Lost on an Island called Venice!

Marge and Gary in Venice

"This doesn't look right." I said in frustration and it wasn't. After walking down crooked passageways ending in brick walls and onto an island with only one bridge on and off, I was getting just a little annoyed with all the "blind alleys". Normally my sense of direction was pretty good but my short cuts to get away from the crowds and back to the train station just weren't working.

It was late in the day on a Tuesday and Venice was packed with travelers from all over the world. We had a great day being tourists; boating down the Grand Canal, lunching on the piazza of St Mark, and shopping all over. My camera was full of pictures and my wallet was nearly empty. It was time to get on the train to go back to the hotel to Padova and I was fast learning that in Venice an empty street was probably a street to nowhere.

All the while Marge was very clam and reassuring, "Let's take a look at the map.

As I said, it was late in the day, I was tired, and, forgive me men, I followed her advice and looked at the map!

But I don't think it was just me being lost in Venice; I think that Venice has lost itself. The lure of tourist money permeates everything. Seldom do you see anything that resembles life for an existing population. The shops, restaurants and gondola rides are for tourists. Venice has sold itself and you may as well be in Disney World waiting in line for the boat rides and tours. It brought me down from the high of the Italian “bella vita”. Venice is “Fregatura”.