Venice, Italy
Two quotes perfectly encapsulate my time in Venice.
Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go. - Truman Capote
I will never forget experiencing Venice for the first time. It feels like you are transported to another time - the art, music, food and pure romance in the air is like no other place. - Elizabeth Berkley
The city harmonizes modern and geriatric art, that is if you can look past all of the tourists. I was lucky enough to come during the Biennale so I was completely surrounded by culture and beauty.
Attractions:
The hardest thing for those who have not been to Vienna to understand is that the city has no streets but instead has rivers. The simplest way to think of it is as if the Grand Canal was the Pan American of Venice which many smaller roads branching off of it.
My family and I were lucky enough to stay near to the Piazza San Marco which was absolutely beautiful except for it had beyond reached its capacity limit and all I had to stand on my tippy toes to see the Basilica di San Marco. (see the fourth and fifth photos below)
Sadly, the Ponte di Rialto is currently under construction so I was unable to see it in its entirety but the glimpse I got was incredible.
We devoted an entire day to Murano where the acclaimed glass derives from and it was beautiful and I was incredibly impressed with the craftsmanship.
The most surreal part of Venice was sitting and eating a meal and looking over the water. It honestly seems too good to be true! The first three photos above are three of restaurants with the most remarkable views. In order they are the Hotel Monaco & Grande Canal, Hotel Danieli, and the third is unknown.
Travel:
The public transportation, although not cheap, was surreal - imagine going to work on a boat each day. The final picture in the series above is a photo I took on our way to Morano on the ‘water bus.’
Art:
Here are just a few snippets of all of the incredible art that I experienced! The way the Biennale works is that every country has a designated area and it is their job to fill it with art of their choice. Things ranged from photography, to blue sand pits (see the first picture above) to large shards of broken glass and each was unique and many addressed current issues in each individual country.
Although we spent days exploring the different verandas (and the different delicious food) we barely grazed the art offered at the Biennale.
Venice, although an incredibly touristy city, is somewhere I hope to spend much more time and although I only got a small impression of the city, I fell in love.
Last Tip:
But I have one requirement if you go to Venice: buy yourself a mask because it is tradition and is a small memento which you can keep forever.