Europe - Venice - Day 3

Saturday July 29, 2006

Aaah, I am in Paris right now and Venice seems so far away. So does Day 2, considering this is day 7. I have a lot to catch everyone up with.

Venice is everything what I expected it to be. Rustic, yet beautiful. What I didn't expect was a place in my heart to open up forever for a little place called, Venezia.

Bleh, barf. haha. Just kidding.

Venice is an intricate network of cobblestone alleyways with restaurants and shops that lure you in with delectable dishes or memorabilia that you tell yourself that you need. The first thing that we needed was food.

We chose one of the many ristorantes that have outdoor seating. I quickly latched on to their Gnocchi with olive oil and herbs. We sat in the shade of the umbrella while the restaurant owner yelled at the construction workers for making a mess in front of his shop. I swear I was in a movie watching this scene unfold.

I was excited for my first real Italian dish. I wasn't disappointed. The pasta was soft and chewy unlike the way pasta is in the States. More importantly, they managed to keep the dish very flavorful without making it heavy. Yeah, can you believe that?! Italian food not heavy? I spent a good 20 minutes eating my dish because I didn't want it to end. Watching Gondolas and boats go by in the canal while eating authentic Italian food is my idea of a great vacation.

We spent the rest of our time doing the normal touristy kind of stuff. However, my favorite part of Venice is Murano Island. We took a boat to Murano Island so we could watch glass blowers do what they do best! Fill up soccer moms' entertainment cabinets with glass menageries. We took a short break to sit on the edge of the canal and let the water keep our feet cool. I felt the cool water on my feet, the warm sun on my back, and the nice sea breeze. The only thing I heard was the water hitting the canal walls, footsteps on the cobblestone, and light conversations in Italian. Needless to say, I am buying a villa on Murano Island as soon as possible.

Our day in Venice was quickly interrupted with a quick, but very threatening thunderstorm. By the time we got back from Murano Island, we were looking for cover very quickly. As we stood in breezeways while the sky became very ominous and the wind kicked up the dust and debris along the alleyways, we sat and watched old little Italian grandmothers, which had white hair and aged tanned skin from living in Venice their whole lives, reach out from their homes to close the 300 year old shutters in preparation for the storm. I could have sworn I heard one grandmother call out to her grandson to come in from the weather. Way too surreal.

We left Venice with a lot of appreciation for the Italian culture. Their sense of community and their cooking was a perfect example of what makes Venice great.

I hope to go back again some time soon, just to put my feet in the water.