Venice, Italy
We arrived in Venice today, which was a city that I’ve been exited about, but also one that I’ve feared going to because of the tourist crowds. Apparently, it wasn’t as crowded as usual—I found that hard to believe.
Our walking tour was fascinating, and the guest guide we had paced things very well, so I didn’t have to exert myself too much (yet). It shocked me how narrow the streets are; we learned that they actually served as back streets, while the waterways were the accessible streets for centuries.
Fact: I have a fear of bodies of water (even pools). So I had to face that head-on when we went on our gondola ride. Truthfully, it wasn’t as horrible as I expected, except for the abrupt turbulence. I’m still thinking about how there’s only one woman gondolier in Venice, and that irks me, but is also encouraging.
The exertion came when we had to run across the city to the train before it left. This was by far the most energy-consuming part of this trip. Nevertheless, I’m grateful to our tour guide for tolerating us. I’m especially slow and drag behind everyone else, so just him being able to get us there on time was a miracle.
I’ve noticed that there aren’t many restrooms in Italy, which confounds me to no end. Do Italians never use them? Are they too dehydrated from all that wine? And what about all that pasta they eat? They just might be superhuman (at least that’s my analysis).
We’re not going to mention the wrath of my overactive bladder today, but just know that it was rough. Is it because we were surrounded by water?
