Let me take a few minutes to tell you what Venice is like. I don’t think a few minutes could portray all that I have seen in the last 24 hours. We arrived here yesterday around 12:00pm, and the three of us were greeted by our ground supplier who had a porter take our bags and put us in a van. We literally drove through a round about and got out where we had to catch our private water taxi (a large wooden boat with cushioned seating like a love seat). You wouldn’t believe the ‘traffic’ associated with the canal. Everyone has an understanding of the ‘rules of the road’ but being a tourist…you wonder if they understand them.  Here on the water taxi, large boats would cut off in front of us, and in the next second a gondola would use us for its push off.

We arrived at the Hotel Danieli on the canal side, meaning that they have a separate door where you are greeted and your luggage is handled right from the boat. Only a door, no hallway or anything like that, you must wait until someone answers the door bell. When I stepped into the hotel I forgot to even look at the surroundings because I was so enthralled we the transportation. Our ground supplier took us to the front desk where we were checked into our rooms. The hotel has two separate buildings (though you could never tell), one being the old one and one being the new one. The lay out is such that I still can’t find my room right away. Some elevators go to some floors, some you must take side stairs…much like a maze (which after my walk today, I would say is the best adjective to describe the city itself). Anyway, all rooms start with the number 3 but all on different floors. Checking into my room, I noticed two things right off the bat…..one, the key to my room is exactly like a key to the brand new Mercedes attached to the end of a drape accessory, and the second, that it’s amazing how advertising and pictures on the internet can make the room look much larger than it is. My room is very nice filled with outrageous fabrics on both the walls and furniture. However, I am in luck because all of the furniture in the room makes its impossible (unless I move the bed and bed side tables) to access the mini bar. For this, I feel like the God’s are shining down on me; 10 Euros for a coke, and about 30 Euros for a small bottle of wine. Nice marble bathroom and a view of the roofs of what I am guessing is the other building.

I think that one of the most impressive things at this hotel is the place where you have breakfast each morning; you have never seen a view like this!  It’s a panoramic shot of the city via the canal.

There is always a herd of people in the area where my hotel (the Danieli) is situated. You can easily get out of the crowds by walking past them in either direction, but if you do that you are sure to get lost (which is what Venice is about really). The few times that I have been able to get out I feel like I am in a maze. You can be walking along one street and it will totally come to an end, so you turn around and you end up doing a circle. I often wonder what the merchants outside of the stores think we they see me pass, 2, 3, up to 4 times until I find my way. Thank God I have a map, but with it all in Italian I basically make out the shapes of the buildings to help figure out where I am.

The city itself will take your breath away. I start to take pictures during our tours and think to myself what’s the use; I will never be able to capture on film the true beauty. I have never seen anything like it. It truly makes you want to create something, to write or to paint. A city built on water …still perplexes me. The culture is so deep but hard to experience based on the fact that they have turned the island of Venice into a one stop tourist town. When you do break away, you see things of the culture like the clothes they hang outside to dry, the food, and the mannerisms. For example, a Venetian has very good manners, careful not to rush or offend you, however, in the streets it is not in their customs to ever move or excuse themselves…so if you don’t get out of the way, you will be body checked.