This place alternates between selfie-stick hell, and placid warrens of side-streets where people go about their business, most likely in front of a church. Tempting to call it a sort of Italian Disneyland - there are so many tourists on the main strips it-is-ridiculous.
Bleakness though:This place probably exists for tourists like nowhere else - 20m visitors a year, half of them daytripping from cruise ships or elsewhere
. The cruise ships are so big they raise the tide and damage the city, and the tourists drive up the price of accommodation so that it's almost totally unaffordable for people to actually live there. And the city will be underwater in about 80 years. Bleak.
Not bleak:It's a beauty! Canals, quiet side streets and old houses aren't a bad combo, and make wandering around a pleasure if you're comfortable knowing you could end up, well, not far away but a difficult path back to wherever you were - or you might end up there anyway. There is no definitive map of Venice anywhere, and GPS only mostly works.
Walking tour took us from somewhere to somewhere else, but good times showing us what Venetians do when it floods (tables to walk on, barriers in their doorways), cat-sized rats (yeah right), many churches, Roman refugee/settlers, average pizza because wood fired ovens could burn it all down, and the reason for the masks (basically anonymity while going to the brothel or when you just can't be stuffed talking to anyone).
Word of the day: 'Prego'. Use it anytime, for anything.
St Mark's Basilica is a medium sized thingo with very golden ceiling murals, but my familiarity with these buildings by now maybe precludes any 'awe' that some feel? Well it had to happen sometime.
Also:- The rats are bigger than cats (maybe) but are the reason the hospital keeps 30 cats on staff.
- Talking to a couple on the train they told me about language difficulties trying to ask for cheese 'a coffin full of cheese' and a bed for two females (two females to bed?). Hi-lar-ious. Europeans probably too good at English now for that.
I'm siinkiiing
Friday, September 25, 2015
Venice, Veneto, Italy
Other Entries
-
1Tired already
Jul 1473 days priorSydney, Australiaphoto_camera0videocam 0comment 0 -
2"Where young people go to retire"
Jul 1671 days priorPortland, United Statesphoto_camera14videocam 0comment 0 -
3No battle in this Seattle
Jul 1968 days priorSeattle, United Statesphoto_camera14videocam 0comment 0 -
4Northwest- tick.
Jul 2562 days priorVancouver, Canadaphoto_camera16videocam 0comment 0 -
5Mon-roy-al
Jul 2859 days priorMontreal, Canadaphoto_camera20videocam 0comment 0 -
6"Long live a free Quebec"
Aug 0254 days priorQuebec City, Canadaphoto_camera11videocam 0comment 0 -
7Land of a Thousand Skyline Photo Opps
Aug 0452 days priorNew York City, United Statesphoto_camera17videocam 0comment 0 -
8Awrite mate?
Aug 1145 days priorLondon, United Kingdomphoto_camera23videocam 0comment 0 -
9Edin-bragging
Aug 2234 days priorEdinburgh, United Kingdomphoto_camera15videocam 0comment 0 -
10"I am a jelly donut" (google it)
Aug 2729 days priorBerlin, Germanyphoto_camera26videocam 0comment 0 -
11They're actually pretty nice
Sep 0223 days priorParis, Francephoto_camera34videocam 0comment 0 -
12Bayeux - war and charm
Sep 1015 days priorBayeux, Francephoto_camera13videocam 0comment 0 -
13Lyon > Paris...I think.
Sep 1213 days priorLyon, Francephoto_camera19videocam 0comment 0 -
14Mountains, Take II
Sep 178 days priorChamonix, Francephoto_camera10videocam 0comment 0 -
15Nice - it is as it says
Sep 205 days priorNice, Francephoto_camera19videocam 0comment 0 -
16I'm siinkiiing
Sep 25Venice, Italyphoto_camera17videocam 0comment 0 -
17Cinque Terre - pronunciation impossible
Sep 283 days laterCinque Terre, Italyphoto_camera11videocam 0comment 0 -
18Tuscany - climb up eveything
Oct 027 days laterFlorence, Italyphoto_camera20videocam 0comment 0 -
19So much roma
Oct 0813 days laterRome, Italyphoto_camera26videocam 0comment 0 -
20Bad boys bad boys
Oct 1621 days laterNaples, Italyphoto_camera15videocam 0comment 0 -
21Athens + Santorini +Naxos
Oct 1924 days laterAthens, Greecephoto_camera20videocam 0comment 0 -
22Not even scratching the surface
Oct 3035 days laterIstanbul, Turkeyphoto_camera13videocam 0comment 0 -
23'Where?'
Nov 0440 days laterIzmir, Turkeyphoto_camera10videocam 0comment 0 -
24Well this sucks
Nov 0844 days laterIstanbul, Turkeyphoto_camera2videocam 0comment 0 -
25India, finally.
Nov 1248 days laterJaipur, Indiaphoto_camera11videocam 0comment 0 -
26Show me the camels
Nov 1652 days laterPushkar, Indiaphoto_camera10videocam 0comment 0 -
27A lake
Nov 1854 days laterUdaipur, Indiaphoto_camera16videocam 0comment 0 -
28Jodhpur
Nov 2157 days laterJodhpur, Indiaphoto_camera9videocam 0comment 0 -
29Jaisalmer - camel safari sir?
Nov 2359 days laterJaisalmer, Indiaphoto_camera10videocam 0comment 0 -
30Not my fav
Nov 2561 days laterNew Delhi, Indiaphoto_camera0videocam 0comment 0 -
31Temples temples temples
Nov 2864 days laterSiem Reap, Cambodiaphoto_camera10videocam 0comment 0 -
32Battambang - old stick
Dec 0369 days laterBattambang, Cambodiaphoto_camera11videocam 0comment 0 -
33Phnom Penh - Not just an awful history
Dec 0672 days laterPhnom Penh, Cambodiaphoto_camera9videocam 0comment 0 -
34Sihanoukville - Beeeach!!!
Dec 1076 days laterSihanoukville, Cambodiaphoto_camera8videocam 0comment 0
2021-01-16