What can I say about Venice - that magical place so steeped in history it felt at times like a dream sequence.....
And like a dream, all the voices that built this magnificence are now silent. One could almost hear the echo of artisans who must have lived and died bolstering the bits of land retrieved from the lagoon, poets, musicians, thinkers, priests - freedom fighters. Amazing to learn of the mismatch of people who became Venice as they were hounded out of their places of origin and came to this unwanted edge of the globe where they collected, and built (from the sea bed) - their new city.
The range of architectural styles are amazing...as beautiful and colourful as the people who built them and lived there.
Once again though there is a sense of current life teeming about its business while the ghosts of the past look down in silence. There is an amazing amount of life in the tiny streets and canals of Venice - tiny jewel like shops hidden amongst ruins....families out with children......tiny concert bands (complete with grand pianos) dotting the edge of the huge square of St Marks
We rocketed around on three different boat rides
1. Boat taxis (taking 10 people each) from the mainland to the island of Venice. These took us right up the Grand Canal to the city centre and St. Mark's Square.
2. Gondolas (seating 6) that took us under the Bridge of Sighs - down the tiny canals of Venice, and lastly
3. A small ferry (taking alll 50 of us together) back to the mainland
Never has history been so alive for me.....
And like a dream, all the voices that built this magnificence are now silent. One could almost hear the echo of artisans who must have lived and died bolstering the bits of land retrieved from the lagoon, poets, musicians, thinkers, priests - freedom fighters. Amazing to learn of the mismatch of people who became Venice as they were hounded out of their places of origin and came to this unwanted edge of the globe where they collected, and built (from the sea bed) - their new city.
The range of architectural styles are amazing...as beautiful and colourful as the people who built them and lived there.
Once again though there is a sense of current life teeming about its business while the ghosts of the past look down in silence. There is an amazing amount of life in the tiny streets and canals of Venice - tiny jewel like shops hidden amongst ruins....families out with children......tiny concert bands (complete with grand pianos) dotting the edge of the huge square of St Marks
We rocketed around on three different boat rides
1. Boat taxis (taking 10 people each) from the mainland to the island of Venice. These took us right up the Grand Canal to the city centre and St. Mark's Square.
2. Gondolas (seating 6) that took us under the Bridge of Sighs - down the tiny canals of Venice, and lastly
3. A small ferry (taking alll 50 of us together) back to the mainland
Never has history been so alive for me.....
Glad you enjoyed being in Venice... sounds like you saw a fair bit of it in a short time. Glad you are having such fun.
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