Oh Venezia...

This post is coming a little later than I would have liked, I suppose I am merely falling into the Italian, "It can wait until tomorrow" mindset.

The watery labyrinth that is Venice is just as enchanting as it is confusing. We began our adventure at night having spent two hours settling a hostel(/hostile) dispute...literally and figuratively. We had reserved a room in a hostel only to find out that all of us could not stay - apparently European hotels work differently than those in America. Their rules are so strict that police come around every night to collect the passport numbers of all hotel guests. Squeezing in an extra person, or failing to record all numbers results in being shut down for 6 months. We spent quite some time searching for another room for the two that couldn't stay at the lovely Hotel Giovannina...more on that later.

So, after finally finding a room, we set off on the 1 euro train into Venice. Seven minutes later I stood on the steps of the train station completely agreeing with Fran Leibowitz (author) when she said, "If you read a lot, nothing is as great as you've imagined. Venice is - Venice is better."

Night undoubtably makes the world more spectacular, but I am not sure that Venice needed this leg up. Before me, lights from waterfront cafes and canal-side villas met the waves from passing water taxis and buses. Italian opera music bounced off the arches of the stone bridges as the music's source passed through in a gondola, the rich sound filling the hollow arc and carrying down the canal.


We boarded a water bus and headed towards Piazza di San Marco where we were met with the festive glow of glass, mask, and watercolor vendors, each insisting that their products were the best...the real best was yet to come. We settled into dinner at a sidewalk restaurant where the water and wine tasted like silk and the pasta settled gently alongside the butterflies in our stomachs. Four of us decided to take advantage of the music that is played nightly in the center of the square. The music that emanated from the two, five-piece orchestras positioned next to each other during their nightly jam session made the 15 euro sitting fee (because it always costs to sit) well worth it. One started with "Memories" only to be followed by its neighbor's rendition of "The Music of the Night" as the waiter set down our tray of gelato, wine, and chips. The music floated up to the stars as tears fell at our table - the sound, the setting, the novelty of this floating world was overwhelming.

When we had eaten, listened, and danced to our hearts content, we headed back to Mestre (the town just outside Venice, where we were staying). After being told that no one really knew if a bus was going to come, public transportation pulled through for us, bringing us home around 3:00 am. We soon found out that this was unacceptable.

As we approached our hotel, we noticed that the lights were out and, alas, the door was locked. We rang the bell growing more frantic with each push and almost melted down as a stranger on a bicycle laughed at us and said "e chiuso, buona notte." (It's closed, have a good night.) It was closed indeed, but we were not stranded; a large Greek man came to the door with a stern look on his face, in unison we pleaded, "WE ARE GUESTS HERE, PLEASE LET US IN!" Like a parent who's children have violated curfew, he gave us "the look" before explaining that the hotel has a curfew of 1:00 am, a curfew which we were not told about. He was forgiving and kind and insisted that we call him "Uncle George." As it turns out, he hates the man who checked us in ("He has no friends here.") and blamed him for our Giovaninna faux pas. With our tails still slightly between our legs, we scurried upstairs to get a few hours of sleep before our next excursion.


We began our second Venetian day with a free tour provided by our school. The guide was a native Venetian who was able to effortlessly guide us through the maze, stopping occasionally to point out good gelaterias and to explain the various window shapes and other such architectural features that tell the story of Venice's past and development as the water rises and the city expands. She explained the city's attempt at solving the ongoing flooding problem.

Forty years ago, they began an experimental, irreversible process of digging dikes to redirect some of the water - this risk, it turns out, is helpful, but is not enough to save the city. The latest plan is to make a series of floats to put under the city - revolutionary she said, but so was the idea of going to the moon. I didn't understand the full implications of the flood until my gondola ride revealed doorways that have been cemented shut in an effort to postpone the inevitable for a few more years and water seeping under the doors of some unfortunate houses.

As the guide left us, we headed toward a main shopping street (S.Rocca) where we discovered a genuine glass maker and her store. She and her mother-in-law ran the shop; she made the beads, jewelry, etc. throughout the day and late at night right in the store. We must have spent 500 euro collectively in the two hours we spent with her. She even fired up her equipment to show us how to make, shape, and decorate beads for jewelry.


