Il Mare Mediterraneo

Photos are here.

I'd never seen the Mediterranean before, but it's beautiful in color... chalky blue-green. All throughout Venice. When I stepped out of the train station, it FELT different... it had just rained, and it was moist out. Oh yeah, and then there were the buildings jutting out of the water.

Since I couldn't check into my hotel until 1pm, I decided to go to the neighboring island of Lido and get a better look at the Adriatic and have some lunch. I got my 48-hour vaporetto (essentially a water bus) ticket, but decided to walk from the station to the Rialto (main bridge over the Grand Canal) and catch the vaporetto there. The little alleys were quiet and the little squares (campos) were warm. Then I got to the Rialto and everything went apey.

This bridge is easily the largest tourist trap I've yet seen. People everywhere. Shops selling cheap souvenirs everywhere. Nuts crazy ape times.

I caught the vaporetto and headed to Lido, where I instantly fell in love. I think it was the first time I said to myself, "wow, I could really live here." I walked to the other side of the island where the beach is, and I sat, with only a few other people around, looking out at the ocean.

When I finally walked back toward the vaporetto stop, I saw a restaurant all covered in white (I guess) wisteria, a sweet little patio where I HAD to have lunch. I had a pizza with cheese and capers and it was ah-maze-ing.

I finally went back to the main part of Venice and didn't have any trouble finding my hotel (no, I did not use a map... just from the directions I read... more on that later). Hotel Centauro was at the end of a tiny little two-person-wide alley off of Campo Manin. One charming, tall, hot, good-suit-and-haircut-having (no, i didn't fall for it!) desk clerk later, I entered my room.

At first glance, the room was gorgeous. Fabric on the walls, ceilings that were far too high with timbers poking through the top. Yes, gorgeous and wonderful. But Hotel Centauro had its shortcomings, which is why I imagine it was the cheapest thing I could find in the center of Venice.

I had a little chill at the hotel then went walking. Venice really is a special place, guaranteed to melt the hearts of even the most devout cynic. In the late afternoon I walked to St. Mark's Square and got into the basilica with no problem (say what you want about Rick Steves, dude is completely right about everything, including going in the late afternoon/evening to this particular place), which is good because apparently there's usually a huge line.

At first glance, St. Mark's is dingy on the inside. Then you realize that there are all different colors of marble making the walls, that there are golden mosaics in the domes, and the floor is rolling and uneven due to the 1000 years (or so) of the island settling (they built venice on millions of trees cut down and shipped in... which is sooooo hard to believe). It's a beautiful and very Byzantine church, at first very strange to my western eyes. But it's hard not to love.

I then went to the top of the Campanile (the tower at St. Mark's Square) and gazed over Venice (seeing all the way to the Dolomites) and fell even further in love with the place.

Then I toured the Doge's Palace, which I'll just say is quite a bit more impressive than I thought it would be. The largest oil painting in the world resides there, and it's in a spectacular room.

I took a brief break at the hotel, then decided to hunt for food. Now, the thing is, the plan was to "get lost." Literally, I wanted to walk until I didn't know where I was and stop and have dinner and then find my way back. I tried this several times while I was in Venice, but I failed every time. I know I brag about it a lot, but my sense of direction is truly honed, and if I can't get lost in Venice (seriously, more tourists standing with a map out in front of them scratching their heads than anywhere else I've been... in fact I'd hardly seen any until I arrived in Venice).

I had dinner on the patio of a charming little place, eating Caprese with the creamiest mozzarella I've ever tasted, followed by a lasagne Bolognese that makes all other lasagne look stupid. And a small bottle of chianti. Seriously. This meal was amazing. Followed it up with cappuccino and a walk to St. Mark's. Which is truly stunning in the evening.

Honestly, I liked the city in the daylight, but at night... at night, it's breathtaking... and nearly empty. I felt like I pretty much had the place all to myself. Make a note: If you ever go to Venice, DON'T YOU DARE stay on the mainland and just go in for the day. You'll miss the best part.

End of day 1 Venice. Oh, except I got bug bites in the Hotel Centauro. Bastards.

Mom, Dad... recognize the song of the gondolier?