Carnevale, Venice
This February I took a weekend city break to Venice with my girlfriend. While our time there was disappointingly limited, we still got a good snapshot of what Venice has to offer, the positives and the negatives.
So what is there to say about Venice? Well, to get the obvious facts out of the way the city is, frankly, expensive. No, actually that’s something of an understatement – it’s seriously expensive. While we managed to secure a good deal on flights and hotels in the January sales with EasyJet, the bulk of our wallets was significantly reduced spending money on food and entertainment. We spent upwards of two hundred Euros on just a 2 day trip, which, as a student, induces a rather heady sense of decadence, and perhaps even irresponsibility. To be fair, we did spend around one hundred and twenty of those Euros on a rather posh two course meal in a rather fancy restaurant, so we only have ourselves to blame! We found ourselves the only occupants at the dinner service, it being a wintry season of course, and were therefore treated to some superbly attentive, if a little overbearing, service from the table staff. Wearing my knitted cardigan and jeans, and with no ignorance of my underdressed appearance, needless to say, I felt somewhat… out of place, shall we say, when the waiter approached in a tailcoat. I almost felt guilty asking only for water when provided with a lavish wine list showing prices upwards of, well, our stay in the hotel and flights combined.
Almost every shop has the same air. Don’t want whipped cream on your coffee? Shame on you! You cheapskate! And one of course has to be aware, when visiting this beautiful ‘city on the water’, that the Venetian economy thrives, hell, depends, upon its attractiveness as a tourist trap, so either be willing to part with your cash readily or prepare to turn your cheek at frequently disdainful looks, or worse, comments.
When we entered a quaint little shop on the corner of a backstreet, we had no idea that this was no regular mask shop. No, this was in fact one of the city’s finest dealers. “No Chinese imports here,” he tells me, “only the real deal.” He promptly showed me a selection of his finest hand-made pieces, of the quality only the Venetians can produce, apparently. We soon notice that appropriately astronomical price tags label each mask (majestic though they are) and, not without embarrassment, promptly utter something about looking elsewhere while we make our exit. “Come back when you’re richer!” he murmurs behind us, much to my annoyance.
These little hints of a rotten core can almost ruin your stay in Venice. Thankfully the beautiful surroundings remind you why you travelled there in the first place and if you entirely forgo the snobbish and overpriced attractions, sticking instead to the truly special, and largely free, experiences – the sights, the sounds, the feeling of almost stepping back in time – then you can truly enjoy this city for what it is: breathtaking.
The bulk of our time in Venice was spent, not in the lavish Italian fashion district with its many boutiques as you might expect, but meandering the cobbled streets in search of tiny wonders and amusing photo opportunities. There are no vehicles in the city, the streets are too narrow, leaving it clear for exploration on foot. After two days our feet became quite sore, but it was certainly worth it. On the second day we toured many of the city’s major draws, which I will not attempt
to name here. The churches of Venice are beautiful and simultaneously austere. Several are currently undergoing restoration works but still allow tourists to enter, for a fee. Pay to see a church? Yes, I fear Christ may have to perform some more table-overturning were he to visit Venice’s Catholic landmarks. St Mark’s Basilica, located at the head of the famous Piazza San Marco, was undoubtedly a highlight, and it is worth every penny to venture upstairs despite the museum containing little of true interest. It was only to gain access to the balcony overlooking the square that we exchanged a handful of Euros. From there you can view the entire square from above and watch as masked denizens pose gracefully before a multitude of eager photographers. The interior was similarly awe-inspiring, showcasing some of the most incredible religious architecture the world has ever known. A combination of ornate mosaics and inlaid gold coats every wall, while great vaulted ceilings dwarf the humble masses weaving rhythmically between the pews.
Out of sheer chance did we select the one night in Venice that San Marco played host to the argentine tango – a personal hobby of ours. What luck indeed! We danced in the square at midnight to music that could be heard through the quaintly lit streets until you reached the Grand Canal’s Ponti di Rialto and the rushing of water beneath the most famous bridge in Venice. I unabashedly confirm to you that the scene was utterly romantic and filled us with sensations only a city this magical can offer.
While getting lost in the backstreets and exploring had been all part of our plan, it was more than unsettling when we discovered ourselves to have been travelling in the wrong direction on our return to the airport the next day, and with only one hour to get there. Travelling into Venice is easy, there are signs everywhere guiding you to the landmarks; but leaving? That is not so easy. In our panic, we luckily managed to locate a riverboat that would take us to the main depot, from which we could catch transport to the mainland. The buses there hardly presented us with the haste required to make our flight and so, opting for a taxi, we regrettably selected the most expensive method of travel available to us. In the end I’m pleased to report that we made our flight comfortably, with time to spare even, but this experience only served to remind us of the importance careful planning takes while holidaying abroad.
Thus concluded our travels to Venetian paradise. Short though our stay was, we left with memorable experiences and many, many photographs to share with you now. Carnevale provided an exciting backdrop and I would recommend trying a visit in both the summer months and early February to see the different atmospheres the city has to offer. Would I return? If I am honest with you, I am not entirely certain that I would. Some experiences in Venice have put me on a search for another beautiful location, but this time one that combines wonder and romance with the necessary hospitality to make a trip special. Does such a place exist?
