I Finally Made it to Venice & Everything Went Wrong
Why that's ok and How I Had a Great Time Anyway
Traveling is a mixed bag. Things don’t always go according to plan (Murphy’s Law) — and that’s normal, that’s life! But it can make for an incredibly frustrating experience; time is precious and traveling is expensive enough without things going wrong.
However, one thing that traveling taught me is that even the messy parts should be embraced as part of the experience. The first time I went to Venice, it was one obstacle after another: from the cold, stormy weather to haggling for overpriced umbrellas in the downpour. But in the end, it was one of my favorite trips in my Italian adventure when I learned to let go and accept what the destination had to offer.
Rain, Drizzle, & Broken Umbrellas
For one thing, Venice was a city that kept getting put off. Between class schedules, research, and post-COVID-19 regulations in Italy, it was one of those trips that didn’t happen easily. But my friend/roommate/travel buddy Liz and I were very excited, it was finally happening, and on a gray, drizzly day in February, we got off the train to a Venetian storm. It was pouring, with some slight thunder for good measure. Although a classmate assured us we were getting to know the “real Venice.”
We looked at each other and said that we were finally here, it was a privilege and a gift, and that “a little rain” wasn’t going to stop our plans.
We stepped off the platform and confidently opened our two euro umbrellas which simultaneously broke and wouldn’t open again. As we were getting rained on (with some hail) it did occur to us that it wasn’t surprising because they were, in fact, two euro plastic umbrellas. So, Liz and I made our way over to the convenient tourist trap of men selling umbrellas outside the station.
We only had a couple of euros on hand and they didn’t take cards. Each umbrella was 10 euros. I tried my hand at haggling and made no headway on my own. The guy just kept waving the umbrella saying how wonderful it was and how it was worth no less than 10 euros. You’d think the umbrella would’ve been able to carry me to my destination like Mary Poppins from the way he was talking.
That is until Liz managed to haggle us both umbrellas for six euros each! As I marveled at my friend’s superpower, we headed off, covered and dry(ish) for our Venetian adventure. But not before dumping the old umbrellas in the first trash can we found, saying “Thanks for nothing, arrivederci!”
Lunch in the Rain & Historic Coffee
Now for the fun part! Our first goal was to get some lunch. It takes about four hours on the train to get from Rome to Venice, so by the time we arrived, haggled ourselves some umbrellas and headed off we were starving. We ended up in this little Irish Pub in a cozy corner of the city. On the downside, we were informed that all the tables inside were full and that we had to eat outside. We acquiesced and sat down at a table with two large patio umbrellas covering us for good measure.
One other tidbit about rain in Venice: it’s cold. So there we sat smiling awkwardly at each other while small drops of icy rain slid off one of the umbrella’s corners, and dripped, dripped, on our heads. When our food came, it was less about the joy of eating and more about warming our hands on the steamy ceramic bowls! I ate a delicious cheese and potato pasta dish with pieces of guanciale (pork cheek) sprinkled with black pepper. I don’t know if it was the combination of rain and cold that made it taste so good, but it remains one of the best meals I ate in Italy.
Fun fact! Our after-lunch coffee reminded us that it was through Venice that coffee was introduced to Italy by Venetian merchants from the Arab world. Thanks to the sprawling trade routes with the Ottoman Empire. Actually, the first coffee house opened in Venice in 1683 in St. Mark's Square. In 1720, it became the first real café in Europe, known today as Caffe Florian. The more you know, the sweeter the coffee.
Afterward, we walked into the historic center and made our way to St. Mark’s Square! It was a bit of a trek, but it proved why you need to be on foot to truly enjoy Italian cities. We passed over any number of small ornate bridges along the way, walking from one mini-island to another, and admiring the multi-colored buildings.
They seemed to all be clustered together with their quintessential serpentine Venetian gothic arches topped with quatrefoils (an ornamental design with four round ‘leaves’) and covered in colored stones on the exterior walls. Here, you can see how Byzantine and Islamic influences were tangled up with the Venetian Gothic style; another nod to Venice’s long history as an important trading post.
