Venice for the First Time

When I first went to Venice, I wasn’t prepared to like it. People had complained of ugly tourists, heat, flooded walkways, and unpleasant odors. They talked of high prices, rip off artists, and poor public transportation.

Did I find all these horrors? No, but the trip into the city on the water began auspiciously. After leaving our rental car at an outlying parking garage, we were directed by a “friendly man” to a water taxi that would take us to our hotel. This boat wasn’t an official government taxi, and though it did take us to the city, the cost of the trip was much higher than the official taxi, and the boat left us far from our hotel. A lesson learned!

When we began walking though Venice, I found myself bedazzled. The water, the light, the colors all came together to engage me in a sensual/spiritual dance. Like bugs on the water, boats zipped here and there. Street performers were on every corner. Yes, there were throngs of people in St. Mark’s Square, but so what! They were having fun too. We had tea in the square, while listening to orchestra play music by Venice’s native son, Antonio Vivaldi.

We stayed at the Hotel Metropole which was situated on the Grand Canal. The hotel was Venice old style with ornate décor, formal help, and excellent service. There was a very good restaurant on the premises. Like all Venetian hotels there was a boat landing on the canal which adjoined the Metropole, and the hotel offered free trips to Murano, the island, where the glass blowers work.

Our days in Venice went like this. We started off with a buffet breakfast in out hotel. For me this is an important part of any travel day. Plans are made, hot coffee eases one into the morning, and fresh cold cuts sharpen the senses. After cameras are loaded and the morning paper read, we head out. In Venice we often started with the shops around St. Mark’s Square. We wandered through the maze of alleyways that make up the floating city, and always got lost. It was fun to keep going and see where we ended. I took pictures of the canals and watched the fraternity of gondola men paradoxically display their manhood in their bow adorned straw hats.

There are numerous quaint restaurants overlooking canals where one can find terrific lunches. A light lunch of salad, Pellegrino water, and perhaps some pasta prepared up for the afternoon. One day we rode the government run water taxi to Burano, the island town of multi colored homes several miles from Venice. One day a long line of people led by a priest passed with a casket in a cart. We walked around the island enjoying the ocean breezes, sunshine, and views.

Another afternoon we walked in the opposite direction of St. Mark’s Square. Within a few minutes the crowds disappear, and we found ourselves in neighborhoods with clotheslines spanning the alleyways. Police and fire boats filled the canals, as did grocers bringing stock to nearby stores. Everything moves by water in Venice! We seemed to be the only tourists in the area now, and it was fun to walk with the Venetians.

After rest in our air conditioned room, I would head to the hotel bar for my nightly scotch, olives, peanuts, and pleasant conversation with our bartender. More often than not we would then head down an alley and keep walking until we found a restaurant that looked interesting. Inevitably this plan worked well with a great meal by a canal. Before going into the hotel I always surveyed the water, which was constantly changing with the departure and arrival of new light.

The last time I was in Venice we left by train for Assisi in Umbria, another beautiful place. I knew that a new adventure awaited me, but as our train pulled away, I said good by with longing to the Grand canal, beautiful Burano, the people of the Gondolas, and the wonderful spirit of this ancient Italian city.