The word "magical" doesn't do this city justice. No noise or air pollution from cars. No waiting at traffic lights. Just beautiful walkways, canals, and Italians. My hostel, A Venice Fish, was in a funky old building in the Canareggio neighborhood in the north. It had a bridge that led right to the front door!
My first day, I awoke early with an agenda to just get lost.
I started off with the obligatory morning coffee at 7am. The way the bartender worked the morning rush at the espresso bar was beautiful. Seeing the customers in the mirror behind the bar as they walked in, the friendly barista would address them by name and have their usual drink ready for them by the time they got to the bar. There was an endless flow of customers and he didn't miss a beat.
I spent most of that day wandering around in the rainy weather, equipped with an umbrella and a bottle of wine. I can safely say that it was the best day of my life. Every random alleyway that I turned down revealed new delights. This is precisely why my preferred form of travel is solo. When traveling alone, one doesn't have to worry about whether anyone else is ok with taking a random detour.I bought sandwich ingredients at little markets. I had 1 Euro glasses of wine at adorable, tucked-away bars. I had limitless energy, despite about 3 hours of sleep (aided by a dozen-or-so espressos). Churches at every corner housed paintings by Venetian artists Titian and Tintoretto. Seeing the boisterous, old Italian men living their slow, happy, Italian lives would make even John McEnroe smile. That night, I found a little mom-and-pop bring-your-own-bottle wine store that served their wine from barrels. 2 Euros a liter for some of the best wine I'd ever had! The next day, I realized that this was the first full day of my life that I did not see a single car! Just writing about it makes me teary-eyed.
Some Dos and Don'ts for visiting Venice:
Do:
- Get lost! Put the map away. Wander down side streets.
- Get up early. Venice is not a nightlife city. Spend a long day making plenty of stops for espresso and vino.
- Take the boat busses. Instead of loud, crowded, stressful subways, Venice has boats! They serve the double purpose of sightseeing and transportation. The Line 1 "bus" goes right down the Grand Canal! Breathtaking at night.
- Visit Murano, Burano, and Torcello. Beautiful little island clusters north of the city. Go there. Murano is famous for its hand-blown (gl)ass factories. Burano and Torcello look like this:
Don't:
- Take a gondola ride. The boat busses serve the same purpose for far, far cheaper.
- Make rigid plans / pack your schedule. Venice is a maze of a city. You will get lost, whether you desire to or not. Embrace it. If you worry too much about the destination, you will get stressed and have a suboptimal experience. Exploring the city is more important than any particular sight, museum, or landmark.
- Spend too much time at Piazza San Marco or Ponte Rialto. Every big city seems to have a standard tourist track. It is usually suffocatingly crowded, with traps of expensive, low-quality food. These places are popular for a reason, but are NOT the main reason for visiting Venice.
- Fall for the tourist traps. Among foreigners, Venice has a reputation for bad, overpriced food. That is because they fall for the tourist traps. The farther you get from Piazza San Marco, the better and cheaper the food will be. Eat Venetian food (seafood!). If you eat a 4 Euro slice of cold cardboard-pizza next to Rialto bridge, it's your fault, not Venice's!!!
Leaving Venice was one of the most emotional experiences of my life. It was my first time crying upon leaving a city. This blog can't do justice to how that city made me feel. Its beauty is really unparalleled. It makes Paris look like Wheaton, MD. Just knowing that Venice exists makes me want to be a better steward of the world. My consolation came in the knowledge that I would be back many, many times in the future. Arrivederci Venezia!
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