Snapshots of Venice

There are always a few photos that don't seem to fit in anywhere. They're just snapshots you took as you enjoy a place...not a particular destination or landmark, just a taste of the local flavor. 

I love these kinds of photos. And in Venice I took a lot of them, because it is really a place you visit just to see. Its extraordinarily beautiful, and the lack of cars is quite refreshing. Warning: overabundance of Venetian canal photos ahead!

The other thing you might notice about this post that is different from the rest is the nifty filter I used on all the photos. If there is one thing Instagram has taught me, is that you can fool most people into thinking your ordinary photo is supercool if it has a nifty filter on it. Filter = Instant fake coolness. We're all about that here, at RBF.

Regis wanted to get in on the instagram action.
#Regisrules #Justchillinginvenice #nobigdeal

(He tells me that hashtags make you legit)

Oh look! An artsy photo of a lamppost! I am well on my way to hipsterism. 

Ok, bringin it back to reality. Brittany and I getting a stranger to take a touristy photo of us. And I look like a dork. All my instagram coolness has just evaporated. 

But the coolness of this clock tower makes up for it...right? Plus bonus cool points because of how instagramish it looks.

And here is a real life merchant in Venice selling his wares from a boat dubbed "Mario I". Amazing. 

Walking around San Marco Piazza...cool ceiling!

A canal. Love it.

A wall of freaky Venetian masks. Don't love it quite so much. 

Sightseeing while riding the vapretto to our hostel. Beautiful!

We found this "photobooth" graffitied onto a street wall. That little box by Brit's elbow basically said we should take our photos there and post it on a the internet somewhere (#ifoundaphotoboothinvenice?), but I don't really remember. It was weird. 

An alleyway without a canal! 

The Rialto Bridge! With a big advertisement on it! Hooray!

Hot, tired, and full from feasting on cherries that Brit bought at the Rialto Market and couldn't finish. 

#filtersmakemyphotosfakeawesome #ididn'tactuallytakethisphoto #brithasabettercamerathanido #itsnotmyfaultimpoor #icouldhavetakenthisphotoifihadagoodcamera #iamimpressedifyouarestillreadingthis

A Visit to the Rialto Market

I always love visiting a farmer's market. Its a unique shopping experience, especially if you happen to be visiting one in a country with a different language!

Brittany, looking very tired-yet-excited to be shopping at an outdoor market.

On our last day in Venice we made the necessary visit to the Rialto market, to explore the sights and delicious flavors!

I saw things I have never seen before or since. Like these spotty pink beans.

And some familiar favorites. I definitely bought a good amount of deeelicious sundried tomatoes.

Some things I left alone.

Others looked tasty and tempting!

There was a great variety of goods available, and the displays were lovely.

This was my favorite. I wanted to try them all!

I'm not as passionate about leafy greens, but they still looked good.

These looked....interesting!

Ok, so I typically don't like the look/smell/taste of seafood, but this is undeniably appealing to me. Don't you just want to poke the center??

It being an island, there tended to be a lot of seafood.

If you are ever in Venice you should definitely check it out and interact with a few of the real locals (an endangered species) of the city. Prices are cheap, and the goods are fresh and tasty (the edible ones, anyway). The Rialto Market operates Monday-Saturday, 8-Noon, and has been running for about...1,000 years. No big deal.

Adventures in The Ghetto

There are many different neighborhoods in Venice, and one day we ventured into what is known as the "Jewish Ghetto", which sounds far worse than it is!

As with most old European cities, there was a time when Jews were forced to live in certain "contained" areas, but these days its mostly just defined by frequent kebab shop sightings and a few historical buildings.

The reason for our visit was perhaps a little dubious. We were feeling a little tired and jaded from a day of being complete and utter tourists, and wanted to see something a little off the beaten path.

Our trusty Let's Go: Europe 2011 has promised me a gem located in the ghetto...I thought it sounded too funny to pass up. It took a bit of exploring to find it, but eventually we stumbled into the tiny closet-like liquor store!

The other merchant of Venice...

Welcome to Nave De Oro, where you can buy regional wines by the liter! That is, if you brought your own container! No joke, this photo pretty much sums it up. You walk in, and this delight of a man will fill whatever vessel you brought along with the wine of your choice. We brought our water bottles! Our wonderful host didn't bat an eye, and even recommended wines to us because we are clueless. I got a pinot noir (which was absolutely delish, btw), and Brit got a white (which neither of us enjoyed). We paid 3.10 EURO for the lot...unbelievably economical! THIS is budget travel at its finest, my friends.

"Secretly" drinking in public :P

To top off this wonderful evening, we discovered a nameless pizza/kebab joint with THE BEST pizza I have ever tasted! For 2.50 EURO/slice! Unreal steal of a deal! It was located on Salizada S. Fosca for any interested parties, but apart from that I have no idea how to identify it. We ate a ridiculous amount of mouthwateringly delicious pizza, and giggled while we drank from our "water" bottles...so sneaky.