And, let’s not forget the MERCHANT OF VENICE window display, the store full of colorful carnival masks, dripping chocolate fountains, and another display full of wine corks for no apparent reason. The canals that emptied into the sea were also very choppy as the wind and rain would not let up! Due to the weather, several gelato shops and stores we planned to visit were closed, so we made our way to the main event.
Piazza di San Marco
Past the famous Rialto Bridge – where we stopped by later to pick up a gorgeous hand-carved blue agate cameo for Liz – we finally made it to St. Mark’s Square. After paying our modest two-euro fee, we entered the Basilica of San Marco (after taking a ton of photos in front of it, of course). Now, it is not possible to take in the basilica all at once, the human eyeball is not capable. Especially with 85,000 square feet of mesmerizing mosaics from top to bottom – that’s enough to cover 1.5 American football fields!
While the mosaics were done over the course of eight centuries, a majority are from the 12th century. After all, the basilica has a very long history. Construction started in 828 CE and was completed in 832. In 976 it was burnt down and rebuilt in 978 CE. Throughout the 11th and 13th centuries, the basilica received a majority of the treasures and decorative programs it has today.
In 1207, Venice’s involvement in the Fourth Crusade brought plundered treasures from Constantinople to the basilica. This includes over 500 columns from the 6th-11th centuries made of different colorful materials and the famous Four Bronze Horses from Constantinople. In the ceiling above, the glittering, golden mosaic-encrusted ceiling illustrates the main events from the life of Christ.
It was hard to look away from anything because everything seemed worthy of even the most careful study. There is a decadent stillness in churches, where everyone, regardless of background, just silently contemplates, enraptured at the beauty surrounding them.
Just as you should never forget to look up, don’t forget to look down! The floor is covered with opus sectile mosaics (a technique that uses large pieces of colored stones to make different patterns and designs) that seem to roll out from under your feet like carpets. The patchwork of different mosaics (geometric, animal scenes, floral designs) makes the floor just as precious as the ceiling. The basilica seemed like a giant jewelry box.
Unfortunately, the lights were off so our photos came out on the dark and fuzzy side. And, due to the constraints of the velvet ropes lining our path, we couldn’t just sit and enjoy, we had to keep moving. In any case, it was a classic case of “we were just happy to be there.” But we did manage to capture as much as possible.
The World’s Smallest Alleyway & Final Thoughts
Afterward, we exited and explored the rest of the square, passing the famous Doge’s Palace, the prominent bell tower, and even the blue Torre dell’Orologio or “St. Mark’s Clocktower” to the left of the church. This 15th-century clock displays, not just the time of day, but the phases of the moon, and the dominant sign of the Zodiac! Legend says that when it was finished, it was considered to be so beautiful, that the clock master was blinded so that he would never again create another like it. Jeez.
After sneaking in a photo of the famous gondolas we headed (ran) back to the train station to catch our ride home. However, as we followed the map back to the train station, it decided to take us down the smallest street on earth. So small and narrow, that we couldn’t pass through with our open umbrellas but had to close them (it was still raining, in case you were wondering). Mine even got stuck and I couldn’t close it without yanking it down, which I couldn’t because I was too busy laughing. Liz was behind me capturing the whole thing.
Our little day trip to Venice was not without its colorful episodes, and at the time, they were extremely inconvenient. If you know me, you know how irritable I get in the cold rain. But, it just so happens this trip is one of my favorite stories to tell people. It’s just funny and frankly a story is always more interesting when there’s a plot twist or struggle. Not that I wish disruptions or rain on anyone’s trip.
It’s nice to keep an open mind and be flexible in our journeys; let the trip shape itself and be open to changing plans, getting lost, learning something new, or taking it slow. So the next time something happens that absolutely irritates you on a trip, just think of telling the story later on, and if it sounds cool and adventurous to you, just smile and let it be.
Thank you for reading my musings and ramblings! If you liked this post please hit that <3 button
Thanks for sharing a *honest* travel experience. There should be more of these!
On the bright side, few people can claim to have seen Venice with so few tourists around :)
February in Venice can be a challenge! It’s not only that the weather might be bad, it is the time of year when everything is either closed (it’s only of the only time Venetian shops & restaurants take a break) or it’s Carnevale & then it’s crazy crowded. It sounds like you made the most of it.