The magic of St Mark's

We've been in Venice well over a week and managed to resist the pull that is St Mark's. We've been there so many times but until you go there, you're really not in Venice.  It's a sight to behold.  Ignore the tourist traps, it's fabulous up around the square - the Basilica, the Doge's Palace, the Campanile, the shops, the buildings, the institutions like Florians etc etc. Basilica di San Marco is a show-stopper. Whether you are inside or out.

Unfortunately there is restoration work going on and so photographer's from all around the world are sighing they can't capture the full magic. But it depends on what side you take your photo from.

And then there's the Palazzo Ducale and the soft pink light that falls from it onto the square. Look up to the Campanile on a beautiful day and let your mind wander.  If you're game, go up there and marvel at the view.

There's so much happening in the area. There's the moors -- The Torre dell'Orologio -- and all their history. There's the Lion of St Mark perched high and across from him St Theodor the patron saint. In between there used to be public executions, but let's not go there. Today we are marvelling at the magic.


And for me, there's the pink lamps of Venice. I could blog about them alone. I love them so much. In fact I should do that one day.  An ode to the pink lamps of Venice.  Ah, Venice....

In my happy place.

We arrived in Venice shortly after midday.  We were greated by a representative of Lux-Rest Venice at the ticket office in Piazzale Roma and were welcomed to our apartment in San Croce.  I nearly fell over when I saw it.  For months I've had a photo of the canal on my wall at work (thanks Google!).  And finally I was staring at the real thing.  I had to pinch myself.  Even more so because I've joked for months our apartment was the red building in the photo.  How true that was!  I couldn't believe it! 



After going through all the formalities with the apartment, we headed off in search of somewhere to eat.  We weaved through the back alleys and came across a small place called Trattoria Taverna Capitan Uncino.  Most of the tables were occupied by local workmen and it didn't take long to realise we heard no accents other than Italian -- which was great!  A local joint!! The menus were extensive and it took a while to decide what to order.   In the end I went for a tagliolini with mushrooms and truffle.  It wasn't at all bad - a little expensive at E18.00 but that was okay.  A bottle of aqua frizzante and an espresso later we were off again to explore the local area. 

In the next hour I took about 100 photos!  San Croce is an area of Venice we haven't explored previously.  To my absolute delight the rain stopped and blue sky appeared.  Again, I couldn't believe it.  (I have a running joke about the weather in Venice - afterall it took me three trips here before I experienced a sunny day.  And the forecast was supposed to be rain, rain, rain, rain for the next week or so.  A little bit of blue sky made my day!)  So I snapped away.  I absolutely love the canal we are on. 

There's magic around every corner.  I really don't think you can take a bad photo in Venice.  There's so much beauty and interest.  Whether it's in the water, the bridges, the boats or the decaying old buildings and magnificent churches.  There's colour everywhere.  And gorgeous reflections.  Light and dark.  Movement and silence.

At the end of the day however I feel like I'm home.  Actually I know it.  The headache I've had for the past two days has stopped.  It stopped when we arrived.  Afterall I'm now in my happy place.  And have 30 days to enjoy it.

Three weeks and counting

It's only three weeks until we're off to Venice again. It will be trip number four for me and will be the longest, at some 30 days in La Serenissima. I mentioned it to an industry colleague recently and they looked at me and said "30 days in Venice, you'll be soo bloody bored!". I was horrified! Most people remark about how envious they are. Many want to share their favourite sights, their favourite memories. However this is a different trip, as it's in memory of mum. I actually made another colleague cry when I told her the reason for the trip - she thought it was a beautiful idea and having lost her mum two years ago, wished she had also done something to honour her mum's memory and spend time recovering and healing.

With three weeks to go until the next visit, I'm starting to think about what to do. Normally when I travel I have a schedule of sights I want to see, places I want to go, things to do, food to eat, shops to explore etc. This time I've highlighted bits and pieces in a guidebook but there's no real plan. We're going to live there and just soak it up. Literally, afterall it will be during Acqua Alta time! Cold, rainy, flooding. Great for photography!

I've actually never been to Venice in the peak tourist season. It has soo many visitors at the best of times, the thought of tens of thousands more just makes me shudder. It's nice going in off season. The queues are less, you can roam the streets without being pushed day in, day out. Mind you, they still get busy, but it's not the same. And of course, from what I gather, the smells are different. Then again, we've been there while they've been doing work to smaller canals and I can't say that was particularly pleasant, but throw in the summer heat and tourist overload, I'd rather have off peak any day!

That said, there are problems. From November onwards many of the bigger shops and prominent restaurants close for the winter. Places like the Hotel Cipriani and their dining establishments are closed. Opening hours are different. Day trips need additional research as many attractions shut down totally. Reduced daylight hours do have an impact, you can't deny it. It gets dark earlier. You need to be prepared.

But we don't mind. I have very fond memories of the last trip to Venice when we went out to Torcello. It was misty and cold. On the vaporetto from Burano there was no one onboard but us. When we got off at Torcello we walked our way around a canal with not a person in sight. We crossed a bridge and went into the Cathedral that was founded in the 600s. The Byzantine mosaics from the 12th century were mind-boggling. The only other visitor to the Cathedral was a cat who purred away and led us around the church. It was a local, no doubt, and we loved the way it sat on the charity box. We were free to observe the mosaics in silence. It was glorious. As we left the Cathedral we saw some other people who had come in on another vaporetto. It was still misty and cold, but for a while it was all ours. It was magical.

Having seen all the major attractions in this glorious city, we have no plans. We will have time to spend shopping. We can soak up the place without being rushed. We can blend in. We can be at one with the magic. I can't wait.