, it's understandable. Imagine hundreds of people pestering you in English for directions to Piazza San Marco every single day and in a summer every hour! I can sympathize with the Parisians now! Poor snobbish things!
Venice is an architecture lover's delight. Don't even get me started on what it can do for photographers! At every new corner there is something new awaiting to surprise you or maybe there is another beautiful canal littered with exquisite gondolas. Venice has a lot of street theater and the artists are very talented and survive only on tips! I <3 the Opera and I wanted to see an Opera in one of the city's fine theaters but the prices were astonishing! Plus I was there in May and that's not even the tourist season. I wonder if only millionaires go to the opera in Venice!
So I took great pleasure in wandering around Venice's (free) theatre of charming bridges, intricate windows with lace blinds, gondolas and boats alike. It's a stunner this place! as if every part of the city was used as a prop in a theater play of some sort!
A great way to save money over food here or in other city in Italy is to go to the trattorias (cheap delis/diners). The locals go here as well and the food is way more reasonable than the restaurants aka tourist traps.
The island is quite big and if your feet get tired, take off your shoes and plonk on the side of a canal, lie back and enjoy view. No one will care if you're wearing ugly grey socks with a strange yellow stripe on top.
I usually hate to get lost in a new place but that actually worked in my favour in this enchanting city. I saw the many splendours of Venezia! If there's a crowd in front of you, just turn right or left. Whatever you want. I just walked anywhere, in some sort of stupour snapping photos of windows, grilles, boats, ripples on the green canals, etc.
Fact: Venice has 150 canals connected by 409 bridges, and over 3000 alleyways on the 117 islands :) Still want to keep up with that map?
No I did NOT buy a Venetian mask, take a ride on a gondola with the gondolier singing to me. Because those are cliché things to do. I love clichés :) The only reason I couldn't buy a mask because I had a tiny bag to fit my entire life and the mask would be squashed as it passed through the destinations to follow. And the gondola? le sigh! I am saving that for another occasion ;)
The Gondola is a masterpiece in it's own right. Each one has some story to tell. Just floating on the water and yet it exudes a brilliance I cannot put down in words! Fact: Gondolas are hand made using 8 different types of wood (fir, oak, cherry, walnut, elm, mahogany, larch and lime) and are composed of 280 pieces. The oars are made of beech wood and the left side of the gondola is made longer than the right side to counterbalance the weight of the gondolier!
If chess is your thing, there are plenty professional chess players you can play against all over the city. Play fair my friend. Foul play can land you in a serious tiff with the usually friendly Italians!
Religion is still is strong part of Italian society and you find God represented in various mosaics, little statues and statuettes all over the city.
Most of these photos have been taken with a camera which broke down in Venice. I decided foolishly to purchase one here itself. And when I got to Rome, I found out the sales man had charged me 50 euros more than the actual cost. ha! Rule: Never purchase electronic goods on an island. I was quite sad to lose my old camera because it was the last gift from my dad. My dad always swore by Sony and I couldn't figure out what was the problem with this item! One day it just began vibrating in my hand and then it died! sniff :'(
The new camera is also a Sony and it takes some lovely pictures. I guess it's not the camera but rather the photographer that makes the magic huh!
While loitering around the city, I could help but remember Cassanova. This was his territory wasn't it? The story is so romantic and every girl must have thought about him at least once in her lifetime! The movie with Heath Ledger was a decent representation of the story. And as darkness fell over the city, I couldn't help but imagine how nice is would be to see a charming hooded figure running across the high roofs and stopping to say Buona Sera to the girl happily lost in one of the lanes! :) Maybe the next time :)
The facade of Basilica San Marco was under construction while I was there alone. However it was back to it's grand self when I visited it two months later with mom. The church is worth the visit but be prepared for really loooong queues. I still have to visit the Campanile (bell tower of the church which is the highest point in Venice). Voilà already another reason to go back!
Piazza San Marco is the most beautiful square in the world it's filled with as many pigeons as tourists! Do NOT feed the pigeons as you will be fined by the authorities. The pigeon droppings are costly to clean up and they damage the facade of the marvellous buildings in immediate proximity of the square!
Ok I have to burst your mesmerizing bubble with this fact which I learnt at the end of my stay in Venice.
Fact: Venice has no sewer system; household waste flows into the canals and is washed out into the ocean twice a day with the tides! hmm.
Scientists say Venice is sinking! Apparently the land level has lowered (by almost 24 centimetres in the past century alone!) and the sea level has risen drastically! Global warming is to blame and should be taken seriously! It would be a shame to see such a magical kingdom disappear. But I can see the ocean's point of view. If I were the ocean, I would want Venice for myself. Well I'm getting carried away. Venezia should live on. The city gave me refuge and comfort. I was safe in this little lagoon which keeps washin away it's own grime and my fears. A constant process that is taking place right now. I have to go back and ask Venice in which safe nook it has tucked away a part of me. My heart! :)
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