The first time I was in Venezia (Venice), I was an undergraduate who has just finished her final exams. What a season of liberation that was! Totally carefree, feeling invincible, hopeful for the future! Those were my youthful days in total abandonment.
My impression of Venice then was absolutely romantic, out-of-this-world! The scenes & sets only found in movies & described in poetry & serenades. When you grow up in a small island city called Singapore for the first 20 over years, Europe was needless to say, an eye-opener. There I was, wide-eyed & innocent, savouring every moment of fun & adventure. The only scare I recalled were the large number of pigeons hurling themselves at me & my travel companions at St Mark's square, devouring their feeds (which we foolishly offered) at ferocious speed. I told myself - oohhh, too scary & painful when the birddies peck at your flesh as well. Not my cup of tea.
The second time I revisited, I had no memories at all. Semantic yes, episodic no. Ok, this is technical, psychologists/neurologists will understand. I am not sure if they are repressed cos the person i visited with is no more in my life. OK, an unhappy, failed relationship. Anyway, if they are repressed, i won't know they are repressed right? (hee, jargon!)
2009 summer, I re-revisited Venice. Almost after 20 years, Venice has not sunk. This I am glad. And for this visit, I saw more & experienced more, simply due to the fact that we were independent travellers. More work too of course. The research, the bookings, the planning AND most of all, the walking.
Oh! we never walked half as much back home - or anywhere. Our pilgrimage for the 3 days consisted of walking, walking, walking along the famed narrow alleys, across the famed many bridges (or pontes the Italians call them), from where we stayed at Cannaregio (the northern tip) to St Mark's, to Realto (south & east parts). And walking, walking , walking back, again in zig-zag manner.
We took this ordeal upon ourselves simply cos it's NOT WORTH IT to pay for a 'water-bus' ticket. Aha! It's the Singaporean philosophy - 'want it cheap, want it fresh'. Good but expensive, maybe can do without! And I must confess, every trip we have made so far, we never ever got out of the 'JUST SLURGE LAH!' mentality. NEVER truly, always with restrain. And when you visit a place with Euro as currency, how creative can one get in terms of dollar-stretching? You go back to natural means, walking & self-catering from purchases in supermarts.
I must really thank Fred for his superb navigation and keen sense of direction. Without which I (not we) would have been totally lost or spent 80% of my time stopping & turning the map upside down, right side up. While we wished we brought our compass with us, Fred compensated by using the sun (which beat down on us mercilessly 90% of the time) to navigate. Speak of returning to nature & being one with the natural elements! I am just so clueless as a metropolitan, city-dweller.
Venice, you left us with sore feet, with tanned skin. We wish you had cooler weather, less pigeon droppings. Oh yes, AND more sitting areas for our weary feet. Why wouldn't the city planners put in more benches for the needed leg rest? And they tell you you are disallowed to sit on the steps of the Square? It was impossible! No one cared anyway. No matter how dirty, tourists were sitting at every nook and corner they could find. Sipping aqua minerale, licking gelato. The summer heat so unforgiving, but the Grand Canal, the Doge Palace, St Mark's Basilica & the centuries-old history luring one to fantasize & come nightfall, to romanticize. And we came at the wrong time of the year cos night wouldn't fall until well into 9 pm when our fatigued bodies were crumbling! This visit left me with mixed feelings of both pleasure & pain. I guess the romantic part in me has dwindled over the years. Sigh!
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