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Published: April 9th 2008
It was 9am when we rolled into´Venezia´train station. We had taken a night train from Paris and our plan was to spend a day exploring Venice and take another train out that night. After an hour of pure hassle and cues, we had purchased our tickets for our upcoming train and dumped our bags in a locker. We were off to see the sinking city.
As soon as you step foot out of the train station, the beauty of this old city hits you, straight in the face. You´re left standing awkwardly gazing out at the picturesque river and the most romantic buildings you´ve ever seen. As well, there´s a massive poster of actress Kate Bosworth in a Calvin Klein ad. Not too bad.
We walked across a huge marble bridge and towards the city centre. The Venice locals would normally just grab a quick water bus that runs through the Grande Canal but money´s tight and we can´t quite afford the luxurious 7 euro ride. So, we walked.
Walking through the tiny, narrow streets of Venice is liek something out of a fairy tale book. Every street has the touch of Michaelangelo to it and each side street is graced
with a view of winding stone houses through small canals. It´s almost impossible to go 10 minutes without seeing an Italian Gondala driver with his large wooden paddle and renowned straw hat. Unfortunately they don´t all serenade you as if they were Dean Martin, but the views from the river aren´t so bad.
Our walk took us through many, many little streets and small markets. We made it all the way to St. Mark´s Square where we were confronted by what looked to be a million people. (not actually, but you get the idea). There were street performers everywhere, along with 10 pidgeons for every 1 person. The tall, gaping cathedral looked alive with the masses of people running in and out of it. We walked out of the square and along the pier in order to avoid the crowds. I was forced into buying a scoop of chocolate gelato, I mean it just looked too good to resist!
Chris and I sat with our feet dangling over the dark, blue water, staring out at the open sea and the land surrounding it. The architecture of each house, each building, is done so uniquely every wall seems to have life.
You might believe getting lost in Venice would be quite a simple thing to do, but if you use the river as a landmark and know which way to follow; it will lead you wherever you want to go.
The only thing Chris and I couldn't stand about Venice was the looks you´d get when asking the price of something. Italy is one of the most expensive countries in the world, and they let you know it as soon as you arrive. It seems they never understood the McDonalds slogan, ´´smiles are free´´, considering help from any shop vendor costs at least a euro, and they will not be happy to do it. You might get lucky and find the one Italian who likes to speak english and doesn´t mind giving you directions, but what a rarety it is!
After walking for a few hours, our legs began to break under the constant use, and we were forced to head back to the train station. We watched the sunset from the front steps and wasted time reading and writing in our journals. Our train didn´t leave till 11pm, which gave us a good six hours to kill. Chris and I
shared a dinner of fresh italian pizza and then bought a cheap bottle of wine from the liquor shop in the station. We sat under the night stars drinking out of our plastic camping mugs that we bought in New Zealand. We played guitar for a rose seller from Bangladesh that gave us a rose in return. It was a fun night, but at 10:51pm when our train rolled in, we were on it within five minutes...sound asleep.
Reporting from Venice Italy,
Watts and Hoags
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Gondala driver taking some tourists down the seine
Meredith
non-member comment
This whole trip just seems so romantic, I'm slightly jealous. I can't wait for you both to come home so I can hear all about it!