Venice: City of magic.

Introduction: When I decided to study abroad in London, my relatives, my family, and my friends began asking me where I planned to travel. Berlin? Amsterdam? Athens? Surely Rome? It seemed like I finally had the opportunity I had been dreaming of all throughout high school…the ability to travel throughout Europe. To go anywhere on a moment’s notice!

So far, I have had an incredible time in the UK. Whether it was seeing Canterbury cathedral, walking through the gardens around Leeds castle, or standing across from Parliament at night on the 5^th of November, watching the fireworks, I have always thought to myself: “Wow…this is incredible.” With four weeks left in London, I had to make a tough decision. Where should I go for my last trip? I had been thinking about it for a while. I’d heard that Amsterdam was beautiful, Athens was incredible, and Rome, without a doubt, was a must-see. Then I began to ask myself…if I were looking back on my London experience, where would I regret not going. I’m sure these places would be very nice to visit, but I could live without going to these cities. I wouldn’t mind if I visited Germany, Spain, or Greece later in life, but there was once place I could absolutely not bear to skip. One place that has always held a special place in my heart, no doubt from watching too many movies and reading too many books. That place was Italy.

Venice and Florence specifically. Screw Rome. Not that I don’t think it’s wonderful, but I’m looking for the romance. The magic. You know? I figured I could visit Rome later in life when I have more time to really appreciate the history of the city.

And so, I booked my flights to Venice and Florence. I’m going to break my trip up into two parts. The remainder of this post will be dedicated to Venice. I will then have another post on Florence. Although these posts are primarily for my close friends and myself, I will also include travel notes in the hopes that what I have learned can be useful to others traveling to Venice and Florence.

Travel Note #1: Getting from London to Venice

Despite being a little wary, I booked my flight with Ryanair. It’s famous for low cost flights throughout Europe and notorious for hidden fees (mainly relating to baggage and debt/credit card payment). TAKE THE TIME TO READ THROUGH THE WEBSITE’S FEE SECTION! I only took a book bag with me as my carry on, so I avoided having to pay baggage fees. They have little boxes in the airport so you can test whether or not your bag is too large for their flight. They also have scales for you to test your carry on (which can’t be over 10 kg), but from my experience, they don’t actually weigh your carry on. It’s not as bad as people make it out to be. The only annoying thing is they are constantly walking the aisles trying to sell you magazines, calendars, drinks, etc.

I traveled from London Stansted to Venice Marco Polo Int. The easiest way to get to Stansted is to take the tube to Liverpool station and then take a train to Stansted airport (1 hour). It costs 20 pounds, but is a sure way of getting there. I actually paid for a National Express bus ticket for 10 pounds, but it never came to the stop (checked multiple times I was in the right place and right time) and I had to quickly re-route as to avoid missing my flight.

For Ryanair flights you need to get your passport verified at the Ryanair counter if you are not a EU resident. It took me about 30 minutes to wait in the line for that and get through security.

Once I arrived in Venice Marco Polo Int. I took a bus (the only one selling tickets I saw) from the airport to Venice. It cost 5 Euro.

Total Cost: 20 pounds + 34.99 pounds + 5 Euro.

If Venice Were a Woman, It Would be Love at First Sight

Like most people, I’ve been to little Venice, little Italy, seen the canals in movies, and read about the beauty and magic in books. The question that constantly plagued my mind was: Will it be as beautiful as I imagined? I’m happy to say, YES! It’s even more romantic and enchanting than I dreamed. It is very much an aging beauty, but incredible nonetheless. As I walked over the first bridge leading to the heart of Venice, I looked out over the water at all the little boats and gondolas and couldn’t stop from grinning. Ah Venice!

I feel like Venice is meant to be enjoyed slowly, as if you were sipping a glass of red wine. Slowly, for you men out there, the way you press your lips against a woman’s thigh, or along the curve of her neck. Think of the way you would slide your fork through a piece of rich chocolate cake and guide the sliver to your mouth. Maybe “enjoy” isn’t the right word. A far better word would be “savor.” When you are there, savor the feel, the look, the smell of Venice, because nothing comes close in comparison.

Travel Note #2: Where to go in Venice and How Long to Stay.

I primarily relied on “top ten” lists. The most helpful I found was: http://www.italylogue.com/featured-articles/top-10-things-to-do-in-venice.html. I agree with what most of this woman says. The #1 Vaporetto was a great way to tour the Grand Canal. San Marco is definitely a must see at night and during the day. I went there the first night and it was very peaceful and majestic, especially with all the fog. During the day, it’s cool seeing the hustle and bustle, although I didn’t like the pigeons. I took the Vaporetto from Roma to Mark’s and hit both the locations that way. I didn’t go up the tower to get a view over Venice because it was too foggy! The other obvious tourist spot is Rialto (a really neat bridge). This woman suggests “getting lost in the city” for a few hours. I agree with this, with one exception. The one thing you need to know is where Roma is and where Rinaldo/Marco are on the map. The only directions in Venice are to these two locations and if you don’t know where they are, you feel like a rat in a maze and are too anxious to actually enjoy the sites. Once you know where they are though, feel free to get lost and just take in the city. I did and actually ended up walking all over Venice and hitting the major sites.

