This past weekend, the group and I made the three and a half bus ride over to Venice. We then had to take a boat to get to the place we were staying, seeing as you can only get so far before cars disappear and all transportation is done via the Venetian Canals. We left around 8:00 on Friday morning and arrived at our hostel in the early afternoon. From there on out, we went on long walking tours, ate more Italian food, went to the beach, explored the shopping, soaked up the sun, sweat a lot, and tried to observe as much of the culture as we could. After a busy weekend, we loaded back onto the boat to head back to Florence. However, we stopped at two other Islands first, where we witnessed an amazing glass blowing demonstration and saw the beautiful lace that Burano is famous for. After an hour and a half boat ride, followed by a 3 and a half hour bus ride, we finally safely arrived back to Florence. As amazing as it was to see such a beautiful place, I think we were all ready to get back to Florence at the conclusion of the weekend.
One of the most notable things about the people that I’ve encountered in both Florence and Venice is the way they dress. Although the styles and fashion aren’t all that different from that of the United States, it always surprises me when I see locals walking around comfortably in pants or long sleeves, while I’m struggling to keep coherent in the heat while wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Of course they are used to the heat seeing as they live here. However, during my summers in Cincinnati, it is also equally as hot and just as humid if not more so. Wouldn’t that mean that I would adjust? Not at all. I struggle through the heat of a Cincinnati summer and can think of nothing more miserable than wearing pants when it’s over 70 degrees. The Italians are very comfortable with the heat and never seem show any signs of being bothered by how hot it is. We have been told that air conditioning isn’t as common over here, which could explain why they have adjusted so well. That being said, I can’t imagine living here year round and managing to wear pants into July without being absolutely miserable. A very interesting thing to encounter.
Making purchases in Italy has been nothing but an interesting task thus far. Regardless of whether I’m buying a piece of pizza or a piece of jewelry, “easy” is not a word I would use in describing my spending. First, there is the obvious difference in currency. Although it’s easy to act as if you’re using American money, those you are buying from are very particular about what bills you use and if you have any change. I can’t count the number of times I have handed them a dollar bill, whether it be a 5, 10, 20, or 50, and they have immediately asked if I had change instead. Maybe they all just seem to be short on “change”- I don’t know. I was just very fascinated at how often they requested that we use coins, when a majority of us in America absolutely hate carrying or using change. I will say that the 1 and 2 Euro coins come in handy and it’s always a nice surprise to find them at the bottom of my wallet when buying gelato!
One of the most interesting conversations that I had was actually with a German boy. While sitting next to him, we struck up a simple conversation and found out where each other was from. He was a 17 year old high school student. While talking to this boy, I asked many questions about both Germany and Europe in general. I also asked him about his impression of Americans and what he thinks of those from the United States. His response was very, very surprising. He told me that Americans often come across “overly” polite and are always saying things such as “sorry” or “excuse me” and actually described this behavior as annoying. I was beyond shocked to hear this, because it’s not very often that you hear of us Americans being “overly” polite; I would actually assume they thought quite the contrary of us. That being said, I have begun to more understand what he was referring to. While on the many “boat buses” throughout Venice, the bus would be extremely crowded and many of us would have to stand. I constantly found myself apologizing to those I would brush against with my bag or those that I was in the way of. I was very surprised to find that those around me did not do the same. I was constantly bumped into, sometimes harder than others, and would get nothing but a look saying “get out of my way” rather than an “excuse me” or a look of apology. Would I consider myself overly friendly? Polite is the word. If you find it annoying, I will do nothing but apologize again, which will probably annoy you further…forgive me. In all seriousness though, I found this fairly surprising and was often offended by their lack of care for the inconvenience they caused others, and the animosity they had towards those inconveniencing them.
One ama
zing place that we observed was the Doge’s Palace. Although we were all extremely hot and exhausted by the time we arrived at the palace for the tour, it was still an amazing experience and such a historical landmark. Between the architecture, the layout, the artwork, and the detail put into the design, this is one place I will surely never forget visiting. An entryway made entirely of 24 karat gold was only one of hundreds of beautiful aspects that this tour had to offer. Not only that, but we also got to see the basement in which prisoners were held. This area definitely gave off an eerie vibe, and is not somewhere I’d like to be alone even during the day time. With a musty smell and dark stone “rooms” (or torture chambers), the life of a prisoner couldn’t have been enjoyable. It took us two hours to get through the entire palace and I wish I had taken even more pictures.
If I had to write a story based on my visit to Venice, it would begin with something as such:
Gorgeous. Beastly hot. Breathtaking. Exhausting. Life changing. This is just a small number of adjectives I’d use to describe the few days I spent in Venice. Did I really just return from a weekend in a place I have only read about in history books?
Altogether, this weekend was an awesome experience. Aside from the misery of the heat that we all experienced, how often can you say that you spent the weekend in Venice and toured the Venetian islands? So lucky to have this experience.
Hi Amy,
ReplyDeleteYou have hit upon a number of differences between the Italian/European cultures and American way of life. Good choices to focus your writing on the currency, clothing and politeness, as these are things that a reader could be very interested in as well. Would have been good to note the current exchange rate (Euro vs. dollar) as part of that segment in your blog.
One of your challenges in working on your travel/cultural writing will be self-editing. Much of this post reads like a diary, and there's nothing wrong with that for personal writing. But for professional travel/cultural reporting, you need to limit the use of "I", or first person, and edit descriptions and examples to gems that will affect your reader.
I'd advise you to read all the travel stories I've posted on Blackboard, and peruse current New York Times travel articles (nytimes.com) to work on that writing style. Of course, many of the essays and articles in Best American Travel Writing have a personal bent. But you'll notice how each anecdote is carefully crafted, conversation captured, with no fluff.
Overall on this first post: Good eye for experiences that a reader would want to know about. And good ideas are everything