Venice. . . At Night. . .

Don't get me wrong.  Venice was beautiful in the day time.  During the daytime in Venice, you can lose yourself in the details, in the small stuff, you can stare at Mosaics and Carvings for hours on end, you can stare wistfully out to sea.  At night - it's a little bit different.  I was wary of Venice when we got there, hearing stories of pick pocketers, etc, however when I got there, I actually did feel completely at ease, and not restless and anxious as I normally do in crowded areas.  The ONLY time I was at all uncomfortable was when we were trying to eat lunch, and the waiters were out in front of their restaurants, very aggressively trying to persuade us to go inside their establishment and eat.  At night, the stores light up, and we were lucky enough to see some of the Natale (Christmas) lights come on.  At night, the vendors are still out hocking their goods, but they add glow in the dark, which somehow makes it a little more fun.  At night, you lose sight of the decay, of the dirt, of the trash.

When we got to Venice, it was about noon - by the time we left, it was after 6pm - which was perfect for witnessing a glorious, "typical" Venetian sunset, with hot pink and orange clouds against a pastel blue sky.  The shop lights all came on, and suddenly what was not necessarily so clear in the daytime became outright vibrant at night.

People move a little quicker at night, but as ever, they are stuck in "Venetian" time - which means absolutely nothing compared to real time.  After we disembarked from our Gondola, we asked how far it was back to the parking garage.  We were told it was just a 10 minute walk, so we decided to hoof it, rather than wait and catch another water bus (and save ourselves $28 in fares).  By walking, we were able to see the inside of the islands, away from the canals.  

While we were walking, we noticed that both the shops and the masks they were selling seemed to be getting much more intricate.  You can buy the most amazing masks - some plastic and cheap, the good ones are paper mache, and not cheap. . . but all are beautiful!   This was the one souvenir I allowed myself besides the multitudes of pictures taken - I mean, who can go to Venice and not want a mask of their own?  

We interacted with the merchants (usually trying to bargain with them, without success ...), and we walked, and we walked, and we walked some more.  What was supposedly a 10 minute walk, and after twenty minutes we stopped again and asked - this time we were told it was only a 5 minute walk, and so we kept walking for OVER AN HOUR!  

That was the longest 10 minute walk of my life.  BUT, despite being crazy cold, I don't regret a step of it!  Had we not walked, we would have never have seen any of the inside of the islands, and we would have nothing to complain about!!!  Now, I can appreciate it, and whine at the same time.  

If possible, I would highly suggest taking in Venice at night.  Venice at night, on a warm evening I imagine would be pretty close to perfection.  Be it by Bus, Gondola or foot, it is worth it.  Make the effort - you won't be sorry!

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