Venice

From the minute I set foot in Venice, it felt different. At first, being very focused on trying to find the hostel and things like that I did not put my finger on it right away, but as we set out to find some lunch and just generally explore the city, it became very obvious that something was different. It was not like Paris where the buildings are old, but the streets are wide and you can take a bus to the metro to the center of the city. But it wasn’t different because the buildings weren’t old: for certain they are. But it didn’t feel like Milan either, the other Italian city I have visited so far, where it had much more of a Mediterranean feel with colorful buildings. Milan also felt very industrial, very much like a working city. Venice did not feel even comparable to that. At first I thought it was because of the water, because of the enormous channel that runs straight through the middle of the city, with only three main bridges going across and seemingly thousands of smaller channels that run off of the main one, throughout the city. It must be this I thought, that felt so different. In fact the first thing I said when we got off the train was that it smelled like the sea… but after an hour or so of walking around (in a lovely drizzling rain, so far rain seems to be an overriding theme of this trip to Italy) I think I realized what it is that makes Venice feel so very different.


There are no cars. There are no buses and metros and trams and really, no cars. You can walk from one end of the canal to the other in about an hour… so it is very traversable on foot, and if you want to take a taxi, well you take the water taxi on the boat down the canal. It was really amazing to realize that we were in this medieval city, and it hadn’t really changed all that much since the middle ages. That was really how it felt: medieval. The streets are all made of stone, and they wind around and there are alleys and small streets to follow, where at the end you will find hole in the wall restaurants or tabacchi stores or other things of a similar sort. It was really spectacular to see this city, to be in this city (which had its fair share of touristy glory don’t get me wrong) but to so easily imagine that hundreds of years ago people followed the twisty turning alleys of the city from one end to the other, and there were no cars or trains or anything of the sort… just as there were no cars or trains yesterday. I can imagine now it probably smells a little better (since there are sewers and such things for the gunk of life) and it is modern with modern conveniences, but somehow, it still feels original, like it hasn’t changed that much for 800 years. As Anne always says, “no one really wants to go back to the middle ages,” but this city certainly felt something like a time portal, something out of a story, or a painting.

It was really cool to see as we walked down, following the canal that all of the canals that branched off of the main one, that in front of peoples’ houses almost everyone had a little boat. It is so funny to imagine that one would get up in the morning, jump in the boat and go to the store for the morning’s groceries. Or putting all the kids in the boat to take them to school… (well they probably walk but it is funny to think about). It really was crazy to see. It is also strange to think about what it might be like to grow up in a city like this, with no cars, where no one ever says “look both ways!” all they ever say is “don’t fall in the water!” How very different! I suppose if you grew up there, and didn’t know anything different it would be perfectly normal, but it still seems very strange to me.
We ate a quick lunch of Italian style pizza (so thin and yummy!) and only 2 euros! Then we stopped across the street for a quick dessert, where I found the world’s most delicious cream puff. Ever. (See picture it is glorious!) It was so fresh and covered in powdered sugar, which later ended up all over my coat. It was nothing like one of the frozen cream puffs we used to eat from Sam’s Club when we were little… oh no. It was amazing. I wish Mirandy could have been there too, just to taste it because it was awesome. I actually wish Mirandy were here a lot of the time, she would love to do the stuff we are doing and eat the food and tromp around… I miss her a lot.

We walked down the streets, all the way down the canal to the part of town where the big cathedral is winding and turning and using the umbrella all the way. Note: the green umbrella that I bought in Milan is well, to be frank, a piece of shit. It kept turning inside out at the slightest breath of wind, and we were getting wet all the time. It actually turned out to be quite comical…our piece of shit umbrella. O goodness little green umbrella. But it is still alive, and on its way to Florence now, as am I.

