The Phantoms of the Night

Venezia blew away my (semi-low) expectations like the confetti that clogged the pavements. I have no idea what I was thinking but for some reason, I thought the canals would be flooded and everything would be falling down and still over-priced. I was right about the latter but the buildings were in a beautiful state of decay. The city really is trying to renovate and keep things the way they are, this is the place that explodes in color and costumes during Carnevale and is mentioned in Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice."

I rode a water bus for the first time (twice for free, shhh) - took over 300 photos like the one to the left making me feel quite artsy, at least for the weekend. The costumes were magnificent and insanely creative from ones that you might see on Halloween to towering courtesans with feathers, sparkles and more. I swear every costumed person was 7 feet tall or maybe I just felt like an ant in comparison to their bright, shiny greatness. haha. Murano glass is everywhere but the prices vary widly from place to place, artisans can shape a perfect fiery red glass horse in five minutes flat.

As for the night life? It was basically a gigantic street party with people stuffed on the Rialto Bridge, streaming out of piazzas and identities masked and hidden everywhere. A sampling of what I saw: a crowd of crayons, Groucho Marx, vampires, pirates, stormtroopers, cross-dressers and cupids. I never wanted to leave, I was part of the congestion making it difficult to maneuver around but I didn't get to see half the things I wanted to see! In the end, the glittery black and gold mask I purchased will hang on the wall along with all my memories ~