All Venice Needs is a Ferris Wheel

Venice in August is a theme park.  You bus in from the airport.  It drops you at the Palazzo Roma, where every other bus unloads hundreds of tourists per hour.  You wait in line.  You pay too much for a ticket.  You get on the first ride, a ferry that takes you down the grand canal.  Wee!  The wind blows through your hair.  You take pictures of the pretty buildings.  The ferry stops and everyone disembarks for the plaza.  You buy a souvenir from one of the many kiosks lining the streets, maybe a gondilier hat or a postcard.  You walk around St. Mark’s, eavesdropping on tours conducted in Korean, Spanish and German (not all at once).  You eat gelato.  You get back in line.  Someone’s kid is throwing a tantrum in Dutch.  You give the parents a half smile.  What ride next?  A ferry around the perimeter of the island?  A ride in the gondolier?  A private water taxi to the next square?

The truth is, I loved it.  It was August, hot, crowded, touristy, and gimmicky at times (do the gondolier guys really need to wear those hats?  The same ones they sell at the tourist stands?).  But the city is amazing.  I knew I wouldn’t have a chance to see Venice again for some time, so I took it.  If you can look beyond the trappings of the high season, you can imagine what Venice must be like in the spring or fall.  The winding back alleys, quiet nooks and ancient buildings, framing a leisurely walk to lunch.  An afternoon nap on a gondola as you slowly drift through silent canals.  An evening glass of wine overlooking a plaza where couples walk, pigeons casting off in their wake.

Someday, I have to bring my husband here.  Preferably not in August.