Venice Part I on Film

 

Hi Film Friends! Today, we explore the fourth stop in my month long European tour, Venice! I arrived in Venice in the wee hours of the day and was overwhelmed by sights, smells and sounds. I couldn’t believe I was in Venice. The Venice that we read about in the Merchant of Venice back in secondary school. The Venice that was sinking deeper and deeper each year. After finding my bearings, I went to look for Qixuan who arrived the night before. She would be joining me for the Italian leg of my journey.

The first thought that popped into my head while walking the streets of Venice was that I was glad I decided to use a backpack instead of a luggage. There were so many bridges in Venice! It would’ve been such a drag lifting my suitcase up and down the bridges.

Because of the time I arrived in Venice, none of the shops were opened yet except for some cafes, so Qixuan and I grabbed a coffee and people watched till it was time for me to check into my hostel.

First light.

First light.

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View from Ponte di Rialto. This view is timeless.

View from Ponte di Rialto. This view is timeless.

Typical reflection shot from Piazza San Marco. Before I arrived in Venice, I chanced upon a photo of a flooded Venice and was secretly hoping I was able to witness the same phenomenon while I was there.

Typical reflection shot from Piazza San Marco. Before I arrived in Venice, I chanced upon a photo of a flooded Venice and was secretly hoping I was able to witness the same phenomenon while I was there.

Just some interesting shadows in my hostel.

Just some interesting shadows in my hostel.

The light in Italy seemed a little different compared to the light in Germany and The Netherlands.

The light in Italy seemed a little different compared to the light in Germany and The Netherlands.

After waking up from my riposo (Italian version of a siesta), I met Qixuan at the docks where we had agreed to meet prior. We were going on a gondola ride! While in her hostel, Qixuan made two American friends, Madison and Elana who happened to be interested in riding on a gondola as well! What a coincidence! Many saving tip, gondola rides are fixed at €80 for 40 minutes for up to a maximum of 6 people. So effectively, if you could find enough travellers, you could be cruising down the canals of the city of love at a fraction of the price! What’s more romantic than the massive savings you’ll be making?

We managed to pick up two other travellers along the way and off we went on our gondola ride!

Initially, my impression of the gondola ride was that it was a tourist trap. Having experienced it first hand however, I can only recommend it! Cruising down the canals of Venice added a whole other dimension to the Venetian experience. The undersides of bridges, secret doorways only accessible by boat and many more facades of Venice waiting to be discovered by the traveller who chooses to explore by gondola. Not to mention it’s just a very romantic way of traveling.

Bridge of Sighs named for the sighs that prisoners heaved after looking at their final view of beautiful Venice through the window before being taken down to their cells.

Bridge of Sighs named for the sighs that prisoners heaved after looking at their final view of beautiful Venice through the window before being taken down to their cells.

Just look at that light!

Just look at that light!

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Photos up till now were shot on the Contax T2 with Kodak Colorplus 200. Developed and scanned by Photocity Lab in Bangkok, Thailand.

A different kind of view.

A different kind of view.

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When the gondola ride was over, the four of us went to get takeaway pasta from Dal Moro’s Fresh Pasta To Go. The pasta was served in a box and it was one of the more affordable options in Venice. The Squid Ink Pasta and Pomodoro cost the least at €5.

We spent the rest of the afternoon getting lost in the streets and alleys of Venice while taking photos. That’s the way to explore Venice. Not with a map. Very soon the grumbling in our stomachs directed us to get dinner which consisted of €2 gigantic slices of pizza. It was quite far away from San Marco’s Square but well worth the walk. If you guy’s don’t mind working for a cheap dinner option in Venice, check out Pizza al Volo. At such a low price point, you would usually expect the quality to be pretty low. But the opposite was true. The pizza was actually delicious. So delicious in fact that Madison and I had 3 slices of pizza each. And the slices weren’t small either. Man that girl can eat.

We decided on an early night as on the next day, we would be going island hopping. Also, it would be nice to catch the sunrise in Venice.

In the early hours of the day before the tourists flood the streets.

In the early hours of the day before the tourists flood the streets.

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Sunrise view from Ponte dell’Accademia. It was glorious. Didn’t I say it would be nice to catch the sunrise in Venice?

Sunrise view from Ponte dell’Accademia. It was glorious. Didn’t I say it would be nice to catch the sunrise in Venice?

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#GoldenHourMadness

#GoldenHourMadness

Out of focus. But I still like this photo.

Out of focus. But I still like this photo.

After watching the sunrise, Qixuan and I had lunch with Madison and Elana as they were leaving Venice that day. Lunch was kinda meh so I won’t talk about it. But both the acts of meeting fellow travellers and saying our goodbyes are always the hardest. We bid them farewell and set off on our day of island hopping!

We’ll be exploring Murano, the glass making island, in this blogpost and Burano, the fishing village in the next.

A brief 10 min ferry ride later, we step foot on Murano. The vibe was different from that of Venice. Canals were wider, buildings weren’t built as tall and the path was wider as well. It just felt more open than in Venice. It was also significantly more quiet than Venice. You could see small pockets of daily life walking down the streets. I really enjoyed that.

Boats are the main mode of transport here.

Boats are the main mode of transport here.

Murano.

Murano.

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A quieter Venice.

A quieter Venice.

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Halfway through exploring the island, we got hungry and went into the supermarket to get cured meats, cheese, biscuits and wine. We thought we were fancy. Until we realised we didn’t have a table to eat at. So we just set up by some trees and had a tiny picnic.

With our bellies filled and energy regained, we resumed exploring in the surrounding churches and window shopping in the main street/canal of Murano.

Elaborate architecture of the Basilica dei Santi Maria e Donato.

Elaborate architecture of the Basilica dei Santi Maria e Donato.

Foundries of Murano.

Foundries of Murano.

Does anyone know why the windows and doors in Venice are painted green? If you do, could you enlighten me? I would very much like to know.

Does anyone know why the windows and doors in Venice are painted green? If you do, could you enlighten me? I would very much like to know.

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Do you guys think the clothes on the clothes line were put up on display on purpose?

Do you guys think the clothes on the clothes line were put up on display on purpose?

When we were done exploring Murano, we hopped on a 30 min ferry Burano.

Photos up till now were shot on the Contax T2 with Kodak Gold 200. Developed and scanned by Photocity Lab in Bangkok, Thailand.

With this, we’ve come to the end of this week’s blogpost! Hope you guys have enjoyed reading my stories and viewing my photos on my travels. Stay tuned next week as we explore the sleepy fish village of Burano! Till then, keep shooting film friends!

 
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