First Impressions

Venice in reality was, I believe, equal parts what I expected and also surprising. I was thrilled on the way from the airport to see, not only laundry hanging between windows, which just seems so Old World and European, but also palm trees, which I had not expected. For a few moments, I was convinced that I was on vacation and had to remember that I was in Italy, not Florida. It was a fantastic bonus. There were many of these bonuses, including the beautiful weather, which I was not expecting, judging from the forecasts of the previous week or two, the anticipated but still somewhat unexpected thrill of being back on the water on the vaporetto, and just the fact, probably partly because of these factors, that Venice was more beautiful and bursting with life than I had expected. I have not been able to figure out why but somehow I had come to associate Venice with a dying city. Perhaps this attitude was due to the fact that it is sinking, I am not sure. So to see it as a bustling city, on a beautiful day, came as something of a very pleasant surprise.

However, as lovely as the city was today, it also seems to be a city of contradictions. While Venice is known of course for its historical monuments, nearly as many cranes dotted the skyline as steeples. Then, on the sides of picturesque Italian buildings were massive billboards advertising products such as Guess. It was not quite a clash of the old and the modern, but it certainly created an interesting effect.

The one thing that took me completely by surprise, even more so than the palm trees, was the presence of the multitude of massive cruise ships. Even though I know that Venice is one of the hottest tourist destinations and despite the fact that I had even seen a picture my friend had taken of a cruise ship in Venice this summer, I was still blind-sided by the cruise ships, though not in a bad way. It was just a surprise to see those huge, modern looking ships docked next to such an old city. Again, it was that interesting combination of the new and the old coexisting in the city.

Overall, as much time as I had spent trying to visualize the city, Venice still came as something of a surprise. And I am happy to say that my first impression of Venice was a good one.