It took us a while to find the right vapretto stop to get us back to our hostel, and we both found the rocking motion strangely more violent than usual. But the views of the sunset were amazing, and we were both in a pleasant, relaxed mood...

We ended the day by dangling our legs over the canal outside our hostel, enjoying the lights of beautiful Venice by night.

Regis was a little tipsy.

Islands of Venice

Did you know that Venice is a collection of 117 different islands? This is what Let's Go: Europe 2011 tells me, anyway. Its not hard to believe, considering that canals operate as roads, and boats as cars.

On our first morning in Venice we decided to take a tour to see some of the surrounding islands. For 20 EURO (15 for students), we were ferried to Murano, Burrano, and Torcello and learned of their ways.

With a population of 5,000, Murano is best known for its glass-making. Our first stop was to visit one of these glass-making factories.

The glass is heated in a huge furnace.

The glassmaker twirled the rod to stretch or twist the molten glass.

We observed the glass-makers heat the glass on the end of a stick, and then with great skill using small tools, they molded it quick as a flash into incredibly intricate figurines. I believe the one we saw was a horse.

This glassmaker blew into the end of the stick to inflate the glass. It might have become a bowl or vase.

The finished products are vibrant and quite beautiful! Trinkets like necklaces and figurines can be purchased from almost any street vendor in Venice, but in the fancier shops you can see gorgeous chandeliers, goblets, and other decorative objects. I didn't have a chance to take a clear photo of any finished products, so I'll let Google images tell you what Murano glass looks like.

Murano glass vases. Photo found here.

Murano glass pendants such as you would see for sale at street vendors.
Photo credit: www.dhluxuries.com

Also check out this link to see some amazing Murano glass vases!

Our next stop was the neighboring island of Burano, known for its handmade lace, and...

...its brightly painted homes! (Inspiration for Murano glass?)

Let's Go tells me this is said to have begun when the island was primarily a fishing village, and the fisherman would paint their homes distinctive colors so they could tell which was theirs as they were sailing home.

I love it. You can't help but grin when you see all the ridiculous colors, especially when adjoined houses are painted in an atrociously bad combination! It reminded me a bit of Ireland, actually!

Our last stop on the tour was the far away island of Torcello. It was much quieter, and actually quite peaceful because not many tourists bothered to go out that far.

A pretty windowframe on Torcello.

We were on a tight time schedule (didn't want to get left behind there!), so we literally just walked the length of the island, snapped some photos, and headed back. It was very scenic there, and I really liked it.

The cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta.

Wikipedia tells me that Ernest Hemingway spent some time on Torcello writing Across the River and Into the Trees.

The other island we visited (on a different day) was Lido, which is only a short vapretto ride from San Marco.

Approaching Lido

It is smaller than Venice, less touristed, and has a great public beach! This is a fact I wish I had known when we came, because I did not bring my bathingsuit! Apparently Italian beaches and I just can't get it together. If I were to go back to Venice one day, I would definitely spend more time on Lido and its wonderful beach.

The Tourists

While our trip to Venice did not include a debonair Johnny Depp, mysterious masked ball, or a high speed Vapretto chase, it was still pretty cool.

Brit captures our "just-off-the-train" enthusiasm!

Its been fun to go back over the photos again after two years...I was strongly reminded of my last impression of Venice. My conclusion was that there is not a lot to do in Venice (unless you're really into museums and church cathedrals), but by golly it is worth going to see.

Sunburnt and sweaty...I'm ready to see Venny! 

I am not a photographer by any means. But there was plenty of opportunity here for great photos, and artists seemed to flock to the city to take capture the beauty of the city with all kinds of mediums.

Artist drawing on the Rialto Bridge.

There are practically no cars in Venice! Once off the bus, your only modes of transportation are your own two feet, or the ever-confusing vapretto system...the water taxis! While this seemed novel and exciting at first, it did become the most frustrating part of our visit to Venice. You would think that as a city that is practically inhabited solely by tourists that do not speak Italian, they would have this public transportation thing down to a science. Nope. Confusion reigned supreme, and all you could do was hope you were in the right queue and the vapretto would take you where you thought it would.

The same goes for signage.

win-win? 

The nice thing about being lost in Venice, is that no matter where you are, its going to be very scenic. And you could be lost for a very long time because what few locals there are will not be your biggest fans, so pull out that camera, wander, and enjoy it.

The Grand Canal in the early evening. 

You will see some very strange things as you wander the streets. Such as very large pizzas, and chefs who do not believe you should take pictures of it without buying it.

We never rode in a gondola because they were very expensive, but we saw plenty of them around! Some were very basic, other quite lavish with costumed gondoliers who might serenade you as they guide you through the romantic canals.

Piazza San Marco was the main hub of tourist activity. We did not pay to go inside any of the large buildings, but fully appreciated their exteriors.

It was a perfectly lovely city to see, and we did find some fun things to do, as you will see in upcoming posts...