A Decade Old Postcard from Venice, 2009

I arrived in Venice on a Tuesday at around 11 am with a friend. I fell in love with Venice at first sight. When we exited the train, we went over to the vaporetto which is a water bus in Venice that takes riders where they need to go through canals, islands, and any other place they can go. It took us to San Marco Square. While it was a nice experience, it was no gondola ride.  

Our hotel was right off the canal with a gondola business to the right. Looking back, I wished I splurged on at least one gondola ride.

Upon checking in, we went over to Vino Vino Wine Bar for some lunch. I had the penne con salmon and cream, and my friend had the meatballs with sauce. It was to die for, but perhaps I worked up an appetite from traveling. After getting into our rooms, we rinsed off the August humidity with showers and changed into lighter clothes.

St. Mark's 

Making our way to St. Marks, we walked over the little bridge outside the hotel and walked straight on towards San Marco Square. At the other end is St. Marks is an amazement of mosaics that I thought were paintings at first.

St. Mark’s is one of the largest churches in Europe. We went to the first floor, which to us Americans is on the second floor. We stood out on the balcony, met some nice young American men who were happy to take a photo of us. In return, we photographed them with the canal in the background as well the Venice lion near the Doge’s Palace. At the roof of the cathedral, I saw the original horses were made in replicas and put on display inside.

Correr Museum

We then made our way to the Correr Museum, where we purchased the Museum Plus Pass. It turns out the cashier sold us the more expensive card for 18 euro. I was only supposed to pay 7.50 euro for the student card. We realized after he took our money that he sold us the wrong tickets. He then refused to return it claiming that we went in even though we had just purchased the tickets. After a 20-minute discussion with him, two other Italians and his boss on the phone, we got our refund and purchased the correct tickets.

If you are a student looking to purchase a museum pass in Venice, make sure you only give the cashier the exact amount for the student ticket. Else you will end up wasting twenty or so minutes as I did. On vacation, does it really matter though? I remember I was more willing than my friend to let it go. Some may say I was a pushover. Others may say I had better things to do with my time. It is funny how pride can even intrude on a vacation. 

At the Correr museum, I saw statutes by Antonio Canova and an immense amount of Venetian historical exhibits including coins, armor, and maps. The maps and globes were by far one of the most entertaining exhibits to me along with the armor. When we made it to the picture galleries, there were numerous works by Carpaccio including his Portrait of a Young Man in a Red Hat and the Two Venetian Ladies, pieces I only saw in textbooks as a high school student.

For dinner, we grabbed a bite at this little restaurant outside the Rialto bridge near the Opera house Teodoro. 

We quickly ate our meals and ran over to the concerto to get good seats. It turns out there is not always assigned seating when you buy a ticket. The concerto was a collaboration of various opera numbers with three singers. I remember it as a lovely evening, but I think I would have remembered a gondola ride more.

If only I had realized it back then, I should have indulged in more outdoor activities during my time in Venice. If you find yourself in Venice, I recommend exploring the city for its natural beauty rather than just in museums, opera houses, and restaurants.