chapter 10 : venice.

Image by BillT via Flickr

finally i’ve reached the last post of this series. almost 6 months after the trip has actually ended. i’m actually supposed to be learning my german, but i am doing this instead, cos i just want it to be finished before we reach a new year. but does this also means that i have not been talking about my life in zürich for the past 6 months. hmm. it could be said to be the most transitional time of my life. i just feel so old now, and it doesn’t help that i’m gonna reach a male maturity age soon.

the last few hundred meters of the train tracks that we rode over were actually hovering over the small strait that separates the venice islands from the italian mainland. it was burning hot as we went out of the train to set foot on the sinking island of venezia, the bright sun means that it is an excellent time to put your tinted sunglasses to good use. on the islands of venice there is no motorised traffic allowed, not so much because of the small roads and tight turns, but more because cars would have a really hard time finding ways among the sea of people that wander around the place. instead, they have water taxies that transport people to other islands which are not connected to the main island by bridges. it is one of my disappointment during the trip, not to be able to ride on one of these water taxies, mostly because i was running short on cash in the last leg of the trip.

we needed to pay close attention to the directions on our hostel booking in order to find our hostel, the venice fish. when we arrived in front of the hostel, we were still not quite sure that it was it, it didn’t even look like any other hostel we’ve stayed in. the only clues were people drinking, shouting and laughing loudly on the balcony. once we were in, it looked like a chaos, there is no real separation between the sleeping, eating and playing areas, all are just jumbled into one. but i liked it, reminded me of my room . luckily enough, out of an overbooking mistake, we got to sleep in another bed & breakfast that belonged to the same owner, although i was certainly the only guy with 12 other girls. but who cares, it was certainly much better to sleep on a more comfortable bed and in a quieter environment, which i really needed later.

i don’t want to call venice a city, cos it would really give a really false impression of the place. but it was really beautiful. you will be left to wonder just how the people managed to build all of that hundreds of years ago. the houses, the canals, the bridges, and don’t even start with the piazza san marco. and it serves justice that thousands of people flock to see this wonder, which makes venice a really crowded place. more crowded than any one place i’ve been in on the trip. i would advice, if you go there in a group, try not to be separated, cos there is almost zero chance to find your needle in that haystack. i was too tired of finding my way among crowds at that point of the trip that i searched for much quieter places. i actually found an art exhibition, where a music made by indonesian fishermen in hong kong was showed. what are the chances right?! but there are sure to be many interesting stuffs to be found in every corner of venice, no matter what your interests are.

that night, i went to the venice fish for free dinner. that’s really how you know that this place is full of drunks, where the hostel serves free dinner instead of breakfast. and it was proven straight after dinner, people just start to gather around the big dining table to play some drinking games. no time was wasted. the rules were explained, everybody agreed, and it began. when your glass is empty, ask for some from the guy with the bottle. when the bottle is empty, then we searched for booze left by people who checked out that morning, and the bottles of wine and liquor above the fridge are free for all to enjoy. it didn’t stop for hours, only after we ran out of game ideas, and there were no more bottles on top of the fridge that we decided to go out and find out venice at night. the first stop was the alcoholic juice stall on the side of the street, which makes the best strawberry juice i’ve ever tried. then there were also a couple of bars that we visited. i did not stay that long, just long enough to know that i’ve had enough. now, the hard part was finding my way back in the dark and winding venice roads. it was at least an hour walk till i reached the door of the b&b. on the way back, i passed by the juice stall again, and the lady remembered me and gave me a re-energising shot to continue my walk home. i must really thank my sense of direction for leading me to my bed even in the worst of conditions, and that’s where a comfy bed comes handy.

Image via Wikipedia

and the place itself is really beautiful and i can’t in my ability even try to describe how it is. i only saw the piazza san marco from outside and it was already jaw dropping. i would go into the basilica if i would have the money. but i didn’t. and there are still many corners of the place that i have not discovered yet. i am leaving it out for the next time that i am going there. and as many people say, do go there before it sinks.

and there it is. the trip was over after venice, the last stop on our list. we went back to zürich and dee flew not long after back to malaysia. the holiday was over and we all went back to live our lives. this trip like many other things, has really again opened my eyes. the more you find out, the more that you realise how much you actually know. so cheers and enjoy travelling!

Advertisement

---