But back to the cathedral. It is in Saint Marc’s square, which is also where the palace of the former dukes of Venice used to live, and it is very close to the seaside, where you can see lots of small islands out in the bay with old churches on them.
It was cold and unpleasant, but still quite a sight to be seen. So we decided to go in the church, which was decorated almost as ornately on the outside as was the one in Milan, but with different types of marble. Parts of the square outside the church were actually flooded because of the rain, so we stepped up on to the risers that led into the church. We entered from the side of the church, not thinking it would make any difference. Now I would like to preface this by saying that I have seen my fair share of cathedrals, old big churches in all of their old and catholic glory. I thought this when I was going in, but I was not prepared for what was inside. The entire church (which is actually really really big) was covered in mosaics. Every inch of the ceiling was covered in biblical scenes and scenes of saints and pictures of Christ. But everywhere where there wasn’t a picture, where there was empty spaced, the ceiling was covered in golden shiny tiles. It was outstanding, and really unbelievable. The pictures here do not do it justice I am sure of it. It was really breathtaking, the amount of work and man hours that must have gone into making that church what it is, as impressive as it is. I don’t know if it has been restored (I’ll have to look it up) but even if it has been, it is crazy to think of it in its original form. Many of the mosaics looked as detailed as paintings, it was absolutely astounding. The time and money that must have gone into creating the church is beyond imagination. But what is interesting to think about today (at least in my opinion) is what these churches represented back in the day. The mosaics were ways of communicating to illiterate people for sure, but the enormous and absolutely astounding churches that exist all over the country and really all over Europe, were enormous testaments to the absolute power of the church. Only the powers that controlled the world at that time could have had the resources to accomplish something like that, and everyone would have know that the church itself reigned supreme, with more power and money than even the dukes themselves who would have built the palace. The church was the power that commissioned all the art of the period that paid for everything since they were the power to be reckoned with for many many centuries. This church, this amazing cathedral would have never failed to communicate that point to anyone who stepped foot inside our outside of the church. We went out the front of the church, only to realize that the front was also covered in outstanding mosaics that have probably been restored, but are outstanding just the same.


After our adventure into the church we needed a little break from the cold and the rain, so we stopped and had some coffee, and then of course gelato! It may have been cold, and my hands almost froze off, but it was worth it. The gelato was amazing! We then made our way through the twisting and turning alleys and streets over to the museum of Venetian art. We decided that doing something inside might be a good choice, so why not go look at some art from the medieval times and the renaissance, since I know absolutely nothing about that kind of art. We bought tickets to go in… and spoke English to the man in the window, but with perfectly perfected French accents to convince the man that we needed student pricing for people who live in Europe (we live in France, duh) and it worked, we got half price tickets! So it was a good way to spend an hour and a half for 3 euro. We looked at a lot of ornate paintings for a while, and looked (and laughed at some) and realized once again how much the church dominated everything that was created artistically during this period. We saw an entire series of paintings by the same guy, and every single one was a different representation of the virgin and child… but all had different things going on in the landscape behind them. I can only imagine that this guy wanted to practice his landscapes, but he had to paint the virgin and child in the front to appease the church (who was paying him…) very interesting to think about.

After the museum we set out rather aimlessly again, and decided to stop and have a glass of wine. At one café we were looking at the menu, and there was a couple standing close by, who must have heard us, because they were Americans too. They told us to go around the corner, to this little hole in the wall wine bar, and it turned out to be an awesome little stop. The wine was good, and there were lots of people there who were great to watch. It was really a good half-hour spent, and it was good wine for only 2 euros a glass, which was also awesome! Thanks to that couple, wherever they are, for sending us down that one side street where we found that little gem of a place.

We then made the longish trek back up the canal towards the hostel, with lots of exploring, and alley finding along the way. We made it back, and had a bit of a rest before we set back out to find dinner, at around 9pm, which is when everyone goes out to eat. We found an excellent place, and enjoyed some Italian pasta and cheese, which was really great. But as we made our way back to the hostel, our eyelids were drooping and my legs were very tired from the day of walking. But even so, it was very strange to imagine the city as it might have been before electricity, when one might have made his way home, in the pitch dark, finding his way simply because he knows the infinite twists and turns of the city by heart… and how much creepier it would have been. Anne told us that Venice was kind of eerie… creepy even, and she was right. Magnificent and very adventurous, but strange and very medieval at the same time.

So now, on the train to Florence, in a true miracle, the sun is out (but I don’t want to jinx it) and we will be there in about 50 minutes. I am not sure what will be open on a Sunday, but our first destination currently when we get there is McDonalds… which sounds strange, but they have free WiFi and we have to find out where our hostel is… so even that will be an adventure. Until tomorrow when we will be on our way to Rome (and with Alana!)
Ciao!