I have visited Venice, Italy, three times and I'd go back every year if I could. My husband thinks I'm crazy and I agree. Last week at a party, we were all sharing our top places to visit. When it was my turn, I said, "Venice," and a friend who has been to Venice with me said, "You're kidding!" with a totally shocked look on her face.
I'm not kidding. The city just fascinates me and it's like nowhere else I've been. Each time I go, I fear it'll be my last chance before the city sinks into the sea.
I'll never forget my first impression of Venice. We arrived around midnight on the train. We embarked from the train and were led through the swirling fog to a dock. Eventually a boat emerged from the mist where a man beckoned us to come aboard for a ride to our hotel. We got on and stood at the front of the boat, watching for our first glimpse of Venice. Eventually we saw dark shadowy buildings with window and street lamps flickering in the distance. As the lights and images got bigger and brighter, we could see the shadows of people hurrying along the canal looking all mysterious. We pulled into a smaller canal and slowly wended our way to the steps to our hotel which resembled an ancient palace. We entered the lobby, which seemed to have a 20 food ceiling and candles flickering all around giving us glimpses of antiques furniture and pictures. I felt like I had entered a Nancy Drew mystery novel and I loved it!
When you are in Venice, there are 'must sees' such as Piazza San Marco and the Doges Palace and the Bridge of Signs. Any guidebook will inform you about those. What I've enjoyed most is to head away from the tourist attractions and wander the streets. I call them streets, but they aren't wide enough for a vehicle -which makes sense since no vehicles are allowed in Venice. The narrow cobblestone streets of Venice curve around and we are soon lost, which is the fun part.
One time we were there, my husband, Lee, and I went out on a Sunday morning stroll. We watched children playing with boats in the canal, we sat outside a small restaurant and had a cappuccino (well, he had an iced tea) and delicious pastries. A little further down, we watched a wedding party emerge from a church and start the reception around the water fountain in the small piazza nearby. There was laughter and merriment and accordion music. We passed beautifully tended gardens and small terraces where locals chatted. We counted over 20 cats. Venice has lots and lots of cats! We had lunch at a tiny brasserie and tried to converse with the friendly locals. We wandered into a couple of small shops and art galleries and a local grocery store/laundry. All day long, we crossed over canals on those ornate bridges that connect the city. It was a great day.
The last time we were there, it rained the entire time and the tide was at it's highest. Most of Venice was flooded and, when we left our hotel on our first morning there for some sightseeing, we encountered about 12 inches of water in the street right in front of our hotel. We hustled back into our hotel to get boots because most Venetian hotels have a supply for visitors to use. Ours didn't. So, we improvised with the help of our hotel staff. We were given garbage bags. We put them on over our shoes up to the knees, tied them on with shoestrings, grabbed our umbrellas and took off.
The city is used to floods and, when it floods, walking paths are created from long tables. The tables, about 18 inches off the ground and about three feet wide, are set up end to end to create walkway on the major routes that the tourist want to take. This keeps the tourists moving around and spending money. Piazza San Marco was something to see with the table paths full of tourists and their umbrellas crisscrossing the square. Everywhere, the shops and tourist attractions remained open. The unfortunate shopkeepers in the lower level shops where water kept accumulating just kept sweeping the water out, which I assumed they'd done hundreds of times before. That's life in Venice.
Our last evening in Venice, we got a dinner recommendation from our concierge. Our two criteria were that it had great Italian food and wasn't under water. We got directions and walked about a mile through the labyrinth to a great family restaurant that was full of friendly locals and lively music. After we had eaten a memorable dinner and drunk a great bottle of Italian wine, we left the restaurant and headed back along our route. The only problem was that a couple of blocks into our route, we hit flooded streets. There we were without our garbage bags. Once again, I felt like I was in a Nancy Drew novel as we retraced our steps and then wandered up and down strange streets through the mist looking for a new way home. I loved it!
What to take in your Wisepack travel purse on a trip to Venice:
1. Of course, bring an umbrella or two and a lightweight raincoat. Waterproof boots or a couple of trash bags with large rubber bands aren't a bad alternative if you can't fit the boots into your luggage.
2. When you venture from your hotel, bring a matchbook or something with your hotel's name, address and phone number on it. That way you can show it to local people periodically to get pointed in the right direction.
3. Bring a list of events that are happening during your stay and take advantage of a few of them. One time while we were there, a marathon was taking place. It was so incredible to watch the runners from all over Europe going through the city up one bridge and down another. If we hadn't checked what was going on, we could have missed it.
4. Bring a list of Venetian glass souvenirs you and friends want. It's so beautiful and inexpensive there that you won't believe it. I got a large piece for $45 when I was there. Two years later I saw a really similar one in Key West. It said it was genuine Venetian glass and carried a price tray of $350. No need to go to the Venetian glass factory when in Venice. The trip is boring and takes up a lot of time and you don't get price cuts any lower than in all of the shops in Venice.
5. Bring a camera and take lots of pictures of the locals you encounter. Have a little conversation and ask first, of course, but take their pictures in their shops and gardens and sitting in the sun with their cats. Those will be your favorite pictures when you get home.
Happy Traveling, Wise Women
Karen Stinson
