Arriving in Venice

May 16, 2012

Just the thought of Venice . . . Venezia . . . can turn your mind to fantasy. To see the city in person, especially from the top deck of a cruise ship, may constitute one of the most memorable travel adventures of my life. It was Tim’s favorite topic of conversation for the last couple of days prior to arrival. As we were scheduled to dock in Venice at 9:00am this morning, he invited me to join him on Deck 14 at 7:30am to watch the sail in. It is an invitation I’m glad I accepted.

When we arrived on the top deck a good size crowd had already gathered and we were just entering the far end of the channel. We walked around the deck trying to determine which side would give us a better view and also determining where we could stand that would not block our guests’ preferred sightlines. Already bar carts were set up selling champagne and other morning drinks for guests to toast our arrival. Lightly in the background we could here Italian music playing through our pool sound system. What surprised me on this crystal clear morning was the amazing view of the snow covered Alps I could  see on the horizon. I never knew you could see them from Venice and the combination of an ancient seaport with these magnificent mountains behind was stunning.

Then the music soared! As we entered the Grand Canal we literally ‘pumped up the volume’ as Silhouette glided by the beautiful buildings, columns, towers, and churches. There was not a frame of what we saw that didn’t include several noteworthy items to photograph. What was slightly odd, however, was the angle at which we were viewing them. From our perch, the equivalent of a 14 story building, we were looking down on everything around us. This allowed us to also see the canals branching off in every direction, the waterways that connect this unique city. The effects of the high water table under the land was also clear from this perspective as you could easily discern that virtually no building was straight, all having been affected by some settling over time.

Some of the guests had one complaint, though. Quite visible around the city were construction cranes. Perhaps they are airbrushed out in postcards of Venice, but they are a perpetual reality. Work is always being done, either on the old buildings, or constructing new ones in this vibrant cultural and commercial center. Their presence reminded you that this was more than a picture postcard. A picture postcard that we would enter shortly.

And the adventure continues . . .