My pictures are nothing spectacular but no picture really can replace the feeling of being there.
The first time I went to Venice was during the winter break of my academic year abroad which I was spending in Freiburg, Germany. It was right after I had studied Thomas Mann's, Der Tod in Venedig (The Death in Venice). It was February and we took an overnight train. At 6 in the morning we were required to leave our seats because they were reserved. I stumbled into the corridor of the train only to be startled by costumed passengers. It was February, carnival time. There were very few tourists during this season, so we wandered the labyrinth of streets and canals and let our imaginations control our senses as we encountered costumed characters.
Unfortunately on my first trip our cameras were stolen, along with our film....so a second trip was in order!!
Although tourists may have replaced the more intriguing congregation of masked company, Venice still has plenty of places that make it worth the trip. Just walking and admiring the city can leave you enchanted for days. Some friends of ours spent a few days visiting La Biennale, an international art exhibition. After seeing their pictures I could see myself spending a few days there. You can see their experience here.
I was actually surprised by how much cleaner Venice was in comparison to 10 years ago- it seemed less depressed somehow, buildings seemed to have more life or at least there were fewer abandoned ones then I remembered. People always say the canals are dirty and stink in the summer, but I found it to be quite the contrary.
We spent the day roaming the streets, admiring the architecture, had an overpriced lunch and drink on the water, bought souvenirs...a lovely day.
Unfortunately my camera ran out of batteries by noon. Bad luck seems to be the case with cameras and Venice. I suppose I will just have to go back again someday.
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