Venice, Part I

Venice is amazeballs.

I'm much more impressed than I look!

There is no other word for it, no other phrase to describe it.  Amazeballs.  That is the only word I can think of that can capture the sheer beauty, majesty, and mysticism of this city, the feeling of awe that comes with this place, the slight disbelief that you’re standing in the centre of the Venetian Empire.

This city is everything that you think it could be, and then some.  The canals, the buildings, the movement and life of the street, the mix of tourists, locals, and students all gives Venice a feeling unlike anywhere on earth.  The gondoliers really do wear those silly hats and stripy shirts, there really are striped poles to tie the gondolas onto.  There really is classical and baroque music coming from the streets, whether from the gondoliers themselves, or quartets on the markets, or accordion players on the streets.

This place is truly stunning; from the moment you arrive it sends a tingle down your spine and then treats you to an experience unlike anything you’ve been through before.  While one can complain about the tourists if one so chooses, Nick and I are tourists ourselves so it seems slightly redundant.  Plus they give the city a certain buzz, a life along busy streets.  They mix with the locals in the cafes, they walk along the streets admiring the stores and sights, they really do add to the atmosphere.  It probably does help to be here in the shoulder season, so the streets aren’t totally packed.  Plus most of them leave the city in the evenings anyway.

We arrived via bus from Milan (unfortunately our bus was 15 minutes late for our transfer so we were stuck at Bologna bus depot for an hour – not fun).  To get to the city, the bus drives over a large bridge and drops you off at the Cruise Ship Terminal, and from there you need to make your own way, there are no streets in the town (and thus no cars, bicycles, scooters... it’s an odd sensation!), only canals and footpaths.  While it makes the streets very claustrophobic in some parts, it all adds to the charm of the city.  Anyway, after promptly getting lost twice, we managed to get to our accommodation.  We are staying in a twelve-bedroom what can only be described as a guest house.  Which is fine – it’s in the heart of the funky student area of the city.

We spent the rest of the first day walking around enjoying the views; unlike other cities where the canals seem to be primarily for tourism these days, these are busy waterways unto themselves.  Buses, taxis, private crafts all use the waterways.  Apparently there are even water-ambulances (but I haven’t seen one yet).   We just soaked everything in, the tight streets, the busy, bustling squares.  Then after what had to be the largest single pizza I’ve ever seen (New York has something to learn, I tell ya!), we called it a night.

Today, we took a more structured approach to take in some of the major sights.

Piazza San Marco

This is the big boy, the centre of Venetian tourism today.  A huge complex made up of several different buildings and right in the heart of the overly-priced shopping district, it is truly a sight to behold.

We took a tour of the Palazzo Ducale, what used to be the home of the Doge (imagine an elected king essentially) and his parliament, this was truly an exercise in excess, but completely beautiful.

Then a quick tour of the Basilica di San Marco, and up to the Bell Tower for a view over the entire city.  Absolutely amazing.  After that we took in the Museo Civico Correr for a quick history lesson of the City.

From there we headed to The Rialto Bridge for lunch.  The bridge itself is beautiful and has amazing views on both sides.  Unfortunately it’s covered in graffiti these days, but still worth checking out. 

Then, after some more wandering and getting lost (which is so much more fun in Venice than anywhere else I’ve been!) we headed down to take in the Gallerie dell’Accademia and the Peggy Guggenheim Museum.  The Gallerie is made up of historical religious works, and the Guggenheim is more modern pieces, so served as a nice contrast to each other.

Finally, Ca Rezzonico for another look at how the other half live.  I’m loving all of these palaces!  Amazing!

Final tip of today, head to Campo Santo Margherita for a spritzer (a wine based aperitif) before heading to dinner, delicious!

Well, today has come to an end, time to rest my legs and read my book.

What more need be said?

Will write more soon.

Ciao!