Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Venice Waterblogged Part Two (in Venice)


I arrived at my hostel and walked up the stairs to the level the rooms were on. It was basically a floor of an old palace remade into a hostel. I payed for my stay and talked to the owner a bit. He asked "Where are you from?" "United States." He looked at me and said "Hm. You don't have an American accent." I looked at him really confused and he said he was from Australia and that I must have picked up an accent in Italy. I attributed it to the fact that I had just been listening to and speaking in Italian with the man that showed me where the hostel was. I tend to accidentally mimic accents. The tweak in my speech soon went away though as I talked with other Americans in the hostel. My room was with 7 other girls. 4 bunk beds were set up in a large room with one bathroom attached. I chose a bed and set down my stuff.

The thing about traveling alone is that it makes you come out of your shell. It's like the first week the freshman year of college. You realize your need to connect with people and therefore being shy must be put on hold. I found this to be true in the hostel as well. I walked out and joined a group of people at the table. Introductions followed, and we all learned the others' home countries, why they were in Venice, and how long they had been traveling. There was a mix of Aussies, Brits, Canadians, and Americans. I have not heard so much English in such a long time. I must admit it was nice. I connected well with a small group and we talked of deep things like friendship, religion, and the difference between being buzzed and being drunk (ok so the last one isn't so deep but they felt the need to educate me seeing as I've never been drunk). I also met a man from Turkey, Meshnin, who had just rode on the deck of a ferry for 30 hours to reach Italy. He was into making commercials and also making short clips to raise awareness for human rights and treating the Earth with care. We talked about the Middle East, the film business, dreads (he had his dreads for 5 years), and family. In the middle of our conversation he pulled out a little silver box and rolled his own cigarette, filter and all. Meshnin
the tobacco he had was organic and contained much less toxins.
He offered me one but I said no thanks.

That night we all went out. I met a girl, Rafa, and we talked for a bit. She happened to be sleeping on the bunk above me, and we decided to explore the city together the next day. We exchanged stories of the boys we missed and made plans to get up early the next day.
Rafa and I spent 10 hours on foot exploring the city. We rode on a 50 cent gondola across the canal, explored San Marco's Cathedral, and took water buses to the neighboring islands. For lunch we decided to be cheap and go to the supermarket. Our purchases? A can of pringles, tortilla chips, cream cheese, pickles, chocolate, and tea. It was glorious.

It was so nice to have someone to explore the city with. I was getting weary of doing things alone. We saw many beautiful, and hilarious things (like a monk playfully whipping someone with the rope tied around his waist).

Venice is a beautiful city. I don't think there is any place like it. However, it's not the kind of place you would live or spend more than a few days in. But those few days will be unforgettable,
I can tell you that.

The train ride back was good. I have certain songs that are perfect for trips alone on the train. They just feel like train rides to me. I met up with the family in Verona. We went to a beautiful restaurant and attempted to explore a bit. However, the rain came down like it was trying to push us out of it's city, and so we conceded and left for home. I hope to go back to Verona (Romeo and Juliet's city).

I feel so blessed to be on these adventures. Every once and I while I will catch a glance at my reflection in a window when I am out and am surprised that it is my image looking back at me. I would never have imagined that I would get to go to Venice, let alone Italy. God takes good care of me when there are no other resources. In fact, He provides way more than I could ever hope for.


Peace in Christ








My Train Songs:

Skinny Love by Bon Iver
Paper Planes by M..I.A.
Mademoiselle by Berry
Colgando en Tus Manos by Carlos Baute and Marta Sanchez
Falling in Love in a Coffee Shop by Landon Pigg
Say Hey (I Love You) by Spearhead
Me Voy by Julieta Venegas
Quelqu'un M'a Dit by Carla Bruni
Keep Breathing by Ingrid Michealson
Punkrocker by Sandi Thom
Another Way to Die by Alicia Keys (yes this is the James Bond theme song)
Knock You Down by Keri Helson
Waving Flag by K'Naan (the one ft. Nancy Ajram is my favorite)
Ciega, Sorda, Muda by Shakira

No comments:

Post a Comment