Venice. We spent basically three full days there, which was sufficient to see the city and the nearby islands of interest. Rob and I plan to do a more complete tour of Italy someday, centering around Rome, and Venice could not conveniently be included in that itinerary. So having the cruise depart from Venice on this trip worked out nicely. I feel that we toured it well and do not need to go back. I very much enjoyed being there, though.

Expectations certainly affect one's perception of a new place, which is something I saw most clearly on this trip. There were several places, which I'll describe in future posts, that we did not have high expectations for. Or, really, just didn't have any expectations for. And those turned out to be the ones we enjoyed the most.

For Venice, I had tempered expectations - unlike, I suspect, most people who visit Venice. I went knowing that the place is a tourist town. Sometimes, in fact, visitors outnumber residents. The city is clearly tailored to tourists - for example, every waiter we encountered spoke at least five languages: Italian, Spanish, French, German, and English. And many restaurants offered a "Tourist Menu." I knew to expect typical tourist trappings, and I think this understanding enabled me to appreciate Venice despite that. I also had read Elizabeth Gilbert's description of Venice as gray, drab, and depressing. I had braced myself for that, although it certainly was not my experience at all. We had gorgeous blue skies for most of our time there, but I can see how the buildings might fade to gray under an overcast sky.

One criticism I do have, however, is the lack of inviting public spaces. There are plenty of plazas, to be sure. But most welcomed nothing more than to walk on through - no benches or fountains or a reason to stop and enjoy. Also, there was very little green space, and the few spots that we found were not well maintained. I couldn't help but compare this to London's plentiful and manicured parks and lawns that were always packed with people. The plazas in Venice, with a few exceptions, were pretty much empty except for people passing through.

Regardless, we found Venice a delightful place to wander. No vehicles of any kind are permitted - it is a pedestrian city. All the guidebooks call it a labyrinth and suggest you tuck away your map and just explore, which is basically what we did. The streets were significantly less busy on the weekdays we were there than during the weekend. But even on Saturday, crowds weren't a problem when we stayed off the beaten path.

Like anywhere in Europe, one of the most striking things about Venice is the architecture. A building so exquisitely ornate that it would be celebrated as a destination here in the States is but one of hundreds in Venice. And to think how old those buildings are sorta blows your mind. Most cathedrals kept their doors open, and we always popped in for a quick peek. I like the moment of stepping from a bustling street into the hushed interior of a holy place. It's an immediate shift for the senses - the elaborately decorated sanctuary is dark, cool, silent, and has that slightly musty smell of old things. I like to think of the many high-ceiling capsules of cool, quiet contemplation sprinkled throughout the busy city.

We spent the majority of our time in Venice roaming the streets, strolling down alley after alley, never sure where we were about to end up. (Surely our most commonly spoken phrase in Venice was, "Wait...have we been here before?") That was my favorite part, I think - not knowing what we were going to find around the bend. The street we're on might open into a huge plaza or bring us to a bridge or lead us to the door of a looming cathedral. Sometimes, we turned a corner only to come to a stop at the edge of a canal. It was delightful. And the one guarantee was that whatever awaited you, it would be lovely to behold.

Click to see the entire gallery.

(Despite the abundant beauty of Venice, Rob and I were frustrated in our attempts to photograph the place. We never felt we did it justice. I'm sure the failure lies with us, but I would also argue that Venice is one of those places in which seeing a photograph cannot even begin to approach the experience of standing in the street. You are literally surrounded by views at every step, and it's the cumulative effect that is so stunning.)