Italy: Relax | #Europe2015

If there was one word I would use to describe Venice, it's relaxation. While the streets of Venice were pretty crowded, we stayed at a hostel on a neighboring island. The whole vibe was incredibly calming - the sway of the water taxi we took from the airport to our hostel, the sky that was like a watercolor of blues, pinks, and purples, the dampness in the air. Outside the window of our room, we could see St. Mark's Square, or Piazza San Marco, from across the water. We wandered the length of the island in light rain, the weather still warm, and ate some pizza and gelato before the thunder and lighting hit. After four countries and four cities, Venice was a dream. 

We wandered around the city after taking a water taxi from our hostel. We wove up and down and through the streets, seeing what Venice had to offer. I was entranced by how fully the buildings had become one with the water, the doorways and steps that were half sunken, the streets that would just suddenly end with steps leading into the canals. We'd stop and get fresh fruit every so often, before winding down another street. We got lost a few times, ended up where we began, but we didn't mind.

Venice was a paradox. It's small but feels huge as you're wandering through the maze-like streets. It has moments of such simplicity, like the Peggy Guggenheim museum, and moments of such complexity, like the details on the many churches and in St. Mark's Square. It's prepared to calm you as quickly as it tries to overwhelm you. 

Venice had such a unique feel to me. Despite the streets and plaza being filled with tourists, there was such a intimacy throughout the city. Everywhere there were touches of the fact that people lived there, probably grew up there, called it home. Each building, packed so tightly together, leaning against one another and slowly sinking into the sea, had its own character. 

Venice for me just emanated this feeling of celebration and festiveness, a ferventness, while also somehow telling people to slow down, take a break, grab a cup of gelato, sit as the water laps against the steps, lift your face towards the sky, and feel the sun on your skin.