The wonderful peace and tranquillity of Venice

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	Saturday, July , 1997 8:30AM
	The Eurorail train ride to Venice was great. It wasn’t nearly as hot as the night before and I had a good supply of water in case I was thirsty during the night. Unlike the night before, Shola and I did not stay up very late. We were both exhausted. The people in our compartment were really nice. They were Spanish, but spoke very good English. At about 5:00 AM, Shola woke me up because there was a commotion in the hallway. Apparently during the night someone broke into our compartment and stole the passports of the people sleeping beneath us. I was fairly sure that we had not been robbed and upon checking our stuff, confirmed that nothing had been taken. I had a money belt with a zipper that I wore under my shorts during the day, and a pocket thing I wore around my neck. The pocket thing had two zippered compartments with a fold-over Velcro strap. At night I would tie the pocket thing into my shorts. Basically, no one was getting my stuff without molesting me. It turns out that two people in the sleeping car right next door had their passports stolen as well. No harm befell us. Upon arriving in Venice, Shola and I were desperate for a really good shower and Venice did have them. It costs about six dollars to take a shower in Venice and it was money we were all too happy to hand over. I have never taken a more wonderful shower in my life. After I was done, I still had soap left so I took another shower and then another until I had run out of soap. Emerging from a heavenly washing session, I decided to write briefly in my journal while I await the arrival of my friend.

11:30

Venice has proven to be a marvel, like no other city I have ever seen. Venice consists of various beautiful buildings and churches surrounded by flooded streets. It is a very peaceful city. There are no cars, no buses, no traffic lights or horns, just gondolas and long, taxi-style boats called (venuettes.) I took one of these boats from the Eurorail station into the main portion of town.

One of the more popular attractions in Venice is the Basilica de San Marco. Surrounded by several interesting landmarks, the Basilica stands out as the crowning jewel of Venice and it is magnificent in every way. The Basilica was built in the eleventh century and was decorated with spoils brought back from the crusades. The church was designed during the Byzantine period and its influence can be seen throughout. Five huge domes top the roof, while marble columns of every type garnish the entrance. The interior walls are adorned with Byzantine-style paintings covered with gold and the floors boast some of the world’s most beautiful and intricate mosaics. The Basilica has earned the name, "The Golden Church" due to its many inlaid paintings. The tomb of the Apostle Mark lies behind the alter of the church. Legend has it that 828 merchants once conspired to sneak the remains of Saint Mark from Alexandria to their current location by packing them in pickled pork. There were no photos allowed inside the Bascilla, so unfortunately I have no pictures to show you. The upper portion of the Basilica which contained several exciting artifacts charged admission, so we decided to leave in search of other sights in the city.

The Golden Church - Bascilla de San Marco

We almost didn’t see the Basilica and that would have been a great tragedy. After standing in line for ten minutes or so, the guards at the door would not let me enter the church because I was wearing a tank top. With all of my clothes back at the train station (we checked our luggage), there was no way I could retrieve the proper attire. I managed to find a vendor who sold me a cheap shirt for 20,000 Lire that said, "Venecia" or something on it and that was good enough to gain entrance.

From the Basilica, we walked around Venice for a while taking in its fullness and uniqueness. The city itself is a bit of an enigma. The structure of Venice consists of a labyrinth of narrow, winding streets and buildings that seem to hold hands in the confusion and clutter. There is no main thoroughfare that organizes and unifies the whole, yet somehow I sense that such is part of the appeal. I must admit that Venice has its own personality. You might even say it’s funny. Whatever your opinion, it is mine that Venice is confident and different, not afraid to stand out and be a non-conformist.

I am currently sitting on a bench, under a shade tree, near the canal Grande, on the closest thing this city has to a main street. It’s Saturday morning and the streets are full of tourists and citizens out for a walk in the mid-morning sun. It’s quite hot right now and I am trying very hard to stay awake.

About an hour or so ago, Shola and I ate a brunch at a walk-up restaurant in the "labyrinth" we were recently exploring. I had a wonderful piece of pizza and the absolute best calzone I have ever had in my life. Fresh, fluffy, warm bread surrounding a dry, tomato-mushroom combination that was to-die-for.

Now, with a full stomach and a warm atmosphere, I desire but one thing. A nice, long nap.

This was my viewpoint from under the shade tree : San Giorgio Maggiore - The wonderful peace and tranquillity of Venic

	6:45 PM
	One of the many Venician churches that will take your breath away	Shola and I took a little nap and then returned to the Eurorail station to catch the night train to Munich. On the way back from the center of town, I fell asleep on the water taxi (after waking up from my nap, I fell asleep.) I made quite a scene on the crowded boat as I woke up in "mid-fall", almost hitting my head and embarrassing Shola. I don’t feel we got the most out of Venice, due to our extensive fatigue. We got so much out of Rome yesterday, that I feel today was a "day of recuperation." If I had known better, I would have created a "buffer day" here in Venice. At this point of the trip, it would be really nice to have a nice hotel room to settle down for the night. I underestimated the extent of rigor and lack of relaxation that the Eurorail inflicts. Due to having an early train departure tonight, I will not get to enjoy Venice this evening. With that said, I still feel like I have seen and experienced the best that Venice has to offer. I wish I had more time to spend here and I’m sure I’ll return some day for a longer visit.

11:30PM

I’m writing from the train and I’m quite happy to be on it. About an hour before the train was to depart, we ran into the two girls we traveled over from Greece with on the boat. They had decided to take their backpacking excursion to Venice. They told us that since we did not have a confirmed reservation and since we were taking a sleeper, we would not be able to get onto the train. They advised me to try to catch a train to Geneva or Zurich, Switzerland, or to somewhere in Austria, and then to catch a morning train to Munich. As I began looking up times and logistics in my eurorail schedule, a feeling that the trip was on the verge of falling apart did briefly inhabit my thoughts.

There were no other options available to us that fit into a positive schedule for us. After saying good-bye to the girls, Shola and I found a private, "out-of-the-way" place and began to pray to God for everything to work out for us. Surely enough, we were able to get on the train, and we even managed to get a seat for the night in one of the train’s extra compartments. The train is absolutely packed with people and many people will end up standing for the night or sleeping in a corridor. Yet we are safe and sound on the train we need to be on and we have seats by the goodness of our Lord above.

Next day

Click here to see photos from my second trip to Venice in 2001
which includes dozens of excellant photos and screensavers