VENICE IMAGINED

I expect Venice, first and foremost, to defy my present attempts to describe it. I am sure that many of my superficial expectations will prove true: omnipresent, ornate, and ancient buildings; a counter-intuitive world of water; glorious art and decaying beauty; tourists and the non-functioning vestiges of a lost past; and countless other images, ideas, and details I have come across. But I expect to be surprised by many details I have not thought of, by the extent of of the city's true beauty, and by the presence of people actually living there (I still think of Venice more as an idea than as a real place).

I imagine Venice to be rather like Istanbul, a city I was fortunate enough to visit last summer. The underlying culture is, of course, very different, but there are some similarities between the cities. Like Venice, Istanbul was once a great and wealthy metropolis. Ancient buildings and monuments to the past lie scattered throughout its streets. Now the world has moved on, forcing these places to redefine their relationship to the world. Tourists may stand in awe before the Hagia Sofia or marvel at the spice bazaar, but locals go about their daily lives, the glories of their environs fading into the scenery of a busy day. I expect to see this again in Venice, to see a world of great beauty, art, and wonders coexisting with a mundane world of work and errands. I find this to be fascinating, and the interplay of these two worlds is what makes an idea into an actual place and gives it real character.

I picture myself standing near a canal, or perhaps near San Marco. I can hear pigeons flapping and bells ringing. People shuffle about, shoes scraping the pavement. It is cool and crisp, and the wind blows steadily across the water. I smell salt and autumn. The evening sunlight spreads throughout the city, scattering off the bright buildings in a million shades and colors, illuminating all. Gondolas slice through the water, competing with the chug of motorboats. People are going to and fro, filling the city with their complexities. This is what I picture when I try to sum up my idea of Venice. In less than two days I will see this city for myself, and see this smooth and simple idea explode into the unpredictable details of reality. I am excited.