Venice - Beautiful Confusion

We arrive in Venice around 7pm. We jump off the train and right outside there's the vaporetto - a boat /bus that's the major form of public transportation there. It was actually quite refreshing to not see a single car. Anywhere. It makes the city much quieter - even the boats don't make the same amount of noise that the cars do.

Thanks to a very nice woman we met on the train who let us use her internet, we were able to make it to the general area of our hostel. This journey, however, was a bit tougher due to the fact that we had to lug the suitcases up and down several bridges. This only slightly detracted from the mystique of the sheer fact that we were surrounded by canals and gorgeous architecture unlike anything else we'd seen so far. After a bit of wandering....actually a lot of wandering...we cried uncle and whipped out the iPhone to call our hostel. That's when things got really good!

About five minutes later, a lanky, long haired gentleman arrived to rescue us, crying "Ashely?" pretending not to see three clearly confused American females a bit weary of lugging our bags. (I'm on a bridge was henceforth the battle cry in Venice) With a thick Italian inflection and pale skin, he of course reminded me of the Volturi - yes I know, forever the Twihard (for my mom and dad, a twihard is a fan of the twilight book series about vampires). Our personal vampire proceeded to take ashley's brokeback suitcase (the second one she'd broken this trip) and escort us to our hostel just around the corner. Of course we felt like idiots. Ca'riccio matched the vampire-esq atmosphere. Exposed brick, slanted ceilings and wooden planks supporting the just a bit too low ceiling made for a über Venezian atmosphere. I loved it! A great and affordable more guesthouse than hostel place to stay among the typically overpriced options in Venice.

We went around the corner to grab dinner, and unfortunately encountered food just a bit too authentic for our liking. The extremely strong seafood-y taste offended my taste buds a bit and I left less than satisfied and a bit irritated. What followed will be saved for another entry dedicated mostly to self reflection and acceptance.

The next morning, Meghan and I decided to wander. I was relinquishing control of the agenda completely and totally and felt relaxed for the first time. We wandered around the Rialto bridge shopping area, and boarded a vaporetto to head to St Marks square. We took photos, people watched, and enjoyed a very reasonable lunch - a gem in a city like Venice - complete with a boot of beer.

Feeling extremely relaxed, we headed to the Peggy Guggenheim museum up the street. I don't particularly care for modern art but I heard there was a Chagall there so of course I wanted to go!! Can we talk for a minute about our friend Peggy? She was a bit off. All 14 of her dogs with names like madam butterfly and capuccino (and I'm pretentious when it comes to dogs dad?) are buried in her garden and comemmorated on a marble plaque. None were pugs so of course I lost interest there fast. Next to the dog memorial there's a tree, where visitors write their wishes and put them on the tree. In my opinion this is likely related to the way that Peggy fulfilled the wishes not only of the artists but of the consumers of the art. I wished for God to watch over my mom as she begins radiation treatment for breast cancer next week. After some tears stemming from feeling like a neglectful daughter for being in Europe and not at home, we were off to explore the museum. She has some great pieces in addition to the Chagall - Dali, Picasso and the like, the majority with roots in war torn Europe. The museum itself is a gorgeous palazzo on the canal - amazing views! On the terrace on the canal she has a sculpture of a young boy, naked, on a horse, and it turns out his male parts used to be detachable, as Peggy would remove the male 'junk' as necessary whenever the Pope would be passing by. Bottom line? As I said, she's just a bit off, but as a major patron of the arts in a highly contentious part of history she played a valuable role.

Once we were done wandering the museum, it was back to the vaporetto to get lost on the little streets of Venice again. What a great way to enjoy the city! One thing I have noticed is the massive amounts of graffiti everywhere across France and Italy. Not sure if it is gang related or just teens messing around or a bit of both, but as a Baltimore resident if I am struck by the amount of graffiti, well, that says something. Food for thought. Then it was dinner at a much more enjoyable restaurant. Gnocchi and caprese salad was pretty much my diet in Italia, and this place did not disappoint. Alessandro, our server, was a lovebug - your typical Italian male - need I say more? After two bottles of wine, the three of us danced our way home, stopping for sangria en route.

On our last day of freedom before heading to Munich to get our learn on, we got our luggage in order (easier said than done) and headed to the Jewish ghetto in Venice. Here's some background on this important area:

Venice's relationship with its longtime Jewish community fluctuated over time from acceptance to tolerance, with attitudes often influenced by the fear that Jewish moneylenders and merchants would infiltrate other sectors of the republic's commerce under a government that thrived on secrecy and control.In 1516, 700 Jews were forced to move to a then-remote northwestern corner of Venice, to an abandoned site of a 14th-century foundry. The word "ghetto," soon used throughout Europe for isolated minority groups, originated in Venice: ghetto is old Venetian dialect for "foundry."
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/venice-ghetto.htm)

When on March 29th, 1516 the Government of the Serenissima Repubblica issued special laws, the first Ghetto of Europe was instituted. It was an area where Jews were forced to live and which they could not leave from sunset to dawn. The area was closed by gates watched by guards and up till now the marks of the hinges are visible there. Jews were allowed to practice only some professions: they were doctors, because they were the most prepared and able to understand Arab writings, money lenders, because Catholic religion forbade this practice, merchants and "strazzarioli", ragsellers. The Ghetto existed for more than two and a half centuries, until Napoleon conquered Venice and finally opened and eliminated every gate (1797): Jews were finally free to live in other areas of the city. (http://www.ghetto.it/ghetto/en/contenuti.asp?padre=1&figlio=1)

We visited the museum there: Museo Communità Ebraica. We toured the synagogues that are not currently in use, and also got some firsthand accounts about changes that have occurred within the community over the years. A few things struck me about this neighborhood, most obviously the tranquility that characterized it. Other areas of Venice are all hustle and bustle tourist traps, but this area was quiet, serene, clean, and free of the aforementioned graffiti for the most part. After the museum, we had a delish kosher lunch at a cafe, relaxed in the quiet sunshine, and watched the kids as they came home from school and flooded the square with laughter and activity. What a refreshing change of pace!!! I mulled over the concept of ghetto that originated in this very spot. Originally the term was coined to describe an area where a population was unable to leave due to their differences with the majority population. Too often I characterize parts of Baltimore as ghetto, not realizing the deeply historic roots of this concept. How do todays ghettos differ from those of the 1500's? More importantly, how are they similar? Particularly, how are the members of todays ghettos trapped not unlike the members of ghettos past? What forces work to continue that cycle and how can the dysfunction be broken? We did some shopping at a store selling murano glass blown by the shops owner. She was a very kind old woman with soft eyes more than willing to talk our ear off about the community she had belonged to since childhood. I forget sometimes how much I value the Jewish culture as a whole - they are beautifully resilient. My best friend Jackie is a shining example of this.

Needing some time to process, it was back to the vaporetto. We rode ALL OVER THE PLACE, seeing Murano and Lido islands as well as the other side of the island that was primarily a modest residential area. Then we grabbed dinner on the canal and sold a small piece of our firstborn for a gondola ride. The mystic atmosphere of the canals at sunset were well worth it. Then we boarded a train bound for Munich - our first train where we slept in the sleeper cars. We'll skip the gory details and just leave readers with the picture of three very narrow beds attached to the wall less that 2 feet apart from one another along with three suitcases and a sink area in a 6x6 room......

Munich - here we come!!!