Apart from one man sitting in a nearby cafe in St Mark's Square, our only companions were the pigeons. On our first day in Venice we arose at around 5.30 am to avoid the crowds.
There were a couple more people in front of St Mark's, but it was indeed a joy to be far from the madding crowd. These pictures were taken during our visit in May 2003. The other day we were discussing having "religious experiences", and we both felt that our visit to Venice was one such candidate for this description. As our gleaming varnished water taxi motored into Venice, our jaws dropped at the staggering beauty, the surreality of the architecture, and the set-like features of our own movie. Not one day of our trip disappointed. A return visit is long overdue.
As they say: nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
.JPG)
9 comments:
It is indeed a numinous city. I was there in October and I was immediately obsessed with a need to return. Your pictures are lovely, I love the square when it is grey and lonely. When we were there, it was flooding a lot and the elevated walkways are in every picture.
You can say whatever you want about Venice but in the end there's nothing like it...year after year!
Happy New Year dear friend!
Julieta
Carol - yes, it's really quite enchanting. The only draw back is the crowd, and therefore choosing the right time to go. Later should be better, but flooding in early October is a potential consequence, (although I think that's quite early).
Lindaraxa - I was thinking of you last night. We made our broccoli and blue cheese soufflé , and I had earlier been reading about your lobster thermidor. Hope it was as good as ours! I also hope you are finally settling in to your new house, and may you enjoy Twenty Twelve and many more happy years there!
And yes, Venice is such a joy. I would return any time, and should. Many places in Italy, actually!
I spent a morning in an totally empty St. Peter's Square in Rome. It was awesome to see such a massive space so empty, but at the same time, knowing how many could be gathered there.
More charming is Old Bangkok city, the true Venice of the east, that inner, moated warren of streets and canals and bridges in practically an island. Journey there by boat, then walk the old dusty roads fronted by resplendent and squalour. This part of Bangkok not commercially ravaged.
Old inner Bangkok, some still intact, more than touristy Bangkok or Venice, is a truer journey to see feudal and mercantile cities of the past, off the tourist track.
Anyone can be a tourist, but it is the traveller, more so across time, most elusively.
PD - yes Rome is another city that qualifies as a "religious experience". I had a magical time on my own one day, and walked for 6hours, just gasping at the beauty. St Peter's was a little busier, but I wasn't quite so early there!
atyg - indeed. A shame so little of the canal system is left. If it was intact it might have saved Bangkok from the flooding.
Haven't been back for a few years, my friend told me to revisit our favourite hangout: the core historical district surrounding the zoo, palaces and museums, the nearby cafes by the water, for in that lovely district still are the forlorn architecture, bridges, cast iron lamps and canals. And not invaded by subway, but boats.
I often dropped by Thammasat University, strolled through private religious missions near there, lofty walls and old gates.
Post a Comment