Venice I

2/7/15

Day 22

(This is a long one- just scroll through the pictures of you don't feel like reading!)

Somehow, I got myself out of bed early this morning and onto the right train, having gone to the ATM and eaten a breakfast (I got it at the McDonald's at the train station because it looked fancy and I was curious about how it would taste). I even managed to remember my camera and charger this time! (I forgot my charger when I went to Rome and forgot my camera in Siena and San Gimignano) I honestly can't remember where the time on the train went so I'm pretty sure I slept. Italotreno was super nice- it had free wifi and outlets so it was definitely on the same level as the "fast train", or Freccia, even though it was only half the price! I got lucky and was randomly assigned the seat next to my roommate but the rest of our friends were scattered throughout the rest of the train. We drove most of the way there in underground tunnels but suddenly it was sunny and blue outside as we sped over the water coming into Santa Lucia. As we got off the train, we suddenly noticed we were short one person. There were 2 Venice stops and it was a little confusing and we found out that our friend had accidentally gotten off at the first one! So we pretended to shop and got some snacks while we waited for her to get back on another train. 

When we were reunited, we headed off towards our hostel. Led by my trusty Google, we snaked in and out of the narrow alleys that make up Venice. I'd been here before but I hadn't seen this side of the town. It felt completely different. Last time, I'd come in peak tourist season during a rainy summer day. Now here I was in winter in full sun. We got our first glimpses of Carnevale when we saw people in masks, face paint, capes, and sometimes full costumes.

We saw plenty of shops full of cheap masks, handmade masks, full costumes, and souvenirs but most of it looked like it was made for tourists to spend a lot of money. We did see a sign for 2€ masks but were hungry and cold and kept walking. 

We took plenty of pictures of the tiny bridges and waterways on our walk to the hostel. Venice must dye the water because there is no way it's naturally this color. The hostel ended up being the same price for one night as 2 nights in Rome but luckily there was a free 6 person room so we got our own space and a door that locks. We dropped our stuff off and ventured back out. 

First, we went on the hunt for the 2€ masks we'd seen and after quite a long search, we found some decent ones for 2.50€.

It was very important that we got them before we took a gondola ride, so naturally the first thing we did after buying them was to go find the gondolas! We walked towards the water through Saint Mark's Square as the clock chimed and a cold wind blew. We brushed past people in full out Carnival costumes. It felt unreal. We got really lucky because our friend decided she didn't want to come at the last second but then a single girl from Argentina came up behind us and asked if she could join! We fit perfectly in the 6 spots and slowly pushed off from the pilings. It was freezing because the sun was setting and we were exposed to the wind coming over the water but it was so worth it.

The lights of the piazza reflected off the waves and we rocked as our gondolier maneuvered our tiny boat.

We all started off with our cameras at the ready, eager to document the moment, though as the last bits of daylight faded and we slid through the dark canals, it became almost impossible to get a good shot. Obviously this was good and bad for me because I love taking pictures but there is a fine balance between enjoying the moment and saving it (in a picture) to enjoy later. 

A lot of studying abroad so far has forced me to live in the moment. Usually I procrastinate on everything. Usually I would rather sleep in than get up and start living. Usually I don't spend money. But unlike with the monotony of daily life at home, here I might not be able to do what I can do today tomorrow. It's freeing to think that I might only have each chance once. Even walking through the streets, each alley is so tiny that you only get a fraction of a second to appreciate the view. After that, the moment has passed. I really really considered not going on the gondola ride but in the end, I decided that I came all the way here from America and then from Florence to experience Venice and I'm here now for this moment only. What if I never come back? I don't want to regret being too cheap to shell out for a 13€ gondola. And I'm extremely glad I did. 

I kept attempting to take pictures because that's an important part of the experience for me but I also got time to just sit and be present because I knew they weren't turning out anyway. It's stupid but I'd say part of the reason to travel is to take pictures. That's dumb because it's not like the pictures in taking are particularly exciting or innovative but for whatever reason that matters to me. Today my fingers were numb from the cold but I was so ridiculously happy I didn't care. That's the kind of thing I won't remember when I'm looking at pictures of the time I took a gondola ride.

 

I think I came back to Venice and Italy in general because there is a sense of magic in this country and I desperately wanted to feel that again. Despite all of its tourism and the fact that the actual Venetian population is set to disappear within this century, there is something authentic left if you look hard enough. The architecture and the water and the history here captured my imagination. I felt like I was five years old, invincible, and living a fairy tale.

Once, as we wound our way through Venice, our gondolier pointed to a house and said it was Vivaldi's. Just as he said this, we began to hear music which, I wouldn't know, but it sounded like Vivaldi to me. And as we moved forward, we passed through a brightly lit part of town with people outside in the streets talking like time didn't exist, set to the background of quite possibly The Four Seasons. All of us agreed it felt like a movie and then fell silent again, just taking it in. It's inspiring to see places I've only read about and traveling reminds me I'm alive. I couldn't tell you what I came here looking for, but I've found it. Not just in Venice but in the freedom of not knowing where I'll be next weekend. Maybe I was just looking to experience something other than sitting on my couch watching tv. And I haven't even traveled out of Italy yet!

After our adventures of the day, everyone was pretty hungry- except me. Unfortunately I had to go with them to the restaurant and once I was there there was a cover charge for sitting down and I felt weird taking up space so I decided to get bread or something... Until I saw that the price for bruschetta was higher than pizza, so despite my efforts I ended up getting pizza for dinner. BUT this story has a happy ending! The pizza turned out to be huge and I only had a little bit so I took home my leftovers and saved them for later! 

Sitting in the restaurant was also interesting because the host would greet the groups of tourists walking by with "Hello! Ciao! Ni hao!" Which kind of gives you an idea of what the demographics were like. I guess the sacrifice in the tourist destinations is that you get the luxury of having businesses be culturally bilingual, but you miss the genuine experience of the local culture. It does come in handy though, when restaurants don't give you a weird look if you ask for a box for your leftovers. 

After dinner, everything was starting to close, leaving us alone in the deserted streets. We got gelato and then wandered for a little while. For the record, the rumors are true: Venice dies at 8pm. 

Before bed, I tried to put my pizza in the fridge and of course it didn't work. I wasn't about to waste 3/4 of a perfectly good pizza and it just so happened that it was super cold outside... So I left the pizza on the windowsill as the "poor college student" pathetic attempt at a fridge. That happened.