I said auf wiedersehn to Salzburg and enjoyed a great train ride through the mountains into Italy. Viva Italia! Although coming from the Alps into the flat hinterlands of Venice was like driving through Spearwood and South Fremantle - you know the vegie patch, vineyard and mini Italian palace, hehe. So I must admit I have mixed feelings about Venezia. When I arrived it was blanketed in fog, so all my photos look greyed out. Then I tried to find the hotel on my guide map, and couldn't, so took a water taxi to the other side of the main island, walked 200m, got lost again, and had a local woman walk me there personally, lol.
Now maybe Italians think they're still masters of the universe and can charge 3 times the price for everything, but helloooo, Rome fell over a thousand years ago! haha. But on the brighter side, the sound of seagulls, the smell of fish and the lapping water were nice reminders of home :). The taxi driver gave me a personal history lesson on the ride, and I could walk to the main attractions on my part of the island. The Basilica of St Marco was awesome, and if I had my notes with me, I'd go on and on about the marble, the mosaics, the fantastic temples within the temple and the amazing reneissance paintings by a bunch of famous Italians I've never heard of before. But really, these old bishops thought they were god's gift - why else would they have themselves at the centre of the ceiling masterpieces? I think I've had my fill of religious icons and glorifications to JC and his mum. Those of you who know me know where I'm coming from :)
So I got restless, walked some more, had some lasagne and pizza, got lost in the maze of canals and bridges (of which there over 400), walked some more then sat by the waterside watching the boats float by with the litter. I also found the only green park in the city which was nice. And besides turning the forsehore into a sideshow alley for the kids, there's another menace on the Venetian streets which my constant vigilance allowed me to avoid - and i'm talking about doggy doodoo! Ahh such is life :)
But on my last night there I decided to spoil myself. I couldn't leave Venice without feeling good about the place so I paid up and went to a Vivaldi recital - which was great :). At last a little bit of culture :). An impeccable septet (? seven musicians - 3 violins, 1 viola, 1 cello, 1 double bass, 1 harpsichord) played through two concertos and then the whole Four Seasons by one of Italy's greatest violinists, and to hear it by some of Venice's best was fantastic.
So the next morning, the fog had turned to rain and then into clouds, so despite being able to see a bit further, it was still a grey ol' day. But I caught the ferry back to the train terminal and boarded for Firenze (Florence).
You'll have to wait for my next story on that city!
Ciao!
