Questions for Ms. Venice

Sunday, November 9, 2014

We took two marvelous-yet-foot-weary trips to Venice during our stay in the Friuli region of Italy; it was only a hour's train ride away from Pordenone, where we stayed.

Lord Byron, who lived in Venice with his mistress and a small zoo of monkeys and birds, called Venice "a fairy city of the heart." Yes, I know the Brits love Byron, but his Romantic-era sappiness doesn't do it for me. (Fairy city?)

Conversely, a guidebook we read personified Venice as a fancy Madame welcoming you with one hand while slipping the other in your pocket. Now that is an adept description. If Venice really was a dame, these are the questions I'd ask her (and, yes, some are rhetorical):

Q: Are you really going to sink into oblivion? We read that you're settling into the water at a rate of 2mm more per year.




Q. Could your markets BE any more stellar? We could have spent hours in them with all the Venetians buying their seafood and produce.




Q: Does everyone dry their laundry this way?




Q: We heard you're trying to get rid of the pigeons, which were brought in by the Hapsburgs. Really? They make the squares so idyllic! (But we do concede BW's backpack got pooped on.)




Q: Do you think a cicheti (Venetian tapas bar) would fly in Prague? Glasses of wine and mini-sandwiches/seafood snacks for a euro each is brilliant.




Q: What's up with all the kids climbing on statues?




Q: Is it possible to take a bad picture in your environs? Stunning backdrops abound.




Q: Why do your gondoliers all look like they stepped out of a Tag Heuer or Montblanc ad? Is that a prerequisite for getting the job?




Q: Has anyone fainted in your churches from being overwhelmed by their beauty? 




Q: How can you tell the authentic food from the bogus stuff? We sat down at a pizzeria and it was definitely the frozen variety; another night we had homemade goods for roughly the same price.




Q: Where do we get there from here?  (We were lost dozens of times and asked ourselves that repeatedly.) Like Ma W jokingly asked, "How do we get from point A to point B without hitting C, D and E?"




Q: You have so. many. windows. Is it a fashion or function thing?




Q. And most importantly of all... WHEN CAN WE COME BACK?!
















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20 comments

  1. Beautiful pictures. We love Venice, it's roughly around a 5-6 hour drive from us so we frequent it often whilst we are here! It's one of the upsides to living where we do! :) PS. Not all Brits love Byron! :D

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  2. I think I want to visit Venice more than ever before after reading this! What a wonderful vacation!! It is definitely one of the places we are going to try to make it to before the adventure ends (whenever that is). Did you find it as expensive as everyone says? ('Cause that great looking tapas bar makes me think otherwise).

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  3. Lovely pictures! One more question- will the gondola prices ever come down? :-)

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  4. You had me laughing out loud here! Brilliant take on the city - I love the idea of Venice as a madam, it's very appropriate! And indeed, how do they score models to be their gondoliers? Really fun read :)

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  5. Frozen pizza in Italy - what a disgrace. So glad you found better the next night.

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  6. I want a Venetian tapas bar in Prague, too! :) and to GO to Venice, also ;)

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  7. Venice has always been one of my "dream" destinations! x

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  8. Ahh I love Venice. My hubby and I got engaged there (a little cliche I know) - but what the heck it was amazing! Love all the questions!
    Claire xx

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  9. Ha! Love how you write to Ms. Venice!! It's been so long since I went to Venice!! I think I need to go back soon!

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  10. Venice is incredible and I love your post idea for writing a letter or asking questions to Ms. Venice.

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  11. The English teacher illustrates the craft of creative writing by asking questions of Ms. Venice :-) Great photos & a great take on the city. I was there in 1975, (probably before you were born Em :-) ), and I wonder how much it has changed since then.

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  12. I enjoyed your inventive presentation of all the wonders of Venice. My family visited there this summer and loved it. I must admit that my kids did climb on that same lion statue. We really enjoyed the cichetti bars and wish we could find some in Texas.

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  13. Hello! Just checked out your blog and will be visiting more. I'll bet your drives to Venice are just gorgeous. But we won't write like Byron about them ;)

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  14. Cheers, Natasha! I maybe gave this post photo-overload, but Venice was so pretty.

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  15. Go, go, go! It's funny - some people I know love it and others think it's too touristy or dirty. I found it to be stellar; it is touristy, but you get lost a lot anyways and find all sorts of quiet squares and cobbled alleys. It's definitely not dirtier than Prague, and I've never seen another city like it. You're right - it is expensive, but you can save money by staying inland and taking the train in or being wise about where/what you eat. Lots of wine for 1 or 2 euros a glass ;)

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  16. Thank you, Kemkem! Argh - the gondola WAS so expensive, but my father-in-law treated us and it was pretty magical. Funny thing - there seemed to be signs with set prices at all the stands; no one was really bargaining for the rides.

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  17. Cheers! And why are there no female gondoliers? Hmmm... Not that I minded the gentleman who boated us around ;)

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  18. I know! But our feet were dead and it was a place to sit, so we stayed and ate the bad frozen stuff. We learned our lesson and had the real deal on our second day there.

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  19. It's settled, then ;) I highly recommend Venice; it's so unique and full of hidden gems, if you look beyond the overpriced restaurants and copious stalls selling masquerade masks!

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