The city isn’t very large. You can easily walk all over it in a day if you don’t spend too much time lost in back allies. The only thing I would add to the list this woman provided is to go into some of the mask shops. They are all over, especially in the northern part of Venice. No doubt, they are tourist traps, and you’ll get the sense that they sell a lot of the same masks in different shops, but there are some very upscale shops with just incredibly beautifully designed masks. Obviously, they range from 100-500 euro, but they’re just really cool to look at. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend spending more than two days in Venice. It’s really the feel and charm of the city that makes it worth visiting. Aside from a few must-sees, there isn’t much to do except eat and drink. You can probably cover everything in one day.

Good Will Hunting

There is a scene in the movie Good Will Hunting that describes how I felt when I began walking through Venice and seeing all of the beautiful bridges, waterways, churches, and Gondolas. I’ll reproduce the youtube version here:

To be in a place that you have read so much about, that has such a romantic image in the mind of Americans is VERY cool. It’s the difference between “knowing” on an intellectual level and experiencing on a much more profound and spiritual level. I feel very grateful to be able to have seen such a beautiful city with my own eyes. I think it’s the kind of experience where, in the future, when I’m angry or I feel trapped, I can look back and remember just how free and serene I felt here. No matter how low I sink or how empty I feel, I always have this memory.

Travel Note #3: Where to stay?

The only thing I can say about this is I stayed at “A Venice Fish”. It cost 24 Euro per night and there was a free dinner every night of my stay. I found the employees to be very welcoming and understanding. The facilities were very clean (there was a lockout period from 11am-2pm where they cleaned), and I didn’t encounter many troubles finding the place. In addition, the staff encouraged people to go out at night, leading some outings to pubs and bars where there were discounted drinks. If I were to visit Venice again, I would stay here. The only reservation I had was that it can get very loud at night when everyone is drinking in the common room and after a long day of traveling, all you want to do is sleep.

The Venetian Way of Life: Random observations

1. I had this dream to sit at a café by a canal or bridge in Venice and write in my leather journal as I sipped a cup of steaming hot coffee. Unfortunately, there are very few cafes in Venice that have seating. You know how at Starbucks you can get your drinks and sit there? Yea, I think I only found one place like that. Everything is take-out or you have to stand awkwardly in the corner and drink your coffee or pastry. There are shit ton of pastry shops with no seating! The same goes for pizza and sandwich places. It’s either carryout or full-fledged restaurant. I went to one restaurant just to get out of the cold. Had a gigantic thin crust pizza and some red wine for 12 euro. Also, now I see why people eat pizza with forks. Since the pizza is so thin, it’s hard to get the slice in your mouth without losing all the cheese. I resorted to eating with a knife a fork.
2. Do not order a “coffee”. There is no coffee. They give you an expresso. If you ask for an Americano, they give you an Americano, but it’s in a cup as small as an American expresso. It sucks hahaThere is one McDonalds in the northern part of the city. When I went there it was mad packed.
3. Gondola rides cost mad money! Like 60 euro.
4. Pigeons fly very low and are obnoxious. Be aware of dogs not with owners. This one guy staying at the hostel encountered a dog and it leapt up and bit him on the lip. He had to go to the hospital and get stitches.
5. Venice is dead at night and very spooky, like the scene for a horror story. Especially with all the fog. Definitely not a night city.
6. Pretty much anyone who doesn’t speak English does not understand the concept of a line or “cue.” They will try to cut in line in the airport even when the line stretches around the terminal and it’s clear everyone is waiting for the gate. They will also totally ignore you’re standing there waiting when ordering food or coffee and try to get ahead of you.

Travel Note #4: When to go?

Only thing I have to stay about this was I went in late November and was freezing my ass off the entire time. I had to keep ducking into cafes every two hours to keep warm.

Last Thoughts

I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing the magic, romance, and beauty of Venice. After two days, I was bored and because it was so cold, I was tired of walking around. Visiting Venice isn’t so much about seeing churches and tourist sites as it is getting an appreciation for the architecture and layout of the city. The city itself is the tourist site. I feel like any artist or romantic would especially love this city. I don’t think I will return to Venice, unless I’m bringing a beautiful woman with me who I’m already married to or intend to marry. Only then will I spend the 60 some Euro for a gondola ride.