Day 1 - Rain but no tears

Che bella cosa na jurnata 'e sole.

Ma n'atu sole

cchiù bello, oje ne'.

O sole mio

sta 'nfronte a te!

O sole

O sole mio

sta 'nfronte a te!

sta 'nfronte a te!

Quanno fa notte e 'o sole se ne scenne,

me vene quase 'na malincunia;

sotto 'a fenesta toia restarria

quanno fa notte e 'o sole se ne scenne.

Question : where are you when a gondolier sings this O Sole mio to you, sailing under the Rialto bridge?

And no Las Vegas lovers, The Venetian Hotel is not the correct answer.

Right, you are in Venice, the most romantic city in the world.

When you think of Venice, you think of water, canals, gondolas, romance, pigeons, St Mark's Square, the Bridge of Sighs…

But I'm not here for the romance... will be too hard going here on my own. I'm here for carnival.

Anyone who spontaneously thinks of carnival, thinks of Aalst, Binche and when we go on an exotic tour of Rio or New Orleans.

Oddly enough, we don't directly associate Venice with Carnival, even though we know Venice has a strong Carnival tradition. I dare not feed the people who have some Venetian mask hanging in their living room.

No, Venice is the epitome of romance for us, a city (the only one in the world) built entirely on water, with fabulous palaces, beautiful bridges, singing gondoliers and looks like they've stepped right out of the movie. It looks a lot like an open-air museum.

Venice has a rich history, although its origins are less mythical. It is believed that the city was founded by refugees from the Italian mainland. The city was built on mud and sandbanks formed by the canals.

From this refugee village, the city has been able to grow into one of the most important cities in the west. Due to its location, it was seen as a bridge between the east and west and thus became the most important trading city. Silk, spices and other oriental items were exchanged for salt (the white gold) and salted fish.

The city is now a real tourist attraction and does justice to its rich history. We leave with a travel guide, a camera, a golden bar (no, Venice is not cheap) and with rubber boots (yes, the city is under water every day at the moment) to the city of Cassanova, where Tchaichovsky composed his fourth symphony, where Thomas Mann got his inspiration for 'Death in Venice', and where Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, Lord Byron and other celebrities stayed.

At 11:30 am, our Brussels Airlines flight lands at Venice Marco Polo Airport, named after probably Venice's most famous resident. He lived in the 13th century and was a son of the Polo merchant family, which owned many warehouses abroad. Although one still not agree whether the merchant's journey to China (where he would have been the first visitor) actually took place, the fact remains that he inspired thousands of travelers including Christopher Columbus and myself. For that reason alone, he has indeed earned his place in history.

In any case, the weather gods are not in our favor yet. It is cold, there is an icy wind and it is raining. Not really the weather we associate with Venice. Brrrrr…

The Arsenale is the symbol of Venetian maritime power. It is now still used as a military school and shipyard.

From here we walk back through the small, winding alleys towards San Marco Square. Venice itself is not that big, but the small streets do not offer a view to orientate oneself at certain points, which makes Venice more of a maze and difficult to find your way around.

The bad weather forces us to take shelter from the rain and the cold wind in the beautiful Baptistery of Vivaldi. There is no shortage of churches in Venice either. There are about 200 of them, and to think that only 60,000 people live here….

We walk along the water past the prison that is connected to the Doge's Palace with the Bridge of Sighs. We arrive at San Marco square, which was previously under water, but fortunately the water has since receded. But even if it was inondated, the constructed pontoons would offer solace. At this time of year it is high water, aqua alta. These high water levels always flood the city from October to March.

In addition, we are unlucky because it is high tide, there is a full moon and there is a sturdy Sirocco pushing the water from the Adriatic  Sea into the lagoon. So the high tide is even higher than normal.

To warm up a bit, we can visit one of the beautiful grand cafes on San Marco Square… But I have a better idea. I look for Harry's bar, one of the most iconic cafes in Venice. After all, one of my favorite cocktails was invented here, the bellini, a delicious cocktail based on a pureed white peach and prosecco. But also the worldwide famous carpaccio. 

It was my good friend Ernest Hemingway's favorite cafe.

I propose a toast to Venice, to what is to come and also to Ernest. He probably would have liked to have that drink with me.