October 22, 2016

Sometimes people just go above and beyond what you expect. Our airbnb host in Padua, Andrea, came through for us in a big way today. With a one-day train strike threatening to keep us from getting to Venice, he drove us there. On the way, we found out that we had both traveled the "hippie trail" across Central Asia to Kathmandu at the same time, more than 40 years ago. I've met quite a few people who did that route in the early 70s and there's an immediate camaraderie among us. I guess it's kind of like being old army buddies, except the bond was more about adventure and wonder than adversity and survival.

My first impression of Venice was sheer beauty. The sun was strong and the light was wonderful as we took a boat through the Grand Canal to San Marco, near our place here. The buildings in their pastel colors, the fast moving boats dancing by each other, the reflections on the water, all was magical. It reminded me of the first few days of the Camino last year, when it seemed as if I were living in a movie set. And then San Marco, with the Ducal Palace lit in afternoon sun and the Basilica of San Marco showing off its glittering mosaics. Just glorious.

But when we hit the streets for our first walk the crowds were overwhelming. It's late October and this is when it's supposed to be LESS crowded. We couldn't help wonder what it's like in June. We of course will join the throngs to see the main sights, but I hope we can get away to some lesser traveled, more intimate parts of the city in the few days we'll be here.

Our airbnb here is wonderful, centrally located and charming. It's a third floor walkup flat in an old building on a quiet street, tastefully renovated in a modern style while retaining the original charm of the place, with weathered structural beams throughout and a rooftop patio with a panoramic view of the neighborhood. It's just a couple of hundred meters from the Piazza San Marco. The one drawback seems to be that all the nearby restaurants are vastly overpriced, catering to the army of tourists; we had our least good and most expensive meal of our trip so far...and the waitress was dour and unfriendly. I guess there are just too many tourists and I'm afraid we're adding to the crowd.