One Sweet Venitian Ride How about a nice steaming dish of bloggeroni right now? Good, because that is what the chef is serving up from the Tuscan heartland. We have been in Italy now for five days yet it has seemed so much longer. Our first destination was Venice which I aim to write about now. The city did not feel real with how scenic and picturesque it was. In Venice there are no cars, buses, vespas, roller skates or skate boards. There are no roads: only ambling pedestrian walk ways and tiny bridges that link them. The only mode of transportation are feet and ferry boats. Included with those ferry boats are the sleek and aerodynamic looking Gondolas that appear to cut through the water with the sharpness and ease of a razor's edge. The Gondolas of course are the famed and iconic canoe like vessels that glide through the myriad of canals that abound through Venice and interconnect it like the silken strings of a spider web. Whether you are just going for a ride by yourself, as a couple or as a group, it is basically mandatory to feel the magic of Venice, morning, noon or night.

The canals, bridges and narrow lanes have a mostly quiet and back alley feeling and divide buildings of historic architecture of varying stages of decay or repair. The streets and canals change names every 20 feet and only sometimes have a street number. Italians, and just about every other nationality on this trip that we have encountered, give directions about as good as a 5 month old baby, with a lot of grunting, non-distinct gesturing motions and facial expressions suggesting an overall sentiment of constipation. With that said, Miriam and I got lost with every intention over and over again and it was amazing.

Literally, every inch of the the tiny island city was worthy of a picture. The buildings which lined the grand canal, (major water way which snaked through the main island) had ground level doors with steps descending into water. Some doors looked like they were only inches above the water line. Add to that mix the as per usual centuries old European/Gothic architecture and you have one recipe for photogenic splendor.

The highlight for me were the Gondolas and their striped shirt wearing, straw hat sporting navigators. Due to the popularity of their rides, the Gondola boats and their drivers were everywhere and seemed to have banded together to charge a standard rate of 80 Euros or $115 for 40 minutes. Pretty steep, but as I have found on this trip, most of Western Europe is. More often we saw couples enjoying leisurely and romantic cruises, a couple of individuals who could not resist the solo ride and some groups of people who got together to the split the cost.

M and I decided to wait until after sunset to take our ride. After much searching and bargaining, we settled on an honest enough seeming Venetian who came down 10 euro from his price. We ambled our ways onto the narrow and jet black gondola, made it to the little love seat and settled in. The ride was simply ridiculous. We started off on the grand canal and our gondolier (this word actually exists, believe it or not) quickly made for the less frequented canals. Darkness had set in, and shrouded our ride with a quiet and eerie calm. The light from lanterns and windows cast enough shine for us to see while it played off of the waters surface. Our gondolier's skills were immediately felt as he gracefully made his way around impossibly tight corners, sparing only centimeters, while he effortlessly stabbed through the canal water with his oar. Down one stretch there was no light at all, and there was only our gentle glide and the sound of the Venetian tide lapping against the sides of our tiny boat. It honestly did not feel real and it is something I hope to never forget. Another incredible and spiritual thing occurred that night, but that part of the story can be told later.

I cannot say everything was peaches and cream unfortunately. No, Miriam and I did not get into any spats involving flying gelato or portions of lasagna to the face. However with the city's beauty and grandiose charm comes the raucous hoards of tourists, of which we are apart. The groups, crowds, lines, tours and fanny packs made navigating a little challenging, and on the second night, Miriam and I simply elected to hang out in Mestre, which was just outside Venice and where our Hotel Villa Dori was located. There we were able to experience Italy for the first time from a completely local level, and it was great, having just as much charm and splendor from a different perspective. We are just finishing up our time in Florence and leaving for the last city of this journey, Rome.  ¶ 10:26 AM