Few words can describe my love for this place. Photos do it better. Went to catch the train from Rome but both early trains were full, so after hanging around for 3 hours I finally got on one. Not sure why I didn't refill my bottle of water, guess I thought I had more than I did. With 1/2 an hour left on the train journey, we stopped and I was so desperately thirsty I decided to jump off and get a bottle of water from the self serve thing on the platform. Then I saw chocolate and decided I wanted that too. The machine robbed me a € to then get the water and as I turned around to get on the train, just as I was stepping up, the door closed and the train left, with my guitar and luggage on board. Hahaha. Of course I freaked out a little but nothing of great value was really in the bag so I went to the costumer care and they said they would try to get it off the train in Venice for me but there was no guarantee.
I was in a bad mood already and kind of dreading Venice and the crowds I would surely be unable to escape from. This would just be the icing on the cake if I had to go purchase new stuff, insurance would cover but I still gotta go buy it. I went to the platform to catch the next train to Venice and there are a bunch of dudes, red, gold and green with a pile of guitars and before I know it I have a crowd of 50 applauding me on the platform as the train was coming. Arriving in Venice, my stuff was there and I felt like I had an entirely new lease on life. Nothing could get me down or irritate me. So I set out to get lost and watch the sunset, in perpetual amazement of this place. It's one bridge after another and pathways leading to nowhere as water taxis and vaporetto (water bus) rally race around watered traffic lanes.
I randomly ran into a couchsurfing host in my wanders and scored myself a place on the main island instead of having to go out of town. We discussed politics, religion and science until the wee hours of the morning over vodka which led to my 11am wake up, much later than I had intended but as it turned out, i had ambitions higher than I was physically capable anyway. I learned that I dislike Venice during the day and love it after sun down into the early hours of the morning, when hardly anyone is around. The lights reflecting off the calmer waters, the silence and cool romantic air. The day is hectic, humid and sticky, making the escape from tourists impossible on any main routes. If u veer away from them, wandering down dock alleys, solitude can almost be found. I dragged my feet after enduring a vaporetto ride up the entire grand canal, which made for good pictures but not for peace. After wandering aimlessly for another hour, I found a quiet dock and laid down with my feet up on a wooden dock post, drifting to sleep to the sound of birds singing songs of summer. Still never ceases to amaze me how different the birds sound every where I go. It sprinkled rain drops tho I managed to sleep thru it mostly, slumbering in ignorance of the world for almost 3 hours.
When I woke I had my 3rd gelato of the day becuz I was just so desperately hot, I couldn't help myself. Plus, the salty sweetness of pistachio recently discovered lingers unwaveringly in my mind these days. I wandered some more, waiting in impatience for the sunlight to disappear behind the horizon along with the swarms of people. I decided I was tired of what I was wearing and since all of my stuff was in storage in avoidance of carrying it, I bought a new dress and wore it out of the store. Apparently people don't do that often as every time I have done that, the employees are confused and amused. I failed to consider that a red dress would only bring me more attention (scientifically proven men are attracted to red, then black, then I think it's purple, in that order). I've had 4 drink offers in under an hour.
No one who lives here seems to understand the concept of purposely getting lost. They live in the most awesome city in the world likely to throw all caution to the wind and wander yet, it seems they don't. Thy are endlessly confused when they ask where I'm going and I respond, "to get lost".
I wish Bermuda worked more like Venice. The entire island is basically pedestrian only, everything is delivered and retrieved by boat. DHL services, trash services (from what I can see, they don't recycle tho), being on the water is so much more a part of life here. It really breeds a laid back attitude one wouldn't expect for the north of Italy, let alone such a popular tourist destination. All the locals seem to have shook the elitist venetian and north Italian attitude to align themselves with island time. The elitist attitude of the ancient venetians was certainly well placed tho. Unbelievable to see how far their empire once stretched. Every single place I've gone has some venetian fortress still in watch over the coast.
Like mother, like daughter, I too don't want to leave the beauty that is at every turn of this place. A good friend waits in Milan tho and the Swiss alps call to me. So despite my readiness to curl up on the edge of the canal and sleep under the stars the venetians followed at sea, I will train it to Milan in the morning.
I was in a bad mood already and kind of dreading Venice and the crowds I would surely be unable to escape from. This would just be the icing on the cake if I had to go purchase new stuff, insurance would cover but I still gotta go buy it. I went to the platform to catch the next train to Venice and there are a bunch of dudes, red, gold and green with a pile of guitars and before I know it I have a crowd of 50 applauding me on the platform as the train was coming. Arriving in Venice, my stuff was there and I felt like I had an entirely new lease on life. Nothing could get me down or irritate me. So I set out to get lost and watch the sunset, in perpetual amazement of this place. It's one bridge after another and pathways leading to nowhere as water taxis and vaporetto (water bus) rally race around watered traffic lanes.
I randomly ran into a couchsurfing host in my wanders and scored myself a place on the main island instead of having to go out of town. We discussed politics, religion and science until the wee hours of the morning over vodka which led to my 11am wake up, much later than I had intended but as it turned out, i had ambitions higher than I was physically capable anyway. I learned that I dislike Venice during the day and love it after sun down into the early hours of the morning, when hardly anyone is around. The lights reflecting off the calmer waters, the silence and cool romantic air. The day is hectic, humid and sticky, making the escape from tourists impossible on any main routes. If u veer away from them, wandering down dock alleys, solitude can almost be found. I dragged my feet after enduring a vaporetto ride up the entire grand canal, which made for good pictures but not for peace. After wandering aimlessly for another hour, I found a quiet dock and laid down with my feet up on a wooden dock post, drifting to sleep to the sound of birds singing songs of summer. Still never ceases to amaze me how different the birds sound every where I go. It sprinkled rain drops tho I managed to sleep thru it mostly, slumbering in ignorance of the world for almost 3 hours.
When I woke I had my 3rd gelato of the day becuz I was just so desperately hot, I couldn't help myself. Plus, the salty sweetness of pistachio recently discovered lingers unwaveringly in my mind these days. I wandered some more, waiting in impatience for the sunlight to disappear behind the horizon along with the swarms of people. I decided I was tired of what I was wearing and since all of my stuff was in storage in avoidance of carrying it, I bought a new dress and wore it out of the store. Apparently people don't do that often as every time I have done that, the employees are confused and amused. I failed to consider that a red dress would only bring me more attention (scientifically proven men are attracted to red, then black, then I think it's purple, in that order). I've had 4 drink offers in under an hour.
No one who lives here seems to understand the concept of purposely getting lost. They live in the most awesome city in the world likely to throw all caution to the wind and wander yet, it seems they don't. Thy are endlessly confused when they ask where I'm going and I respond, "to get lost".
I wish Bermuda worked more like Venice. The entire island is basically pedestrian only, everything is delivered and retrieved by boat. DHL services, trash services (from what I can see, they don't recycle tho), being on the water is so much more a part of life here. It really breeds a laid back attitude one wouldn't expect for the north of Italy, let alone such a popular tourist destination. All the locals seem to have shook the elitist venetian and north Italian attitude to align themselves with island time. The elitist attitude of the ancient venetians was certainly well placed tho. Unbelievable to see how far their empire once stretched. Every single place I've gone has some venetian fortress still in watch over the coast.
Like mother, like daughter, I too don't want to leave the beauty that is at every turn of this place. A good friend waits in Milan tho and the Swiss alps call to me. So despite my readiness to curl up on the edge of the canal and sleep under the stars the venetians followed at sea, I will train it to Milan in the morning.
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