When Venice flirts with the Sea...

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When Venice flirts with the sea- Aqua Alta

Saturday at 8:30 am I heard sirens.

Never heard them in my life, but sounded just like they do in the films, only for air raids and emergency situations. I go back to sleep, to wake up 2 hours later. Get dressed and head out to go work in the studio at school.
On the vaporetto, however, I noticed people wearing their knee high boots, but stupidly it didn’t occur to me why. Cautious they must be. Yes, cautious.

But when the boat stopped at the first of many, I noticed the water not just lapping at the edges of Venice’s stone walkways that ring around the edges of every little island, but aggressively conquering inch by inch of what used to have been firm ground.

When I got off at San Marco, eager to stop at the art store and pick up paper for the day’s work, I received the surprise of my life.
I’d never seen high water like this…indeed the entire city was as if a shallow raft, wide and grand, but unsteady and likely to drown.
The wooden walkway to get from the boat to the street was itself 3 inches under water. But not to say the least, I had no rubber boots on. I was already soaked to the knee within 5 minutes…no where to go…as the water was unbelievably high, cold and moving fast. They tell you not to go near the edges of the water, as what used to be reasonably clear about the EDGE, was now a watery abyss….edges don’t exist…

I realized that almost every store that wasn’t raised up by several steps was closed. Including my store and the only way to get to school. I passed by hundreds of Japanese tourist giggling and laughing, in the ponches and plastic bags wrapped high on the thighs. The Venetians either stayed home, or had worn their fisherman’s boots, the attractive kind that keep you dry, but also ride quite high on the leg…enough to cause some nerve damage near the pelvis.

However one I saw the water at WAIST level in Piazza San Marco, I headed home. On the way, I spotted restaurants with their doors open, with half a foot if not a foot of water in their resturant…and the owner with his hands on his hips, smiling as if all was normal, but ironically it was. Yes, the meraviglia of the scene overtook my rational mind…and it took, me 15 minutes in the sea, sloshing in curiosity and wonder, before I made it to the boat to head home, buy boots, real boots, the rubber, unattractive, but so-very-venetian on the way, carry dry clothes for both myself when I arrived at school and a friend that was already there. (The school gallery was under 3 inches of water and the streets outside 1.5 feet if not more.)
The shoe store was open. Their entrance was being slowly invaded by water that was creeping futher and further into the store…and THEY had 4 steps leading up the entrance….but gave me a huge smile when they saw me bootless…and a discount as well.

And by 1pm, the tides had begun to recede…and the waters, like invaders that slowly decided that the stone terrain wasn’t worth the effort, receded leaving behind garbage in the streets, soaked papers, shoes, and even merchandise that may have floated out the stores…

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Photos

Aqua Alta
Me standing in the water already receding...but 3 hours after its highest mark and Im still wading in 3 inches of water outside the studio!