Venice - DAY 1

VENEZIA - City of Water, City of LOVE

My adventure to Venice was truly GRAND. I was mezmerized by my immersion into history. There is no place in the province that you are not IN history, no place to walk that has not been walked by those we read about from days of old. If you walk with a stillness at say, 4 a.m., before the throngs of tourists and the locals setting up shop, you can feel the ghosts of days gone by, the intrigue that was prevalent in those times. Courtesans meeting their lovers of high political position, the famous artists who were commissioned by kings, doges, the pope, who's works are today infamous, assassins who are commissioned by those who wish or need someone to be killed, the places of the murders, darkened alleyways, hidden doorways. It's all still there, and the entire place carries the vibes, the memories, the spirits of it all. In the wee hours of the morning, the magic of Venice is truly alive.

I walked these pathways at this bewitching hour my first morning in Venice, and felt myself to be in no danger personally. My sense of adventure, traveling solo, overtook any fears I might have entertained. I did not even bring along my beloved Canon, as I wanted to feel FULLY this energy that is alive before the morning sun gives a hint of illuminating the darkness and solitude that is only at this hour. The pigeons are absolutely everywhere and seem to 'own' the entire place before the sun rises.

I went to the Rialto crossing on the Grand Canal at this same bewitching time. The quiet of Venice's main waterway was soothing to the soul, with the sounds only of the seagulls, pigeons and water gently lapping against the bridge.

I only smoke cigarettes in Italy, it's the only place to buy the DIANA brand. On the Rialto bridge I took out my first one of the trip. Having no light I asked the only person I saw, a very old man. He embraced me immediately and with his thick Italian dialect, said only "No fume" and "Ciao bella - bootifool, bootifool." He took me to the restaurant just over the bridge that he unlocked, invited me in, gave me a light and made us morning cappuccinos. He kept hugging me and saying those same words over and over, he spoke no English, and my Italian was minimal. Like walking the streets alone in these wee hours feeling no danger, I felt no danger from this little old man. We sipped our delicious brew, and I was on my way, feeling properly welcomed to my adventure here in the City of Water, City of Love and Intrigue. It was clear to me, as in my sojourn to Buenos Aires four years before, that I was on an adventure to fall in love again - with ADVENTURER within mySELF!

Check back in for continuing tales of this Venetian Romance!