Hillel's In Italy!

Tourists II by Duane Hanson

None of us, I don’t think, like to think of ourselves as tourists. Goodness, that brings up images of loud, badly dressed, mono-lingual, arrogant and inconsiderate (when not being blindingly, over the top cheerful) fanny pack wearers who will tell you their life stories within five minutes of first meeting. No one wants to be a Duane Hanson  sculpture come to life!

We want to think of ourselves as respectful guests who, like totally, blend in. OK, maybe that’s just me. I get that I will never be mistaken for a local when on Inishmore or Orkney (skin-suit’s a whisper too dark to pass) or in any other rural Northern clime. That’s OK but I STILL don’t want to be thought of as a Duane Hanson-esque tourist.

Hillel and his wife are in Italy for a coupla weeks. They began their holiday in Venice where, at this time of year, just about everyone’s a tourist or a respectful guest (H and wife being, of bloody course, the latter). Travel maven Rick Steves says September’s a good time to be there. Weather-wise – sure but…

Hillel writes:

"Venice is a city steeped in history and art…also tourists."

They’ve also run smack into what Jen and I found there – getting lost is unavoidable AND charming as fuck once ya let go of expectations, specific destinations and time. It’s the ultimate city for Being Here Now.

"What the guide books don't mention is that the city requires an enormous amount of physical and mental energy just to get  around. Look up a map of Venice. I can pretty much guarantee that whatever you're looking at does not match reality on the ground.

This city is a maze of alleys, side alleys, and canals that require steps up and over. Anyone with mobility issues would have a rough time here.

I like that this is a walking city. There are no cars, not even bicycles. it's all walking or water transportation. It is also an astonishingly clean city. Both the sidewalks and the waterways are spotless.  No trash, no stray cigarette butts (and a lot of people smoke here), no detritus of any kind and lying around.

We've seen plenty of old art. Today, I'm going to try to make it to the Peggy Guggenheim collection.

Tomorrow, we head to Siena. New adventures await."

While they’ve been wandering the streets of this most awesome town, I’ve been reading another Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery by Donna Leon. I’d LOVE to visit Venice again BUT it’s just too jam-packed with tourists – both gentle guests and otherwise.