Again, this is another entry in a long series; you may want to read them before you hop into Venice here.
We are such tourists. We saw Hotel Canada and had to point it out to each other. When we were in Paris and saw the Canada pub, we had to comment on it. I don't know if every tourist is like that, but every Canadian on our walking tour noticed it. Not sure why I just remembered that, but anyways... I think I left off that we had just gotten free time and went back to the square for lunch.
So we sat down at the first place we saw with a free table in the square. I do not remember what the issue was, and it was nothing bad, but we left before we even ordered drinks. We walked across the square to another place, and unfortunately, a pigeon flew by and shit on the guy from GP's shirt. Earlier, he had offered to clear the square of these birds, and maybe it was their revenge. Seriously, though, he handled it pretty well. I could tell he was extremely pissed off, but he went to the nearest washroom and cleaned it up as best he could. There was a grumpiness there now, though. You could feel he had that embarrassment people feel, even when they did nothing. Then we all sat down at a table in St Mark's Square for our lunch. We had a table that offered views of both the sea and the Basilica. The sun was coming up by now, and it was a beautiful day, but the meal was crap. I don't know the place's name, and I am not about to look it up. Service was alright, and they do bring you little snacks before, which is nice, but the so-called pizza I am pretty sure was just microwave McCain's. It was small, and it tasted like cardboard. I can't remember. I'm sure we had wine, and really, it should have been a great lunch, but with crappy food and a bit of an edge after getting shit on, it just wasn't. After that, we parted ways. He wanted a new shirt, and my wife was looking for masks. Here is something to keep in mind. I think everyone at some point wants or needs time with whoever they are travelling with. I could have been wrong, but it kind of felt to me like the other couple just wanted a break to be alone and enjoy their dream trip.
Europe is the most visited place on the planet. The EU has roughly 450 million people, more than 100 million more than the USA. That's just so Americans realize that. Tourists spent roughly $572 billion in 2019, that's in euros. That's roughly $760 billion in Canadian for reference. That's a lot of cash, roughly about 5% of the entire economy there. 5% does not sound large, but when you realize that it is 5% of the total value of the economy, it is significant. On top of that, it varies across places, ranging from 15% of the economy to as little as 1%. The thing is, I also don't know what these numbers include. As a tourist, for sure it should include flights and hotels, but as a salesman, I use a lot of hotels, so how does that work? Do they know what hotel usage is for tourists? On top of that, how do you factor in all the restaurants people eat at and trinkets people buy? All the attractions people see, and cabs and such people ride in?? Our tour was roughly $10,000 each. For reference, it would take 57,200,000 tours like ours to make up that much in tourism dollars. WOW, the point is tourism is a big business for them. In Rome, in the old town or ancient town, condos are over a million euros now. These prices have been driven sky-high because foreigners are buying up properties. I assume that counts into tourism dollars as well. So, yes, some people are starting to dislike tourists. Venice, I guess, is even worse, with prices being driven up and locals not living on the island anymore. I actually feel like the tour guide felt this way, but was still forced to give tours for a living, as tourism is a huge part of the economy. So it is a horrible double-edged sword; the country wants, close to needs, the income, but it also drives prices up and brings in too many people. I would have to double-check, but I believe at any given moment on the island of Venice, there are more tourists than actual Italians. Really, what I am getting at is don't be a douche tourist. These people are inviting us into their homeland. Showing us amazing sites, so be a decent human.
We found a mask store on the square, and it looked more legit. There are kiosks and knick-knack tourist stores that have masks, but we were looking for the real deal. Or as close as a tourist can get. I am sure you can find even better ones in high-fashion places, but the store we found was great. I googled but couldn't find out which it was. The store was full, from the very basic, just a solid color, to the gaudy masks that had tiny figures coming off them. They had the truly beautiful hand-painted ones, with scenes displayed, to ones that look like plague doctors. We purchased three: two, my wife had ideas for a display, and one, a simple one, just to have. They wrapped them for us, as they are very delicate. Then we wandered the streets for a short time.
Fun fact, Venice also has leaning towers, not just Pisa. I never thought about it, but Venice is a floating city. It wasn't an island that they built on; it was an island they built. This is super dumbed-down, but it is a very interesting read if you want to learn how they built Venice. When Rome felt the Venetians needed a safe place from the ravaging hordes, that was fun to say, but seriously, no empire to protect them from "barbarians," and they needed safety. So in the marshlands, they drove wooden piles into mud and clay. They created the floating city. Yes, there is way more to it, but that is the basics. These piles are underwater and not getting oxygen; they don't rot. They can shift, though. When you build a massive tower on something like that, it shifts. So, Venice has 3 leaning towers. Everyone thinks of Pisa, but Venice has this too. Other factors have led to the shifts, but that is a dumbed-down version. I didn't know they had leaning towers, and I thought that was cool. No one there blinks an eye at it, but imagine if you went downtown tomorrow and one of your high rises was just slightly tilted.
