VENICE
Mary Ann: What can you say about Venice!!?? Whatever it is, it isn’t enough. This city of waterways, ancient palaces, gondolas, Murano glass, 200 churches, Vivaldi concerts, and San Marco piazza is truly a city of romance and magic.

We’ve spent a week here, arriving last Tuesday afternoon, and every day has felt like a wonderland. Mostly we just walk around leisurely,looking in shop windows, eating gelato, strolling along the many canals, or taking a vaporetto (water bus) ride across the lagoon. We always pick a destination for the day, and then take our time getting there, often being diverted by some unexpected pleasure. Today for example, we started out on what could normally be a 45-minute walk to the train station to buy tickets for our next leg of the journey. It was Sunday morning and things were unusually quiet with few people out and about in the non-touristy neighborhood where we were walking. As we entered one of the many campos (plazas), we heard some beautiful operatic music being sung by a high soprano voice. Though it was a bit unusual, it is not at all unheard of to come upon quite talented musicians entertaining crowds of onlookers. However, when we looked around, trying to discover where the voice was coming from, we spied a rather portly and unexceptional looking man, sitting alone in the middle of the square, who appeared to be doing the singing. We couldn’t quite believe that a man could be making that high sound, and it was only after a good deal of time and attention that we spied his CD player and realized he was only mouthing the words, though in a very realistic fashion. After that, we had the best time just watching the faces of all those who stopped, and finding them doing exactly what we had done, look in amazement, then in disbelief at this incongruent scene. It gave us quite a chuckle.

Another thing we have so enjoyed is watching the tourists in San Marco Piazza as they buy bird seed for the pigeons, and then find themselves overrun with pigeons. People react in a wide variety of ways, but mostly we’ve noticed how they let down there guard, and seem to be so carefree and childlike. I’ve seldom seen another activity that seems to free people from their inhibitions and lets them have a moment of pure joy.

Besides people-watching, we’ve also taken time to see a few of the sights. We’ve been in more churches than we can count; saw a wonderful exhibit about the life of Vivaldi and the history of violin-making in Venice; visited the island of Burano where they make wonderful, hand-made lace; watched the orchestras play each night after dark in San Marco’s; and seen art work by great Renaissance painters such as Tintoretto, Donatello, Bellini, and Titian.

I think our favorite thing is spending the evening at San Marco’s. We listen to the orchestras play the romantic classics; we dance; we wander up and down along the two- football-field-length piazza; we look at the art work painted by talented local artists; we enjoy the wonder and amazement of Venice. It truly is a special city and I highly recommend it to everyone in need of a little magic in their lives.