Venice thoughts

I was sitting on the steps of the Ferrovia waiting for my train back to Austria when I realized that Venice is essentially an archive.
It's a living archive, which changes a bit, but not radically.  For example, 13 years ago, on my first trip to the city, the hotel I stayed at was pink  Now it's yellow.  It suits it better actually.  I'm assuming they renovated and just decided that painting the outside was a good idea.  I didn't go in.  Just saw it from the vaparetto.

Of course there's not a lot of room to grow in Venice.  I mean where would they get the land?  So I understand the necessity of the permanence. But it doesn't make it less sad.
Again it's like an archives.  You will be reading letters, wills, someone's unfinished diary and suddenly realize that this was someone's life, and for good or bad, we have reduced it to papers and websites, finding aids and metadata.

With Venice I also feel that it's a bit theme park-y.  It tries so hard to sell itself that it comes off as fake.
And it's not really.  It was a major power in the world for centuries.  It brought art, architecture, sailing expertise to the people of it's empire.  Now in the 21st century people come for gondola rides, and view San Marco and wonder about the Bridge of Sighs.

I also thought that if you dropped a Venice Doge or even Lord Byron into Venice right now they would recognize their city and have little trouble navigating the place.
Oh, there's the new stuff.  The mechanical boats, the vaparetto docking stations, the satellite dishes, the souvenir shops...even the railroad station.  But overall?  It's the same.
I thought, as an archivist and historian, I would like that.  A snapshot of the life of a city 100 years ago.  It would be something to be studied.  You would get a better idea of the life of the people if you knew their city as they knew it.
But it is sad.  They can't grow and expand like other major cities.  You can't build on available land, and in Venice you also can't build up without serious structural supports. 
And then they are so dependent on the tourist trade, they probably can't change too much.

Just some philosophy at the train station as the sun set over the Grand Canal.

Some Venice photos.

Just because I felt like sharing some of the fun ones. And honestly they were too fun to not include somewhere.
I loved the name of this bridge.  There was a Ponte de L'arsenal o del Purgatorio, but no Inferno.  I found the lack of hell in the trio very disappointing.  There were 3 bridges right in a row.  It's only fair the final one was Inferno.  You get all prepared for it, and then nothing.  If they were following a theme they should finish it.  But that's my opinion.

And what can brown do for you?  Only in Venice is the UPS truck a blue, yellow and brown striped boat.

Jeez, make the walk a little narrower, why don't you?  Those of us who are claustrophobic still can breathe!

It's a dog and his boat.  Oh yeah, and the guy with opposable  thumbs.  Venetians love their dogs.

Su e Zo per il Ponti part 2 or Adventure in Venice.

Okay, I'm back now.  It's Monday morning here at the library.  After Venice cataloging isn't such a chore.  Although the law books don't make it easier.  But personally, I think Venice makes everything better.  It's such a strange city when you think about it.  But so magical.

I did get into Venice about 6 am, despite some worries in Verona.  We sat at the station for 90 minutes there.  I don't know why, but it didn't help me sleep.  (Not to mention the seats.)  The compartment was very cool.  Like the Hogwarts Express train cars.  Except no underage wizards and trunks.  I have photos.  See?

After getting into Venice I left my bags at Santa Lucia and got on the vaporetto to San Marco.  The city had barely changed since I was last there 13 years ago.  While that's part of it's charm, but it's also sad in a way, I think.  It's like a living archives not a real city.  But those are thoughts for another post.
I met another single traveler in for the day.  She was trying to figure out what to do and where to go. She had forgot her guidebook.  I felt for her.  I hate traveling without one too.
We wandered around Piazza San Marco for a while taking photos.  I had to buy my ticket for the Su e Zo and found out the starting time and place(the corner of the Doge's Palace and 10 am) then window shopped with Yula. She didn't quite understand the whole race thing, but that's okay.
I found this cute little bakery deal and had a chocolate brioche, yum.  Where else can you get chocolate in bread and consider it breakfast?  Okay, other than Paris? 
Since we were looking in the streets around San Marco everything was out of our price range, Versace usually is.  But it's fun to look, and the streets and the Square were so quiet.  Even the famed pigeons weren't out in force.

At a little before 10 I lined up with other 'racers'.  It's non-competitve, so racers isn't quite the right word.  But that's what they call us, so it's okay with me. 
There were flag waving displays, costumes, music, and ceremony for the start.  It's all  so typically Venetian.  Then at 10 the barrier was lowered and we were off! 
It starts out slow because of the first three bridges which all are in the first 5 minutes.  The trail ran us through the gardens into the actual homes and streets of Venice and around behind the Arsenale with a view to San Michele and into Castello and right by the church of S. Giovanni e S Pietro.  There are lots of celebrity tombs.  Renaissance celebs just so you know.  It's also quite beautiful.  We had our first snack right outside on the steps.  There are a few shops, restaurants and take-out places.  I saw a few people eating gelato instead of the raisin roll.  Which wasn't a bad choice, cause you know gelato...

I poked into some shops, bought some millefiori, and then started on leg 2.   By this time my feet were screaming for pity.  But we had to press on.  I really wanted that completion medal.  And when I say we, yes Larry came too. 

And yes, there are photos.  A few anyway.  He thought the whole thing terribly easy, but he got to be carried.  Cheater!

Su e Zo per il ponti

This is the annual Venetian up and down the bridges race!  I have wanted to do this for about 10 years!  I finally have the chance to go since it's close.  Okay, not like across the street close, but there's no jet lag involved.  I love Venice, so overnight on the train isn't a huge hardship. 
Except no one wants to come with me.  Or can.  But I'm so excited about going, I know it's the right thing to do.

100 Euros for the train to Venice.  A bit pricy, yes, but going to Boston or D.C in business class on Amtrak isn't much more than that.  I'd get to Venice about 6 am on Sunday so I can go to Mass, do the walk, shop, browse, take photos, meet new people, then come back to Austria in time for work on Monday morning.
It can't be worse than hiking a mountain.  Plus Venice is sea level.  I miss the ocean.
And it's Venice.