The Argument for Venice
Guidebook writer Rick Steves says, "if you like Italy as far south as Rome, go farther south...if it is getting on your nerves, think twice about going farther." Well, I was loving Italy as far south as Rome, but I'd also promised Josh an itinerary that included Venice, so we somewhat reluctantly bid adieu to Rome just as Friday night was beginning to heat up -- and hopped a night train to Venice.
Traveling The Right Way (for a change!)
Josh had made our train reservation and managed to upgrade us to a private cabin. We had our own porter, prompt ticket service, cool water before bed, our own closet, sink, mirror and privacy, and a morning wakeup call complete with fresh, smooth Italian espresso. Mmm. Needless to say, Josh left thinking night trains are okay.
Oh, To Be in Venice!
We arrived in Venice at daybreak and watched the town begin to wake up as we made our way down the Grand Canal on the slow #1 boat (45 min. instead of 25). Venice is so beautiful in its earliest hours as the canals and gondolas are still shrouded in fog. It truly is a romantic city -- when you have it to yourself. As the day wore on and the daytrippers overran its quaint alleys and plazas, the city lost some of its intrigue for me and I was very grateful to have seen it at its quietest hour.
When we first arrived in Piazza San Marco, a few workers were busy aligning the countless hundreds of chairs around tables of four for the teeming business ahead. Each cafe had a particular colour of chair: blue, yellow, grey and green. It was all so very striking, with not a chair out of place. The famous pigeons that one always associates with this square were no where to be seen. They do not wake, it would seem, until after the tourist masses do. As the majors sights did not open for another hour or two, we found a little takeaway, bought some espresso and rolls and ambled amongst the streets and canals just enjoying the miracle that is Venice.
Experiencing Venice versus Sightseeing Venice: Sightseeing
For me, Venice is more about soaking up the culture and ambience of the place than about slogging through a long list of sights. Thus, we only saw three: Piazza San Marco, San Marco Basilica and Palazzo Ducale. Our plan was to see them as early in the day as we could (when crowds were least) and then run away and get lost in Venice and hide from the tourists.
After Saint Peter's in Rome, one might wonder how any church could wow, but in Italy they all do -- in their own way. The home of the Saint's bones since 830 A.D., this is an old church with a very dark and Islamic influence to its architecture. It is markedly different from others that we have seen. It has 4,000 square meters of Byzantine mosaics -- perhaps the most amazing aspect of this church. From a distance they look like paintings, but in fact are very complex mosaics. Wow. Where has all this craftsmanship gone today? Its floor is comprised of hundreds of unique marble and granite patterns. One that particularly struck me due to its simplicity and elegance can be described by just two rules (thanks to Josh for figuring this out):
1. Every diamond has a diamond perpendicular to it on its long side.
2. The space formed between each set of diamonds is filled with a Tic-Tac-Toe 3x3 grid of squares.
(Sketch it out to visualize and I think you'll agree it's pretty cool).
Palazzo Ducale, as the seat of the Venetian government and home of its ruling duke, was the most powerful place in Europe for 400 years. According to our guidebook, the palace was designed to show off the power and wealth of the republic and remind visitors that Venice was number one. Its architecture is a unique blend of Gothic on the bottom, with its pointy arches and Islamic on the top. Trust me on this: it's pretty grand. If you're planning a visit, I'd suggest admiring the building and skipping the art -- it's pretty mediocre in comparison.
Two highlights from its museum: pint-sized armor for the junior ones and a 9-barreled rifle. The rifle was as big as a canon and on a mount, but appeared to shoot small bullets. I can only imagine the rivalry to be The One to use that gun. "Please, general, I'm ready for the big leagues...."
Experiencing Venice versus Sightseeing Venice: Experiencing
We finished our required sights before lunch and enjoyed a nice lunch on the Grand Canal. Excellent pizza and view. Josh felt lucky as he got his first two ice cubes of the trip in his Coca-Cola Light. You have to understand, for a boy from Texas, this is a BIG deal.
After lunch, we shopped our way through an open air market near the Rialto Bridge. Lots of Venetian glass, clothes, leathergoods and fresh fruit. Maria would finally indulge and buy the black leather jacket she had been wanting since before we went to England some years ago. I would fall prey to a half kilo of fresh bing cherries. Yumm.
Our day in Venice was marked by a number of firsts. Clearly the most amusing was watching Maria pay admission to visit the men's restroom. Really. (In Europe, pay toilets are common as you may know and, at this particular place, the women's was apparently closed for the lady on duty directed Maria to the same queue as me).
At 7pm, the last of the shops closed up and we walked back to the train station to get our bags -- through local alleys and passageways, seeing a more local side of Venice full of homes, local shops, cafes and bars. At times we were sure we were completely lost, but the great thing about Venice, much like Toledo, Spain or other ancient cities is that eventually all roads lead to where you are going. More or less.
Josh did good and booked us into a nice hotel just one block off the canal -- thanks, Josh! We found a tasty meal near our hotel and then had a round at our local corner bar -- last call as it turned out. We tried something we'd never had before, local I think. It was good, but never to be found again. We watched a local guy make his moves on an attractive lady who was clearly from out of town. Italian men are so smooth. When the bartender let the pair in, despite a closed door and poured them a drink after shutting the bar, I began to sense he must be a regular at this act.
We moved on and meandered into the square. I had been amazed earlier in the day that crystal and linens and live jazz seemed completely normal for the lunchtime hour. Now the mood was much more subdued, but there were still a dozen or two people out past midnight enjoying a jazz concert. Many of the men were still in suits and the women were fetching as well. Pretty people. This is, after all, Italy.
Returning to our hotel, Maria and I attempted our first laundry of the trip and Josh snacked on my tasty Paprika Pringles, a splurge left over from Rome. We all took turns surfing the TV channels. The combo of attempting laundry in a small bathroom sink, a clothesline torqued across the room from Maria's bed to the bathroom door and directly in front of the TV, hilariously unusual TV programming and general goofyness created a pretty loop scene. Ah, the joys of travel!
It seems crazy to suggest that one can see Venice in a day, but we did just that and would leave for Lake Como to "relax" early the next morning. Stay tuned!
