Monday, March 29, 2010

Venice -- A Day in the Life

After the school trip to Florence ended……SPRING BREAK. The original plan was the my friends Keith and Paul were going to rendezvous with me in Venice for a few days before I headed off for the balance of my 10 day vacation. Alas, due to unfortunate circumstances, Keith wasn’t able to fly over and Paul decided to meet other friends in London. So, it was off to Venice by myself. Part of me loves traveling by myself, but there is a small part of me that is starting to get a bit tired of it and wished I had someone to come along and share the experience. Did I really just write those words for publication? Not sure of the implications of those feelings (well, they are obvious) but what I actually do to rectify the situation is the issue. Ok, I digress.

So, three days in Venice were wonderful. The weather was great for two and a half of them. This first Venice post is all my pictures of daily life in the city of canals. I am always fascinated by how people function in cities. Where are the grocery stores? How does the transportation system work? What about schools for children? Here’s some of what Venice looks like from the local perspective., well as local as I can be being a tourist and all.









The famous canals of Venice.










Even though the city is overrun by tourists, off the beaten track, you can find deserted streets which look like any street in any Italian town.










Need produce? Go to the nearest boat.










Italy is holding regional elections, here’s a poster for the Communist Party.










In days gone by, the Venetians would get their water by placing cisterns to catch the rainwater. Today, these are filled in but you’ll find the external remnants of them all over the place.










As in every major city, local schools are having difficulties. Communities even in Venice are rallying to have their local schools remain open.










Just like everywhere, garbage is placed in large dumpsters around town, but they are then….










…hauled to the nearest garbage boat.










No delivery trucks here, but delivery boats.










Alas, in Venice, the vaporettos (boats that operate as the city buses) are delayed because of fog.










Two houses side by side with these house numbers. As you may imagine, you find places in Venice by landmark, not address.










Living on the ground floor has its hazards. When the water rises, called aqua alta, here's one attempt at keeping the water out.










Here comes your mail.

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