The City Museum

Ahh... Venice. Despite the steady drizzle, there is something about Venice. I could not help but feel a bit giddy as I rode the waterbus out of the bus station and into the heart of the Grand Canal. The fact that the whole city is amidst a lagoon is common knowledge, but being there in person certainly makes one marvel at the entire city.

A view of St. Mark's Square

The oh-so-famous gondola

The theme for this city for me is without a doubt water. Obviously there are the canals and small rios. Aside from that, it rained for the entire time that I was here. So not only was there water beneath my feet but also above my head. I didn't let it dampen my spirits though as I made my way around the city.

After hitting up St. Mark's Square, the basilica and Doge's Palace, I decided to take a break from all the museums and exhibits. Instead, I treated the entire city of Venice as a museum. I threw my map away, and started walking. I ended up in all sorts of places, and I probably couldn't find them again if you asked me to. The entire city is like a large labyrinth. I completely lost count of the times that I would walk around until I wound up facing a wall. Or ever worse, walking about on a path that leads up to a waterway.

Squeezing my way through

My walk would lead me through all sorts of alleys, some just wide enough for one person to pass through. Often, you feel like there's no way a certain alley could lead anywhere. Then all of a sudden a church will spring out of the next corner or suddenly you're in an open space with a theater.

Then of course there are the waterways. Only gondolas and private boats could enter the narrower ones, but I was able to take a waterbus the length of the grand canal. It was simply amazing. I find it both impressive and amusing that the most beautiful facades of the city are facing the water. Wide open to the elements, they still display Venetian affluence and vanity. To think that some are only a shadow of their former elegance simply increases my amazement.

Now how do I get there??

I can't imagine being a citizen of Venice. Not only is it so confusing to navigate these streets, but I would perpetually have to play host to all these tourists! At least in other cities, you could tell who were locals. Here in Venice it seems everyone's a member of some tour, or simply another traveller as revealed by their cameras around their necks.

Certainly a great place to be a tourist though.