Venice is not a convenient place.
For us, that meant parking 6Ks away and taking a boat in, then fighting massive crowds and summer swelter through narrow passages for twelve hours straight. Then a vaporetto to a bus and a long walk back. Ours was only a day trip, and we left tuckered.
But "easy" is not why Venice has thrived for 800 years.
This place is an extraordinary example of the inverse relationship between convenience and beauty. If Venice had ever been easy, it just wouldn't be this great. It would never have had such fierce followers fighting over it, and on behalf of it. It would not have become a haven for artists, visionaries and hellions alike.
It is the sheer audacity of this town that sets it apart. Rising waters, sinking buildings; even blistering swarms of cruise ship passengers can't bring down this city or it's spirit. Like the Grand Canyon and the moon, Venice is one of those places which will never fail to impress. It's like falling in love. You are instantly lost and suddenly whole. There's not a single image that can capture it's beauty, nor can you remember how it really felt once you are no longer there. A visit to Venice rummages your emotional stores, locating feelings you forgot you even had. This is not just a place. It's a sensation, a vibrancy, a dare.
As I walked the streets, I couldn't help but think of Nero, the man who fiddled while Rome once burned. We sneer at him now. But do we know what his music might have sounded like? Ahhhh. Welcome to Venice. The town that Titian painted red.
I am glad that you had a chance to visit Venice. I have not been to Europe, but the one place I would like to see is Venice. I hope that the boys remember it as they get older. Dad.
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