Venice is an interesting walk, as there are no actual roads; it's the canals. So you wander down sidewalks or alleys, I guess. The main ones are large enough that groups can travel through them, but some of them are narrow passes where you are elbow to elbow with others. You can tell who are actual Venetians as they seem to be in a hurry and hate the crowds filling up their streets. I guess this is the same rage we feel during our daily commutes. There are various stores, from high-end fashion to fresh fruit and veggies. Nick-knacks and tourist traps, if you want it, I am sure that within a 10-minute walk, you can find it. We ended up in what could be called a piazza, I guess. It wasn't large by any means, a couple of coffee shops, and I think a small church or something. We picked a coffee shop and headed inside. It really was everything I wanted it to be. A couple of guys working who spoke broken English, pastries displayed in a glass case on the counter, and a chill retro vibe we in North America try our best to copy. Old brick walls with black-and-white photos. Everything is in a very brown tone. While my wife had told me it is a faux pas to order a cappuccino this late in the day, I had to have one. We were in Italy, damn it, and I was going to have a cappuccino at some time. We also ordered a couple of pastries and nibbled on them. The windows were the old shutter style, so we sat by one and let the fresh air roll in. This was one of the more relaxing moments on the trip. We didn't have to rush off. I bought a second pastry, and the pastor and his wife happened to walk by and pop in. So we sat and had a visit with them. My wife "dropped a pin" for the couple from Grande Prairie to come meet us, too. Cell phones truly have changed travel. They arrived, and he had a new, clean shirt. Seemed to be in a much better mood as well, and I understand that. We all sat and enjoyed a few carefree minutes before we had to go back to the group. We were headed to what was called a seafood feast. Dolce Far Niete....
The Italians have a phrase, Dolce Far Niente, which translates to The Sweetness of Doing Nothing. It is a lost art here. Our tour guide, Scott, had explained something important to us before we had our free hours that day, and that phrase has stuck with me ever since. What Scott said is very true: when travelling, you have to plan, even if the plan is nothing. If you go on holiday without a plan, you're going to end up doing nothing and being mad. If you plan to shop, shop. If you plan to see tourist attractions, do that. If it is just drinking on a patio, then do that, but don't go with no plan. You end up with the proverbial dick in your hand doing nothing. You will be spinning in circles trying to figure out a plan and get nothing done, then complain that the trip sucked. When really it was just your fault for not thinking ahead. I am not 100% sold on his idea. I have had some good days where we just walked out into the world on holiday and saw what happened. He is right, though, if you want to do something, you have to plan for it. His point was to plan for it, even if it is "The sweetness of doing nothing." We had done our shopping, we knew we couldn't get in to see anything as time wouldn't allow it, so it was Dolce Far Niente. Sitting, sipping a cappuccino, and looking out a window, watching the world go by. At some point, you need that, no rush, no worries. Just some time with yourself, for yourself. This doesn't have to be alone. It was nice to be sitting there, chatting with my wife, with not a care in the world. Plus, we were not on our phones. I think that is a huge thing. Unplugged, away from everything, just doing nothing. There is something magical about that, something we seem to have forgotten here, but in Italy it is simply a part of life.
I can say with 88% certainty you have seen Burano. Probably on someone's inoffensive wall calendar. It is the island of Venice with the colorful houses. Bright blues, greens, yellows, oranges, pinks, all with a canal for a street down the middle. It was a short boat ride from the main island to there. They hurried us to a small restaurant and sat us in the back. A large tour group took up half the place. When you go to a place for a seafood "feast", chances are you should have seafood. No, that isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I can guarantee it is going to be the best option. If you are in Italy, go with Italian foods, and in Mexico, have the tacos. You want a burger, go to the states. These are pretty good guidelines. One of the best steaks I ever had was in Mexico, but that's the exception, not the rule. If you are on an island in Italy, don't go with the steak… Some people did not want the seafood. Again, I get it, but they ordered beef. If you are from Texas and have some money. I'll bet you are used to good beef. The steak they ordered did not compete, and they were not happy with their meal. It didn't actually look very good, in their defense, but again, don't order the steak. The truth is, the seafood feast wasn't all that great either. We live on the prairies, but we are lucky enough to have a couple of good seafood joints in town. I love heading to Victoria, sitting on the harbour, and chowing down on seafood as well. In Mazatlan, I have a seafood place I have to go to every time! A friend sends me pics when she goes, and I am not there. This feast on an island was bland. I'll be honest, it should be expected. On a tour, they will likely serve decent, safe food. Nothing too spicy, too much flavour that will make people complain. Just plain safe food, and that is what it was. Maybe I am a piggy from North America, but it wasn't a feast either. I wanted to waddle out, grinning like an idiot at how good the food was and how full I was. This did not happen. I could have gone for seconds, maybe thirds. I only mention this because, honestly, the tour itinerary was very specific about the seafood feast, and the tour guide said we would be amazed. Most of the time, he was right about things like that, and the best meal we did eat, he recommended, but I feel he lied here.
