Canals and Carnevale
Trip Start
Feb 10, 2006
1
4
8
Trip End
Mar 01, 2006
Venice,
Italy
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
We somehow managed to time our stay here during Carnevale. It was wonderful to see the streets of Venice turn into theatres as elaborate costumes and mysterious masks were donned by all. The air was thick with excitement, the atmosphere extraordinary. Fairy lights and buskers decorated the bridges and streets, as the scents of Venetian dishes wafted from the jam-packed trattorias.
Carnevale is timed to coincide with the ten days leading up to Lent. The mere thought of abstaining from some of life's little luxuries calls for some partying and the Venitians showed us how it's done. By all accounts, it's not half the show it used to be in the 18th Century but it was by far the biggest street party we've seen so far
A night shot of San Marco during Carnevale party!
!The drizzly and bitterly cold weather was no deterrent for the festive folk. Children rugged up in gorgeous animal costumes took much delight in showering passers by with confetti. Many little ones took advantage of the spotlight by dancing and waving to their audiences and posing for photos.
Our accommodation was certainly not what the web site had promised it to be, but we managed to negotiate a reduced rate for the tiny room, without a bathroom, for a little under $100 AUD per night. We enjoyed a great location, just a stones throw from the train station, but a long and adventurous walk to the impressive Piazza San Marco. We managed to get ourselves lost each time we ventured out to the elegant and divine piazza. The streets can be extremely narrow and windy - some are also poorly signed, which makes for an exciting adventure ... unless you're in a hurry to go to the loo and don't want to pay the exorbitant asking price of 1 Euro (nearly $2 AUD) for a go on the chilly porcelain rim.
Venice is rich in fancy crafts, predominantly glassware, and there is certainly no shortage of places to spend any excess Euros if you're lucky enough to have some
A typical view of some of the narrow streets here.
!The only people we encountered doing the hard-sell in Venice were the Gondaliers - had the weather been finer, we'd have considered parting with the 62 Euro (fixed price for 50 minutes) as a special treat, however, no amount of superb singing or piano accordion could lure us into the beautiful boats with wind like ice!
Venice is certainly like no other place in the world. There is no doubt that the cost of maintaining such a city is extremely high, so the exorbitant cost of things is well justified and well worth it for a visit. We were pretty lucky to have stumbled upon a cute and cozy bar for a couple of warming glasses of red wine to find that their customers could use the internet for free - we became locals there for our short stay in Venice. For the cost of one hours internet usage elsewhere ($15 AUD), we could buy 5 glasses of vino rossi and use the internet for free! BRAVO!
