Venice , Italy

Imagine a beautiful old canal with sea green water.Building facades weathering on both sides. A small bridge in between.

In this romantic atmosphere ,place a few curiously shaped black gondolas with ultramarine blue covers , being poled by straw hatted gondoliers .

Walk over the  Rialto Bridge , overlooking the Grand canal.

Check out the sides of the Mercerie (walkway) ,lined with an assortment of shops ,restaurants ,boutiques and souvenir stalls.

Let’s now slowly move towards St Marco’s square.Imagine a row of gondolas anchored at the warmly colored Piazza San Marco. Next to the anchored gondolas, stand pink rose tinted gas lamps.

In the distance the setting sun puts the entire piazza ablaze .A gentle wake is left behind by the vaporettos (waterbuses) as they head into the unknown of the Adriatic sea.Dusk embraces the sky and leaves behind subtle reflections in the water.

This is a typical day in Venice – a day every romantic dreams of.

I headed to the hostel and crashed early that evening. “ Tomorrow is the day ”,I told myself.I was oh ! so ready to experience my Venetian dream , to explore this city of sublime love!

I tossed and turned in sleep and woke up to the pitter patter of rain on my window.Peaked through the window and saw rain droplets falling in the green canal under.”Perfect weather to spice up some Venetian romance ! ”, I smiled at the thought.Fixed myself breakfast and headed out. Soon I heard a siren go off.I didn’t quite understand what it was.All activities around me were just so normal. Bakeries were still open serving breakfast .Shops weren’t quite open yet but I wouldn’t expect them to start their business this early either.Elevated platforms were laid out for people to walk on.I was impressed by the pre planning the Venetians had in place .It seemed like a daily affair to me.Something they had been living with for ages ,something that was so tied into their system that it didn’t look out of place or absurd.

As I reached Piazza San Marco ,water levels had almost reached the platform .Flocks of tourists queued up in their ponchos and rain boots as they walked on these wooden elevations.They didn’t seem to be put off by the rain. Nothing in the Piazza resisted the rain,no one cribbed , none complained. The covered colonnades around St Mark’s Square had become a refuge and gathering point for hundreds of bright waterproof-clad tour groups.The flooding didn’t seem to perturb anyone.Street vendors were very casually selling plastic boot covers as if it were their primary source of earning.Without doubt , everything looked chaotic but still was charmingly coherent.All of this seemed very matter of fact.

The weather no matter how inclement couldn’t get me down either.I closed my umbrella to feel the rain drops on my face,let the water make way into my shoes and soak my feet wet.Then ,I found a spot at a nearby cafe and sat there with my coffee observing Venice . She looked twice as romantic with foreboding grey skies , with the pink and white marble facade of Doge’s palace having grown even deeper and richer , with the row of anchored black gondolas slightly swaying side by side.I sat there watching friends riotously laughing with one another , siblings mischievously teasing each other,parents caringly looking out for their kids,couples lovingly  gazing into each others eyes.I sat there as Venice drenched .I sat there as Venice soaked. I sat there as Venice danced  ..Danced in the rain ….

Published by Janisha

Hi, I'm Janisha and I got my first taste for traveling when I was 8 years old. Ever since then my wanderlust has only grown and the list of countries I want to visit longer. Follow my adventures as I wander, eat, and photograph my way around the world ! View all posts by Janisha