21 May Geppetto in the Ghetto
Venice may have been a fish, but I was grumpy. Hunger and a lack of sleep are the typical culprits behind my bad moods, and I was beleaguered by both. Not to mention, the cost of going to Venice (roughly €200 between rooms and transportation) for only a night, mixed with the prospect of not riding in a gondola, made me question why I had even left Florence to begin with. Had I not gotten homework done on the train, I would’ve considered the day wasted.
The excursion was thrown together a little haphazardly, evidenced by differing train schedules, lost colleagues, and general confusion. Not a great way to begin a stay in a foreign city. Plus, the invasive influence of tourists and foreigners on the city was a little repulsive to me, to say the least. I know that’s like the pot calling the kettle black, but I feel that the purpose of our travels has been to assimilate into the culture at large, nor adulterate it with hallmarks of our own.
Initially, after the rooming situations were decided upon, the plan was to meet the others (who were staying in another hotel) at s basilica and explore the city before having dinner and becoming privy to Venice’s night life.
Seeing another religiously-affiliated building did not sit well with me, as I had already seen a lifetime’s worth of churches and shit within the first couple days. Needless to say, I wasn’t too enthused.
I journeyed over with Mary and Mindy for a little while, while I searched for a quick snack to ride me over until dinner. Unsatisfied with what I saw, I splintered from the group and started my way back to the hotel. I stopped at a small convenience store where I picked up a soda, some Pringles, and a panini, which I took to the room I shared with Phil, to devour.
After a brief nap, which helped my cause greatly, Phil and I reconvened with Gabby and Jamie and decided to explore Venice on our own terms. Not to mention that the trip would’ve been a total waste had we not taken advantage of any opportunity to see something new and exciting.
We were all of the opinion that Venice would be best explored on foot. True, we could have seen much more of the city, in a shorter amount of time, had we taken a watercraft, but if we did that, our explorations would have been limited to mere surveillance and reconnaissance. Through our feet we became extensions of the city itself.
Alleyways provided perfect opportunities for photos and to remove ourselves from the environments replete with tourist traps, crowds, and sensory overload; instead, we searched for quieter and more authentic Venice we knew was hidden away somewhere.
Cozy souvenir shops, “urban coves” where people likely “hooked up,” children playing in the street after a day at school, awe-inspiring views, and provocative graffiti were among the amazing things we came across in our travels. We even got to see the OG ghettos (where the name/term came from), marked by the signature ironworks.
Air, heavily-laden with musk, piss, shit, fish, and scents from restaurants, provided a perfectly complementary “aromatic soundtrack” to our explorations of the city.
All of the wandering we did worked up a bit of an appetite in each of us, so we settled on eating in a hole-in-the-wall we found in a labyrinth of alleyways and dead-ends. The food was pretty scrumptious, especially the the bread and spaghetti. Unfortunately, the beef patties were pretty ass. As Jamie put it, “They tasted like you’d get them from a Save-A-Lot.”
We retired to our respective rooms to finish assignments, relax, shower, or do whatever we needed to do.
After our brief siesta(s), our group went into the rain in search of a pharmacy. They were all closed, sadly. So we opted for window shopping and indulging in some obviously falso gelato, for curiosity’s sake.
Phil wanted to show Jamie and Gabby the film, Brick, but the site wouldn’t buffer quickly enough and the video itself was sped up, making it even more incomprehensible. We decided to just watch Forrest Gump on Netflix to end the evening.