Paola (her name) began by studying languages at a local university only to find out that it was not her true passion; she decided that glass making was her love and relocated to a university in Murano where she spent two months learning the techniques of her art. She has been continuing her education for the 15 years since and now spends her life doing what she loves. She said her English should be better given her prior language training, but then laughed saying that she obviously made the right choice. She also met her husband at school - he blows the glass for some of the larger pieces that cost upwards of 200 euro.

After we left Paula, we wandered through other glass shops, finding few places of comparable beauty. When we could not look at any more glass, we got gelato and headed home for our newly assigned curfew. We thought we would be going to bed early, Uncle George quickly changed our plans. Melanie and I spent two hours in the lobby as he had us look through pictures of him with previous guests and read aloud letters from friends he has made at the hotel throughout his life. After his wife died in Greece, he could not bear to stay as he "saw and heard her everywhere," so he set off for Italy and started the hotel/hostel. Our conversation consisted almost, okay, entirely of him saying "What I want to say about life is..." and counting several lessons on our fingers, carefully tucking our fingers into our palms with each lesson. He was a good man who measures the success of his life in the friends that he makes. We had to respectfully decline his breakfast invitation as we had to get an early start in the morning for our gondola ride and train home, but felt privileged to have met such a kind and genuine individual. We have since sent him a postcard and picture of us to add to his adored collection.


The gondola ride gave us a whole new perspective on the city. We learned that boat slips are like assigned parking spaces, they are achieved by money, family, and inheritance. As with so many things, they are extremely hard to come by, but essential to the Venetian lifestyle. We floated through the canals, under bridges, and even took a cruise on the grand canal, smiling for the tourists aboard passing water buses. Our gondoleer let us all take turns steering the banana-shaped boat (it is not easy) and gave us a fairly thorough Itanglish (a strange and enchanting mixture of Italian and English that is remarkably understandable) tour of the city.

As we boarded the train we were both exhausted and happy having found a city which beauty far surpasses any other place I have encountered. See the pictures below for more details.

Here are my tips and advice for future Venetian travelers:

1. When looking for a hotel, compare prices in and outside of the city - the best deal differs depending on the city.
2. If you are going to stay outside of Venice, Mestre (or Mestra) is a good choice. Giovannina gets a bad rep on reviews, but we found it clean and just what we needed. It is a one star hotel, but it has clean sheets, beds, towels, etc. (And a really nice owner who will help you with everything if you are nice to him in return.)
3. The ride in from Mestre is 1 euro and takes about 7 minutes. You can buy your ticket from the magazine sellers.
4. If it is past 11:50 pm and you are still in Venice, take the N1 bus out, it comes hourly.
5. If you are going to be in the city all day, buy the all day boat pass for 13 euro, otherwise, each ride is 6 euro and it adds up.
6. If you know where you want to go, map it out before you get into the city. You will still get lost as many streets just aren't on the map, but it will help you more than just going cold turkey.
7. For gondola rides, get as far away from Piazza di San Marco as possible - EVERYTHING is more expensive there. Don't pay more that 70-80 euro for a ride.
8. Don't pay more than 1 euro for a small gelato. Apparently this is a big issue for the locals, if tourists pay more, the prices go up, if you give your business to the cheaper ones, it brings the price down on all of the other ones. (Even my English major self can understand this economic trend.)
9. Genuine glass is all over the place near S. Rocca. It is even better if you find a store where they are making it. (Buying stuff made in China hurts the Murano industry.)
10. While they tell you that you have to have reservations at the Murano glass places, you don't always.
11. The music at night in Piazza di San Marco is worth the exorbitant prices.


12. If you don't like pigeons, steer clear of P. San Marco in the morning. They are everywhere and for some reason, people like it. Gross.
13. There are great pastries by Calle Laca before the bridge.
14. Venetian pizza is not as good as other Italian cities because brick ovens are not allowed.
15. Don't stand on the steps leading to the water. #1. The water is dirty. #2. They are super slippery.
16. The city is far more romantic than Paris. Don't go if you are single, missing someone, or going through a break-up. On that note, if you do go, try not to hate the couples that are there.