Venice, Italy

Venezia.  This was my first glimpse of Italy ever and it was the reason why I never fell out of love with Italy.  It was pure nostalgia seeing it all over again.  The city remained unchanged as I walked through the alleys and remembered the signs that pointed to San Marco or Rialto or Accademia, the architecture, the hand blown glass and Carnivale masks in the shop windows, the numerous trattorias and tavola caldas, and of course, the canals and their gondolas.  I’ve walked these streets in my mind ever since I left them.  Ten years ago, I remember arriving at Venice Marco Polo Airport, boarding the speed boat that dropped us off at the pier just steps away from Piazza San Marco, and marveling at the beauty of Venice, believing that the sun would never stop shining here.  I still remember the surreal feeling of being in this timeless city, unable to believe that I had finally made it to Italy.  I remember that feeling so well because it was the same feeling I had when I first set foot on this country a month ago in Milan.  After all these years, Italy still has this magical pull from me. 

I was naïve to believe that the sun would never stop shining on Venice.  There was a downpour of rain during the day, so much rain had fallen that the Square at San Marco flooded.  Upon reflection, there was a storm when I was last here too.  My tour mates and I were on a day trip to Sottomarina.  The storm was looming beyond the horizon while we were laying out on the beach.  When we saw the sky get darker and the beach goers were all leaving, we packed up our things and found refuge under the awning of a souvenir shop just in time to miss the heavy pelts of rainfall.  Now, it was raining again and nothing like Seattle rain either. 

We got lost on our way back to San Lucia train station, but it was the best thing we could have done today.  I had to ask at least three different locals which way it was to San Lucia, therefore forcing me to understand more Italian, happened upon a friendly soccer game played by Italian boys, and ate the best slice of pizza I’ve had in Italy so far.  As we got closer to our final destination, we saw the sun set over one of the canals.  Venezia.