Venezia, the most awesome place I have been to....
Even thinking about Venice makes me smile :) Needless to say, I had an awesome time there. I just got my photographs developed and looking at them brought back a flood of memories, of the lovely time spent in this beautiful city.
This is what I liked about Venice, how I saw it.... from a distance and then a closer look.
The sense of freedom, walking all alone in the narrow streets of Venice, at my own sweet pace and walking in and out of mask shops, chatting with the local shop owners about the techniques of mask making, lace making and glass blowing helped me delve into the lives of various artists. My first impulse on seeing the beautifully decorated, ornamental and extremely delicate masks was , "I'm not going to be a lawyer. I want to spend my life in this beautiful city making masks." Beauty and art have the capacity to touch one so immensely. I could feel a tiny tear form in the corner of my eye everytime I saw a mask maker proudly displaying his master pieces. I entered every mask shop I saw and it amazed me to see the variety of techniques/ styles adopted by these artists, some portraying miniature paintings on their masks and some preferring to keep stark and plain masks for contrast while others tried to depict modern art through their masks. Every shopkeeper I met was so friendly and willing to talk, that these interactions made the trip a wonderful experience for me. The masks ranged in price from 10 euros to 250 euros. I bought the one for 15 euros and gazed admiringly at the one for 250 euros ;) One of the shopkeepers obliged me and even took a snap for me with one of these terribly expensive masks while a pair of artists (mother and daughter) posed for me while painting their masks.
The gorgeous mask and the mask makers
Another extremely interesting demonstration was that of glass blowing at the glass making workshop. The various stages are extremely interesting. Take a look
Of course, no trip to Venice can be complete without a Gondola Ride. I was most excited about the same but scared at the same time that as soon as I would step into the Gondola, it would topple over and I would be drenched in water. Mind you, some people say the water in Venice stinks though frankly I was too mesmerized with the city to notice whether the water did in fact stink.
Catch a peek at the Gondolas and a few amusing sights
And the other mode of transportation...water taxis which are supposed to be terribly expensive by the way -
St. Mark's Square was beautiful. The presence of newly made friends, whom I had just met on the tour, the pigeons who look as scared as I look, the Basilica, the Palace, the hustle bustle of excited tourists, the vendors selling their wares and the water....
Sadly, the sun had to set and my day in Venice was over.
I must have walked all over Venice, got lost and an extremely sweet lady actually walked half way with me to direct me to St. Marks Square! But like they say, the best way to see Venice is to get lost in it! Without doubt, it is the most beautiful, romantic and charming city I have ever visited. /lj-cut>
This is what I liked about Venice, how I saw it.... from a distance and then a closer look.
The sense of freedom, walking all alone in the narrow streets of Venice, at my own sweet pace and walking in and out of mask shops, chatting with the local shop owners about the techniques of mask making, lace making and glass blowing helped me delve into the lives of various artists. My first impulse on seeing the beautifully decorated, ornamental and extremely delicate masks was , "I'm not going to be a lawyer. I want to spend my life in this beautiful city making masks." Beauty and art have the capacity to touch one so immensely. I could feel a tiny tear form in the corner of my eye everytime I saw a mask maker proudly displaying his master pieces. I entered every mask shop I saw and it amazed me to see the variety of techniques/ styles adopted by these artists, some portraying miniature paintings on their masks and some preferring to keep stark and plain masks for contrast while others tried to depict modern art through their masks. Every shopkeeper I met was so friendly and willing to talk, that these interactions made the trip a wonderful experience for me. The masks ranged in price from 10 euros to 250 euros. I bought the one for 15 euros and gazed admiringly at the one for 250 euros ;) One of the shopkeepers obliged me and even took a snap for me with one of these terribly expensive masks while a pair of artists (mother and daughter) posed for me while painting their masks.
The gorgeous mask and the mask makers
Another extremely interesting demonstration was that of glass blowing at the glass making workshop. The various stages are extremely interesting. Take a look
Of course, no trip to Venice can be complete without a Gondola Ride. I was most excited about the same but scared at the same time that as soon as I would step into the Gondola, it would topple over and I would be drenched in water. Mind you, some people say the water in Venice stinks though frankly I was too mesmerized with the city to notice whether the water did in fact stink.
Catch a peek at the Gondolas and a few amusing sights
And the other mode of transportation...water taxis which are supposed to be terribly expensive by the way -
St. Mark's Square was beautiful. The presence of newly made friends, whom I had just met on the tour, the pigeons who look as scared as I look, the Basilica, the Palace, the hustle bustle of excited tourists, the vendors selling their wares and the water....
Sadly, the sun had to set and my day in Venice was over.
I must have walked all over Venice, got lost and an extremely sweet lady actually walked half way with me to direct me to St. Marks Square! But like they say, the best way to see Venice is to get lost in it! Without doubt, it is the most beautiful, romantic and charming city I have ever visited. /lj-cut>