The second thing I notice is the crowd. Rivers of people, tourists and sellers, wind across my field of view.
And there's the water, just beyond the crowd! My first glimpse of this famous water, after so many years of imagining. The big bridge to the left will take me across it, into the heart of this magical city.
I had heard there wasn't much life left here, that all that remains is a manufactured illusion of what used to be. But I can feel the history seeping through to the present. The spirit is here, even if the magic is waning.
The walk to our hotel is punctuated with pictures- I want to capture my first sight of a tiny alley, the first boat-filled canal, the flower boxes on the shuttered windows. My dreams haven't been crushed but are bursting with happiness.
That was a Word Whip timed writing on my first impression of Venice. It was the city I was most excited to visit on our honeymoon and tied with Paris for my favorite place on the trip. Some highlights:
This is the first small canal I saw and I made Derek stop so we could get a picture of it.
Derek in the first narrow street we walked through on the way to the hotel
This is where we ended up if we turned right instead of left when leaving the hotel.
Once we got out of the walls around the hotel, this was our view.
We had a couple of beautiful full moons.
The Grand Canal from our gondola ride
There was a buskers festival on!
The Doge's Palace and city from the campanile
The island of Burano has strict rules about painting buildings. Charming little place.
We tried to look happy on our last morning, but we really didn't want to leave.
