Venice! Ah...

If I were to paint the picture of the perfect place I would probably include some little canals in there. What an incredibly unique city this was. The time was spent doing the touristy things like trying gelato, riding the gondola, going out to eat as massive groups, and seeing the opera Don Giovanni by Mozart.   

Carpe Diem, Baby! Seize the moment, or in modern slogans “Just Do It!” This was my mindset for the few days spent in the Venetian wonderland. Somehow, just get out of bed. As the raindrops splash against the window and the cold air creeps in between the curtains, I lose the sheets because there’s no time for sleep. Every morning that I would leave my hotel, I was made certain that it’s a beautiful world.

Venetian Rain, there are two beautiful things that it taught me. Be proactive, and let your inner soul flourish. Through my experience in Venice, I saw that being proactive has many benefits including wide open winding city streets accented with rustic renaissance and baroque architecture open for a runner, or two, to get completely lost, as the beautiful Maddie and I often did. I noticed that most of the people would be reactive when it rained, hiding under whatever cover they could find whether it be an umbrella or a roof awning. This is beneficial for the proactive type, who is out for a morning run, because the normally crowded city streets were now left empty. The second one – Let your inner soul flourish. Bravo to Patrick and Amy for entertaining the entire group with your impressive dancing skills, especially outside of Matteo’s. Your east coast swing looked very fun, and Amy you’re a natural. Rain or shine, you two put on a great show!

Then there was the Wine. For some, the heart of the experience. Consumed quite often, there were definitely a few standouts I had the pleasure of tasting while in this post super power trading city turned tourist hotspot. There were times when the wine acted as a great social lubricant. For example, the first night that we got to Venice where our table of 20 shared multiple reds, whites, and pinks. Then there were the times where the wine was the experience. For me, I was the happiest when I was sharing a delicious Italian Red and a cheese plate with my professor and new friend Patrick. There were two occasions where this occurred, the first being in this off the beaten path wine bar called HC. This wine bar was my first real experience dealing with wine. We sat amongst a small wooden table that was propped right next to a tall window that offered a spectacular view of the canal. The décor and ambience of the wine bar was inviting and cozy, and the waitress was a beautiful woman who was incredibly helpful and informative. The second occasion occurred on the last night where I tasted the finest red I have ever been exposed too. The star of this city for me was the Amarone. Beautifully complex red full of deep raspberry and oak that enters with a tart sensation as it purses your lips, balances out beautifully as it sits on your tongue, and trails with a nice sensation of bitterness.  It has a deep complexity which is visible in the color as you can see the center of the wine is a very deep burgundy and then lightly simmers to a beautiful red that reminds me of a red rose from the first love. More specifically, deep flavors of berry were mentioned by the entire group. As Chipman mentioned, it fires color synapses of red, blue, and purple in your brain and reminds him of the final trio of Richard Strauss, Rosen Kavalier. I get caught up in the moment and drink that wine for hours on end with the fellow Westminster Travelers on this trip. That has been one of the greatest things on this trip! The sweetness of doing nothing (In Italian)

A few quick notes about the city and its history and architecture. A very interesting city, the fact that there are canals everywhere and the only way to get around the city is by boat or foot is incredibly unique. Also the city has had a very rich and prosperous past due to the fact that they were once a very important and large trading city. Since it is one of the most eastern cities in Italy, it was an important hub for trading goods by ship or land.  This old wealth is prevalent in some of the churches and palaces throughout the city. The city’s architecture was also one of the best I have ever seen. A mix between some gothic and neo-gothic as well as a blend of eastern and western influenced renaissance architecture. It is one of the few larger cities on the Adriatic coast. The city handles rain well, the locals approach: A beautiful day it is today, the rain washes all the worries away. It is uniquely Venetian in the sense that the whole city can (and did) flood and the shop owners response was to throw down some boards and stay open. St. Mark’s square was completely flooded the second day that we were there and this was an amazing experience. It truly was cool to see how the water filled the entire city and to see thousands of tourists trudging around in a giant puddle. It made for some great photos and some great times.

 And a few last things:

1.       Showing my gratitude. To my parents, you’re the best. I am so grateful for this trip. It has opened my eyes and fostered curiosity and creativity. I have learned so much so far and it is not even close to over. I have met some incredible people and seen some incredible sights. Thank you.

2.       Enjoy the journey. To all the readers, I have learned that Italian have a great mindset and it is one that is much slower and in the moment than I am used to. What it boils down to is enjoying the moment and the journey you’re on.

3.       Define success and happiness. It is your life. Strive to do what you love, why you do it, and who you do it with. Happy people define success in a manner that inspires them, often tied to their passions, and purpose. I have seen this every day in my professors on this trip and it is very inspiring.

4.       A poem inspired by the runs

Venetian Rain

Getting lost, in every sense of the word,

Running around, without direction, while the sky pours,

Conversations w/ a beautiful girl, makes me want more

with wide eyes and open mind, ill experience this tour!