Discovering Venice

One of the things that makes Venice so unique, other than that it is a city built on water is the lack of car noise. No roads, no cars, no horns, no screeching tires. Just the clip-clop of heels and toes against the old cobblestones. Venice is a city to explore on foot. To meander the mazes of calle. And to get lost in the alleys. Yes, many a calle is mistakenly navigated, only to wind up at an impasse. No bridge to cross, no corner to turn. Only the possibility of retracing your steps, searching for another option, and…getting stuck yet again. Or taking a dunk in the water.

And since Venice is made up of 117 little islands, those ubiquitous little footbridges are a means of connecting the dots and allowing you to get around on foot, crossing the more than 150 canals, without relying on public canal transportation.

Venice has more than 400 bridges. Some, which are famous, like the Accademia and the Rialto bridges on the Grand Canal.

And while beautiful and well traveled, I prefer finding the small, unusual, unknown, tiny foot bridges that don’t appear on any map. Some have iron railings, others do not. Many offer views of Venetian laundry hanging against chipped ocher hued palazzos.

On others, you can stand, gaze down and watch two lovebirds glide underneath in their gondola, looking as smitten as if it were a real tunnel of love.

It is the very process of trying to get somewhere by way of map, and giving up, no longer caring about the map or the destination, but only the journey, that lets you discover and fall in love with Venice. The real Venice. You suddenly abandon your travel *to-do*list, in favor of the unknown.

It becomes fun to explore, to see where the calle and bridges will carry you. Although, I must admit that *fun* was not the four-letter *F*-word I was uttering on my first trip to Venice as I traversed many of said footbridges on my way from the San Marco Square to our B&B on the Campo San Maurizio, with heavy luggage in tow. No, that was a very different *F*-word entirely. Funny, those map makers always fail to point out how many bridges and how many steps these bridges have, on the map. It felt like a thousand that day. Especially after an entire day of travel. That experience alone motivated me to become a Carry-on Traveler!

It didn’t change my mind about Venice, though. I don’t think anything ever could.

Where have you gotten lost? What did you find? What kind of traveler are you? Do you stick to the plan, or do you throw caution to the wind and see where life takes you?

Janie
January 26th, 2008
Seems like we’ve both been thinking of Venice lately!

bleeding espresso
January 26th, 2008
Oh that must’ve been awful with luggage! Leave it to Venezia to inspire (even if it is to become a carry-on traveler)

tongue in cheek
January 26th, 2008
Venice, it is a dream place. I loved being on holiday in St MArco, but I image living there would not be easy, the small passages and the many tourists.
thanks for the walk down memory lane.

My Melange
January 26th, 2008
Janie~ Yes, we have! Can’t think of a better place to dream of….
Sognatrice~ We were both so tired…and said some things back and forth to each other that of course we didn’t mean. Venetians probably looked and said “Crazy Americans” Ahhh…Venezia!
Corey~ Our B&B manager told us it is VERY expensive to live there also. I am happy to visit anytime though

Kimberly Ann
January 26th, 2008
What a dream place to visit! Gorgeous photos. I hope you don’t mind being “tagged” for a meme. Check out my blog for details. http://nostalgichomemaking.blogspot.com.

Maryann
January 26th, 2008
Wonderful photos. Thanks so much, Robin

My Melange
January 28th, 2008
Kimberly Ann~ Don’t mind at all:)
Maryann~ You are welcome!!!

Paris Parfait
January 28th, 2008
Makes me want to jump on a plane. Fab photos!

Lulu
January 28th, 2008
Beautiful photos! And I have to admit, that I’m one of those stick-to-the-plan kind of people. When I’m on vacation, I want to take in as much as possible, so it’s sometimes hard for me to slow down and breathe a little bit. But when I was looking at your pictures, I can see why you would only care about the journey.

My Melange
January 28th, 2008
Tara~ Ahhh, mission accomplished then!!
Lulu~ We are more alike than you think! I am a *plan* person….I like to fit it all in too. It has taken me years to learn how to breathe and take it all in. It is what I call a work in progress

Laume
January 28th, 2008
I thought I was traveling pretty light when I packed what I THOUGHT was a carry on sized pull bag for a month. Turned out it was not carry on size and it seemed very heavy when I had to lug it up and down stairs. Next trip I’m definitely carrying only HALF of what I brought last time, no matter how long I’ll be traveling. I mean, it’s probably easier and cheaper just to buy anything you might have forgotten than to drag it all over with you.
I was going to say I’m definitely a rambler, not a planner, but on further contemplation, I think I fall somewhere in the middle. I like to have a general idea, based on some stops or events I don’t want to miss, and I like to leave everything inbetween all open to whatever. So, I have a few things I would feel very determined to do and that would give my travel some structure.

rochambeau
January 29th, 2008
Thank you for these fabulous photos Robin. They reflect the reality of this beautiful place. I’ve never been, so your tour is MUCH appreciated!

le petit cabinet de curiosites
January 30th, 2008
Venise , venise ..I love so much this place ..I wish Someone would have the idea to invite me there

My Melange
January 30th, 2008
Laume~ Ahh, glad you had the same *ah ha moment* with the luggage. I love taking only my carry on- and I hear you about being somewhere in the middle on the planning thing
Constance~ You are welcome. Put it on your to-do list!
Melanie~ Well, if I am not being to forward…I’ll invite you We would have too much fun there together!!