Venice

19 September 2011

Venice is beautiful, but not when it is raining. I woke up early and excited for our next destination but before I even looked out of the window, I could hear the raindrops falling. Not exactly the way I pictured ourselves on our Venice tour.... it is cold, cloudy and wet. It definitely dampened my mood because all my pictures looked dull.

 Water taxi (motoscafi) as they are called in Venice is a scenic way to travel the cannal-filled city. It is a different experience, wondering how they live in a place where boat is the only means of transportation in the city aside from walking. With almost forty five minutes of travel from the train station, I could barely contain my excitement as we draws closer to the city. I tried to bring back my enthusiasm, forget about the bad weather, and let nature take its course.

 After alighting from the motoscafi, we arrived at Doge's Palace. The weather is bit friendly now, clear skies and the water surrounding the city turned to its true colors. I have noticed the hordes of people walking to the same direction, very much like ants who know they are on a trail because they keep bumping into their fellows. While waiting for the others, I wasted no time taking photographs around.

Venice is of course the gondola. It is the famous Venetian vessel also considered the most elegant means of transport. Gondola rides are the most expensive thing to do in Venice. The other incredible thing is that there's no cars, crazy right? There are hundreds of different canals located around the islands and more than four hundred bridges allow people to get where they need to go.

 I soon found myself along the alleys surrounded by gondolas. It is an awesome feeling. I used to see gondolas only in pictures with the gondoliers, but now it is in front of me, inviting me to ride and explore the canals around the islands.

 On our way to the St. Mark's Palace, we passed by a small waterways. It really became clear to me  what happens when the tide comes in. The bottom of the buildings are basically uninhabitable, and can only be used for storage but things still need to be kept up off the ground. All along the walls, we could see green marks that showed how high the water levels could get during acqua alta. Somewhat an eyesore, these makes Venice unique among other countries.

The traffic scene along the small canals. Once the rain stopped, local Venetians and tourists are  all out making way to their destinations. Watching this scene relaxes me, maybe I'm used to seeing cathedrals and monuments for the past three days. The main canal here is busy with boats and it creates a really unique atmosphere. Ah, only in Venice!

 The weather is really inevitable. Dark thick clouds started to cover the sky again, and at any moment I'll need to open my umbrella or prepare Jonathan's poncho. We were now at St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco). As we comes nearer to the campanile, there are literary hundreds of people lined up to get inside.

Our local tour guide gave us a little background about Venice. While some interesting facts were shared and explained, it is a bit hard to comprehend and absorb every details of it. As much as I want to lend my ears to him, I am more interested to explore, discover and see it for myself.

 Details of the Basilica's exterior (upper part) shows St. Mark's angel, the winged lion (the symbol of Venice) and statues of Greek horses. The colorful one on the middle part is The Last Judgement.

 We also visit the Murano, famous for its glassware. During our visit we explore shops, factories and watch the skilled glass-blowers as they create works of art. You'll also have time to visit a museum showcasing the world-famous Murano glass (picture taking is not allowed, sob).

Another canal and another bridge. 

I passed by this hallway and noticed this beautiful, old and classic cafe. Caffe Florian, one of the oldest coffee bar in Italy and the most expensive in Venice. I remember our tour guide once told us that in if you want a free toilet in Venice, order a coffee in one of its cafe and you'll get a free toilet:-) 10euros per cup, although that includes the surcharge for sitting outside in the Piazza. Nope, I'm not buying. I still prefer gelato for three euros (it's really expensive in Venice).

Yes, at some point you’ll have to use the toilet. Rest assured there are also toilets at all the major tourist sites, but be prepared to pay.  City visitor passes covers free toilet use but you need to spend for some souvenirs that is over priced.  Unless it is very urgent, then I don't mind spending.  Using toilet cost 1.50 euro at San Marcos Square.

We hadn’t yet travel down the full length of the main canal, and so hoped to make it all the way down to San Marco and back, but due to timing (departure of our motoscafi) we had to cut it short. Being there gives life to the imagination I had long kept in mind and experiencing it makes all the difference. Even though we didn't stay too long, I have expressed my admiration for that city time and again.