Mestre, the most soundful place ive been

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Mestre is a place of contrast.
Two old men in quilted blue jackets pedal slowly through the afternoon heat, just fast enough to create a breeze but slow enough to talk about politics and the direction of the country.
One young mom with a curly blond headed little girl scolds her to hold still and not to touch the brand new audi that sits beside her bike. The bike has a large basket on the front filled with fruit, as it was market day in Marghera today. She lifts her little girl into the childs upright bike seat and straps her in.
A business woman decked out in a cloe suit complete with 2 and a half inch heels and mirror style Jennifer Lopes shades pedals along and checks her messages on her cell phone. She reaches down every so often to steady her breifcase in the basket on the front of her bike.
If you listen long enough there are always bells. No matter where you are in Mestre, there is always a symphony of bells to usher in the new hour. At other times throughout the weeks and days there are other reasons to ring the bells, yet im not quite certain of the occasion... Their ringing fills the air with an authority that isnt easily ignored, they chime loud and long, and in gorgeous melodies, unlike any i've heard thus far.
Anne and I follwed the bells and the sound of a rooster crowing in the middle of this little city. The sounds were coming from a small catholic church across the street from our apartment building. We walked inside and saw all the gold curls and lamps with row after row of tall straight-backed pews. A door was open at the front of the sanctuary, nearest the pulpit. We wandered through and wandered into a little farm in the middle of the city. It turns out the priest is somewhat of a farmer. The church yard was changed into a beautiful gardens filled with large white Cala Lilies. There is a horde of ducks and ducklings, 6 roosters, and 6 very playful goats. It was so odd to see them picking Cala Lillies and feeding them to the goats, when weddings in Canada pay at least 15$ per stem for smaller, less gorgeous lillies.
Another oddity that strikes me is the amount of graffitti that is present all over Mestre. It is on shop doors as they close for rest hour from 1pm to 4pm, its on the street posts, and on the side of the many apartment buildings, and there doesnt seem to be any attempts to wash it off or paint over it, which is so different from Canada, where the graffitti done at 4 am is painted over or scrubbed off by 9am.
In all of these beautiful differences I find my experiences changing my point of view. Its like im a whole other person here, like a newborn, taking it all in for the first time, either that or a tacky tourist exclaiming over every small thing and taking pictures of things that strike me.
Either way I know that in returning I will never be the same as when I left.

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