Viva Italia Part 2 of 5

The trains in Italy are notoriously late. Sometimes it can be as bad as an hour late similar to what happened to us. Apparently this was very commonplace as only the tourists were panicking.

When the trains do arrive to take passengers for the next trip, there is no mad scramble as you would expect. Everyone just goes about their business in the most normal fashion ever. It was just another day for the train to be late.

With each ticket, you get an assigned seat number and will be surprised to find someone already sitting in it once you get there. In fairness, they will move over the minute you gesture that they've taken your seat -- I guess many Italians just prefer to chance their arm for a better view.

We reached Venice at dusk, it was a good evening to be where we were.

The first thing that hit me when we arrived in Venice was how everything had that resort feel to it. It was so rich, so old, relaxed, but still bustling with life. The air hits you with that salty stale smell that's half closed water and half open sea. The streets were small and had buildings that have been there ages, enough for them to stand like they themselves were residents of Venice, and each day was a race to get more space and aim not to be swallowed by the sea.

I loved it. It was getting dark then but I couldn't resist hopping onto the Vaporetto 1 so I could see all of it. The lady at the ticket station snapped "this is not an attraction, its public transport!" when we said we had no destination in mind, we just wanted to ride the loop. She gave us our tickets anyway.

We only had one night in Venice and the almost full day the next. Every moment counted.

The Rialto Bridge

Bridge of Sighs

We hopped off at Piazza San Marco and soaked in the Piazza. When all the crowds have gone and you see the Basilica over everything else, you feel as if you are being watched over and its not the creepy sort of feeling either. You look around and you see the musicians from the restaurants and cafes, playing their last tunes for the evening. And it just feels magical.

We found a quiet place for dinner, one of few still left open at 11pm. We weren't served the most stellar of Italian cuisine but it was still much better than the wannabes you find elsewhere. Our dinner spot was halfway from the Piazza to the hotel so we decided to walk home instead. It was a good decision that let us see more of the city we've discovered.

Pretty Venice at Night

The next day we were up relatively early to make the best of our day. As Mr. Steves suggested we set out to get lost in Venice.

Guess what, our day in out was also the day for the Venice marathon. So we stayed and watched and cheered for 5 minutes. It was raining, not enough umbrellas to go around, and still much more to see.

We went back to the Piazza as our starting point and were surprised to find it flooded. There were raised planks everywhere that served as footpaths for the people to get around much like you find in parts of Manila when the rainy season takes hold. Apparently, this is yet another common occurrence in the month of October.

Roaming Venice, we found more churches, more buildings, more boats. I loved staring at the masks and their intricate detail. At the endless line of hawkers and tourists, and how you get boat taxis instead of automobile ones. I don't think I'll ever be able to properly describe how intriguingly beautiful Venice is and how eerie it can feel even in broad daylight. Whoever said this about Venice, I totally agree - it is beauty and decay all at once.

Given the chance, I would definitely want to revisit Venice. Not for any express purpose, but more so I can soak everything in and see if I can uncork the mystery of the Queen of the Adriatic.