The Magic of Carnevale

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Venice is beautiful, no doubt about it. It's a fact as true as human nature. There is a reason this city was once known as "La Serenissima" (the Most Serene One). Thousands of people have been flocking to this place for centuries, to behold the spectacle that was at one time of the most influential and powerful centers in the world. The thing is, so many of these people have arrived as toursits. Spent one or two days here, maybe a week. But then they take their souvenirs and photos and they return home with simply the memories of its' gorgeous scenery.

For the last month I have felt much the same. Living outside of Venice itself on the mainland, I wake up each morning to the sound of cars honking and industrial smog floating across the sky. Every Tuesday and Thursday when I hop off that bus in to Piazzale Roma and head off to class, I am surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the Venetian people and tourists crowding the bridges and narrow walkways every which way you turn. It is easy to see past all of this chaos and to admire the beautiful architecture and history that is Venice, but sometimes the actions of human existance almost dull the senses to how truly amazing this city is. I am always so focused in the morning simply to not get lost on the way to class (haha!) that I have spent very little time wandering off my known path and adventuring. And of course after class I am always in a rush to get back to the buses and back to Mestre and to work, that I have yet to spend any real time in Venezia truly appreciating what it has to offer.

Fortunately for me, two nights ago that all changed. I set out with my new Greek/Australian friend Alexandra on Wednesday evening with the intention of only going to Venice for an hour or two, just to "see what Carnevale was all about". We arrived around 10 PM and began our journey on foot to Piazza San Marco, deciding it would be best to go straight to the center of the action. As we walked we passed several crowded bars, and numerous people dressed up in all their masked glory. But it wasn't quite the busy energy we had been hoping to find. None the less we decided to stick to our plan and kept walking the almost hour-long distance to our destination. Well, imagine our shock when we stumbled upon San Marco to discover that the Piazza was ABSOLUTELY empty! haha. We looked at each other, chuckled at our loss and decided that we had at least given it a try and would instead just come back the following evening (Thursday) as was supposed to be one of the biggest evenings of Carnevale. So now close to midnight, we began our backwards stroll to Piazzale Roma and the buses back to Mestre.

Even though we were mostly alone at this point walking through the streets, as even most of the previously packed bars we had seen seemed to be closing down on this quiet Wednesday.. there was this energy in the air that I cannot ever quite describe in words. A sense of "magic" as cheesy as it sounds. As if the city suddenly had stepped back in time. The year was 1750, Casanova was running through these same narrow streets somewhere off in the distance. Dressed in a long velvet cape and revelling in his golden mask, chasing the "ragazzi belle" around, romantic laughter filling the air. The only other sounds we heard were clinking wine glasses and the soft pattering of footsteps fading off in the night air. It was actually one of the most special moments I have ever been in. Simply for the fact that it felt like all of a sudden, Venice had become whatever I wanted it to be. Even the buildings themselves took on a whole new imposing beauty in the darkness. Very few streetlights can be found, and therefore the stars themselves become the guiding lights, helping you weave your way through the cobble stone streets.

Neither one of us was disappointed in our evening to say the least. Even though we hadn't found the nightlife we were hoping to, it was certainly not a loss to have had a chance to wander through the streets at such a strangely different hour than we usually do. As we had almost made our way back to the bus station, we turned down a particularly narrow street and what did we discover? People! Venetians to be even more specific, not one was a tourist, but in fact they were locals through and through. We contemplated going in for at least one spritz, and as we stood outside chatting we were approached by a gorgeous girl who looked to be about our age. Now let me tell you, it is rare for an Italian to approach a foreigner in the first place, let alone two girls who are speaking solely in English. But this girl was so friendly and warm, but she herself spoke English! And so did her other two girl friends, and the three guys they were with. One of whom I later discovered to be one of the most fabulously gay men I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. These were by far the nicest and most inviting people I had met in the 5 weeks I have been here. We instantly fell in to conversation with them, and 20 mins later they realized we still hadn't even ordered a drink. And so as if willed in to being, they appeared with two glasses of wine for us and the conversation continued.

One hour later we had basically all shared our life stories, exchanged tales of travels, discussed the immense differences between Canadians vs. Americans. And all shared a cheers to the fact Obama is THE MAN! (yes Europeans love him more than even Canadians haha). It was one of the most "random" encounters I have ever had, yet one of the best hours of conversation I have ever had. Alexandra and I had long given up the hope to actually meet any people that evening and then some how we ended up stumbling upon one of the nicest groups of young Venetians we have had the pleasure of knowing! And when after everyone said their good-byes and we exchanged contact info, around 1 o'clock now, we thought the night was over and we were now heading home. Not so! Next thing I know we were heading back to the home of my new fabulous friend and his brother to take their dog for a late night walk. So 1:30 AM, the streets are truly empty, and I am playing "Go Fetch" with a gorgeous labrador retriever. Let me tell you, it was one of the most surreal things I have ever experienced. I think especially seeing a breed of dog so familiar to me as a North American, young and full of energy. In the setting of this decaying and ancient city. And now, I get it. I understand why these Venetians are born and raised in this city and remain here, living in the same house that perhaps 10 or 20 generations of their family have lived in. Who would ever want to leave this eerily fascinating world behind? And seeing as how I still have not received my letter from Hogwarts.. this seems to be the closest I will ever get to experiencing true magic as well.

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