Beautiful Morbidity

My first visit to Europe was to Paris, so naturally the second trip was reserved for anywhere in Italy. I set my sights on Venice. Staying just a few train stops from the Venezia Santa Lucia terminal meant that I got to experience the country life , but if I wanted to be surrounded by tourists and locals alike, I was a short train ride away.

While in Venice, I opted to walk more than not. Yes, the gondolas, water buses, and water taxi's were all tempting. Well, not really. I must have been the only tourist who wasn't impressed by the main choice of transportation in this foreign place. Everywhere I looked I saw alleyways and nooks and crannies that led into areas that no water bus was going to take me. Which gondola was going to glide down the narrow, cobble-stoned sidewalks that seemed too slim to fit three people in a row? Don't worry, I'll wait.

During my walks I stumbled upon quaint coffee shops, spice stands, and dozens of tourist shops tucked under apartments. It reminded me of taking the road less traveled. On this particular day I had all the time in the world. Or at least all the time until the last train left to go back to m hotel. Same difference.

A friend and I were walking with no particular destination, when out the corner of my eye I saw someone disappear into a doorway. I looked to my left and saw that it was just an old church. Nothing special about it. For some reason my curiosity got the best of me and I found myself walking toward the door just to try the handle. It was open! I immediately dipped inside to explore some more. There were several people inside the church as if they all knew you could walk in and gawk at the many wonders. I thought this was MY hidden gem. I was wrong.

Photos were not allowed, and I obeyed the rules, but it didn't matter. For some reason out of all the things I photographed in Venice, this experience is the one that is still embedded better than anything photographed. To this day I have no clue what the name of the church was and frankly I don't care. Walking around in awe of the artifacts that had been in place for centuries was more than I could ask for. Standing on a floor that entombed several priests and people of importance from a time I can't even imagine was an experience I will never forget. An experience I don't want to forget. It made me realize that my wanderlust is the greatest gift the universe could have bestowed upon me. It made me realize that not all those who wander, are lost.