After a disappointing dinner, they rushed us out. I assume to get more customers in, not that I saw any hanging around, but oh well. We had some free time to wander Burano. There were a few open-air markets and stores still open. It actually seems like a lot closes fairly early there. I get that; I don't see many tourists taking a boat out to a small island with no real nightlife in the evening. We did manage to get a few great pictures and wander a bit. It was a beautiful night, which made me wish we had more free time in the evenings to wander. Warm but not sweltering. One house did make me laugh. I believe it was a nice, darker blue, but they specifically put a sign up. No pictures! I don't remember the verbiage exactly, and I didn't take a picture of a no-picture sign. I wanted to, but my wife said, " Don't be an ass, though. Either way, it politely said fuck off. I was torn here; half of me was an angry idiot. How could they put that up? Don't they know tourism is what is keeping this place going! Isn't it my right to take the pictures I want!! The other half of me realized how annoyed I would be with people constantly taking pictures of my house. I am becoming that old man who stares out his window when people use my driveway to turn around in. Recently, a couple of friends bought motorbikes. One Sunday morning, I am having my coffee when I hear bikes revving and see people pull into my driveway. I stormed outside to see who it was, not knowing they had bought bikes and laughed at myself for being so wound up. So I get it, fuck off, stop taking pictures of my house. The island is tiny; we saw every part of it in half an hour. Then we sat at the docks. This was another peaceful part of the day. Dolce Far Neite. Personally, I think the boats were just running behind. There was an ice cream stand that very much reminded me of a beer stand in Mexico, and I really wanted to order a Corona to watch the sun set, but that was just a pipe dream. People did have a few cones. The dock was just a little too high; a part of me really just wanted to drop my feet in the water. We loaded onto the water taxis and went back to the mainland. Onto the bus and back to the soviet prison hotel. I think some people hit the lounge in the lobby, but we went to the room, showered, and went to bed. The adventure in Venice was over.
Venice is a beautiful city. It was shocking to me that it wasn't just the main island, but all the little islands and the mainland are part of the city. I should have realized the mainland would be part of it. For sure, it was the first place I realized tourists won't always be liked. Sure, some people in Paris were dick heads, but I didn't feel like they didn't want tourists. Here, I got the feeling a few times: tourists, go home! While Paris and Rome looked like normal cities with industrial areas, the island looked beautiful but felt busier. Like a good part of the people didn't really want the tourists. The no-picture sign in Burano really brought to light what a curse tourists can be. The island itself is insane. Built on posts, with a leaning tower, no one seems to mind. Mass media will show you pictures of it flooding, then cry about the climate crisis. Locals will tell you it has been happening for generations, and sadly, it is just a way of life. Not getting into politics, but if someone tells you it's a climate thing, flooding Venice, it isn't. However, it is true that, with Covid, when tourism died, the canals did get much cleaner. Traveling in a gondola or a water taxi is how you imagine it, amazing, somewhere between a spy movie or a fantasy novel. Roughly 1500 years old, it is filled with Italy's history. Going back, I could do another day. I would spend the night on the island. I imagine it is probably even more magical there when it is dark, and street lights are the only light. That's probably it, though. I think, given a full day, I could see all I wanted here, and yes, I would love a night to see the island.
I was most excited for the Italy part of our tour, not that I wasn't excited for Greece, but Italy was a dream that I had for a while. Sure, the Greeks were the start of Western civilization. Way before Rome was even founded by boys raised by wolves, the Greeks were a powerful nation. Everyone knows the Greek gods, and we don't pay as much attention to the Roman knock-offs. Italy was still what I wanted to see most. If at any time I sounded like I didn't like Italy, I came off wrong. Yeah, some things weren't amazing, but a bad day there beats a lot of days stuck at work at home. We were supposed to get on a ferry, spend the night floating on the Adriatic Sea, and wake up in Athens. This sounded great to me. I knew it wouldn't be a cruise ship, but it would be pretty neat to see the sea while we headed to the second part of the tour. I assumed it would have a bar. Many years ago, my friends told me the ferry from Vancouver to Victoria had a bar and casino. That it would be an amazing trip, I thought, it has none of those. I figured, though, that a ferry this long, I would at least be able to have a drink, sit with my wife, and watch the sea. That did not happen. I guess the ferries aren't the same as BC, stupidly on time and in a hurry. The tour company had been disappointed many times by the ferries running late. Which sucks, it puts the whole tour behind, and it isn't like you get another day for that. Just time and activities taken from your trip. One time, I guess everyone went to bed in port, and when they woke up the next day, they were still in the same port. I stated you have to be ready for change when traveling, but that would piss me off. You now lose an entire day. It wouldn't just be being behind a couple of hours and losing one activity, you are out a day! In a 9-day trip, that is a lot of time. That's a lot of adventure and possibilities gone. Do you miss Delphi or the Holy Meteora? This is one time I would have been very upset. Or look at it from the book side. Say the trip was $ 5,000; that is $555/day. Just pissed away $555. I would be mad losing that kind of money as well! So our trip was the first they had done this way, but we would be flying from Milan to Athens that night. So we had the bonus of almost an added day. We would be going to Verona, which wasn't planned, but we had time now and then flying.
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