"A Maze In" Venezia!

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Haha. What a pun(ny) title. Aren't I clever?! ;p
Ok, not really...that was pretty lame. But it's true- Venice is one giant maze. Makes me feel a lot like one of those poor rats running through Skinner's box (sorry, psych reference there- yikes, getting lamer by the minute, hey!)...although I didn't receive an electric shock every time I fucked up and got lost. Lucky really, else I'd be KFD (Kentucky Fried Denisa) by now!
Anyways. I fell in LOVE with Venezia! Really, I did. No particular reason. After all, it's just a bunch of bridges, little narrow streets, and water. Dirty, polluted water at that! Wouldn't wanna be one of those poor tourists who falls in (apparently it happens quite a lot). But it has a certain charm. I can't quite put my finger on it.
Having said that, I can understand why it might be a living hell in mid-summer, and peak tourist season. What with the heat, and the smell that would rise from the murky depths of the canals, not to mention the crowds...well, I'm glad I went when I did, that's for sure!
It is essentially a city (if you can call it that, as it is built on over 100 individual islands) designed for tourists. And the prices are designed for tourists too! That's why most of the Venetian population doesn't actually live in Venezia, but rather commutes there every day. And I can see why, when the cost of using a public toilet here is 1 euro! (Yes, it is a hard fact that one has to bear when travelling around Europe- paying for toilets. Is my urine really worth that much? But when you're on islands, surrounded by water, and you've got to go- you've got to go!! Maybe that's why the canals are so smelly- poor tourists...!). Right. Enough of the toilet humour. Or attempted humour...
So. Venice. My only regret is that I didn't come during Carnevale time. This is a 10-day festival in February leading up to Shrove Tuesday, where the Venetians dress up in elaborate costumes and don the beautiful papier masche (how on Earth do you spell that??!!) masks that are sold EVERYWHERE in Venice. I'm sure it would be amazing to witness (if not very cold at that time of year).

Note: Did you know?
That the word 'carnival' comes from the 'canevale', which means 'farewell to meat', as in the olden days people gave up eating meat before Shrove Tuesday. So there you go!

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