Barring any unforeseen circumstances, exactly five weeks from today I will be on a flight to Venice, Italy. For several years now I've been aching to visit Italy in general and Venice in particular. Originally the plan was to take three weeks off and wander the length, breadth, width, depth and height of the country. Last year, however, I decided that I'd like to carve Venice out and make it a separate and exclusive trip. No other cities, just Venice.
I was fortunate enough to see New Orleans and Mardi Gras pre-Katrina and now I'd like to experience Venice before it's oft-predicted demise comes to pass. So after several years of dithering, last week I finally made flight and hotel reservations for a six-day stay in Venice. I depart from DC on the evening of Sunday February 22nd, arrive in Venice the following afternoon, and don't come back until Sunday March 1st. I've heard both good and bad accounts of Venice -- it's beautiful/it's filthy, it's romantic/it's smelly, it's a delight/it's a hassle, etc. Time to find out for myself which it will be to me.
It's all very exciting and intoxicating. I've been going through guidebooks, looking at maps, checking websites, and digging out the Italian language CDs I purchased several years ago when I first considered traveling to Italy. I think I picked out a great hotel, but you never know for sure until you get there. I'll be staying at the
Hotel Abbazia in the Cannaregio sestieri, a neighborhood in the northwestern section of Venice. It was built as a monastery in 1379 but has since been converted in a small, 50-room hotel. Although it's only 100 meters from the train station, it's supposed to be in a very quiet and peaceful neighborhood.
This will be a bit of a different style of trip for me. Normally when I travel I spend no more than two to three days in any one city and try to squeeze in as many things to see and do as I possibly can. I've never spent six straight days in one city before. My tentative plan is to cover one or two
sestieri per day and try to traverse every canal, street, and alley in Venice by the end of my stay -- all the while taking absurd amounts of photographs. I'm also considering setting one day aside for a train trip to Verona or Padua, both of which lie relatively nearby.
This morning I ordered a Venice tourism card that will cover my admission to a host of museums and churches, as well as allowing me to make use of public transportation and pay toilets. I also ordered myself a pair of galoshes so that I'll be prepared for the Acqua Alta -- the high tides that can partially submerge areas of the city for a few hours a day during the winter months. That takes care of the basics. With regard to the luxuries, yesterday I purchased a ticket to see the opera
Romeo et Juliette at
Teatro La Fenice on the night of my birthday. Should make for a memorable evening.
My trip to Venice coincides with the last two days of Carnival, but I haven't decided yet whether or not to attend one of
masked balls going on in the city during that time. Between the cost of admission to a ball and costume rental it would be more than a little pricey, especially after splurging on the opera. On the other hand, it's Carnival in Venice -- when will I get another chance to experience it?
Decisions, decisions... it's something I may not make my mind up about until I get to Venice. The other big decision -- whether or not to buy a Nikon D300 before I go. I already know the lighting conditions in Venice will be challenging, especially if I want to take photos of the costumed revelers afoot in the city at night during Carnival. The D300 would certainly work better under those conditions than my D80. Hmm, this is not shaping up to be a trip for the budgetary faint of heart.
(
Taken with my Nikon D80)
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