Ömer Faruk Karakurt The main reason I wanted to go to Italy was to see Rome, but I never expected Venice to captivate me so much. The hours I spent wandering alone in the streets of Venice still feel like a dream to me.
First Encounter with Venice
We set out from Milan to Venice. I had seen double-decker buses in Turkey, but I had never encountered a table bus before. Luckily, the three of us ended up at the same table and had a comfortable journey. After three and a half hours, we arrived in Mestre. Frankly, Mestre had no visual resemblance to Venice. With the weather being overcast, the city looked quite gloomy. Of course, we were unaware of what we would feel a few hours later.
First, we checked into the hotel we had reserved beforehand. We saw a Lidl while going from the bus stop to the hotel. We immediately went there to grab some snacks and satisfy our hunger. Lidl is similar to chain markets in Turkey, offering cheap and average-quality products. Since it was the first days of our trip to Italy, we were trying not to allocate too much budget to food to avoid running out of money too quickly. I bought ciabatta from the bakery, Swiss cheese, Russian salad, and cola. Although it was a bit of a stomach-burning menu, it got us through the day.
Later, we set out for the train station to see the real Venice. The train journey took about ten minutes. When the train arrived in Venice, we quickly exited the station, filled with excitement at finally reaching the city we had seen in holiday advertisements, social media, movies, and read about in Shakespeare’s works.
Exploring Venice Alone
As soon as we stepped out of the station, the Grand Canal was right in front of us. I felt mesmerized; I can’t remember ever being so astonished by a view before. Venice was nothing like I had imagined. I had thought, “How impressive could it be with just a few canals in the city?” But the beauty of Venice hit me like a gondola oar to the face. Salih and Melih must have been as excited as I was, as there were a few moments of silence.
Salih suggested that we explore Venice separately. We hadn’t planned on doing such a thing when we were heading to Italy. Honestly, I wasn’t very keen on the idea. Being in a foreign country, I was afraid something might happen to us. However, with Salih’s insistence and Melih’s support, we began exploring Venice separately. Later, when we talked among ourselves, I said, “Good thing we explored Venice separately.” We realized that each of us had different interests. I was browsing souvenir shops, wandering back streets, and watching street performers. Salih visited academies and art buildings. Meanwhile, Melih tried different flavors.
Venice Carnival
After the three of us parted ways, I started walking straight ahead. To be honest, not knowing any place gave me a different kind of excitement. Eventually, I entered a small kiosk-like shop. Since arriving in Italy, I had wanted an Italian cigar. Finally, I got one and continued on my way. During those days, the Venice Carnival was taking place. It is one of the world’s most famous festivals. Interestingly, this carnival dates back to the 11th century. People wear various costumes and masks to equalize the status between the rich and the poor. Walking through the streets of Venice felt like a journey back to 16th-century Europe. Because of the carnival, taking photos of people dressed in lord and princess costumes from medieval Europe and then having them greet you with a nod of the head added to the delight.
Greengrocer, Shops, and Panzarotti
As I continued on my way, thinking about all this, a greengrocer caught my eye. I had no intention of buying fruit, but the bell sound announcing the hour from afar and the greengrocer’s stall in front of me made me feel like I was in a scene from “The Godfather.” I still remember the moment I bought the apple and orange in a paper bag. While biting into the apple, I arrived at a beautifully lit large bridge with shops. I entered a few souvenir shops. There were beautiful wooden dip pens, inks, and handmade notebooks… All of them increased my admiration for the city even more. Next to the bridge was a candy shop with barrels filled with colorful candies. Of course, I went in and bought some ginger dragees and continued walking.
After three hours, Melih called; he had met up with Salih. They asked me to join them. We met at Venice’s most famous square, San Marco. We all shared our experiences with each other. Salih had visited the Venice Academy and bothered the professor there. It was exactly the kind of thing we expected from Salih :).
After chatting a bit, we started exploring together. Despite the darkness and the deserted streets, we never felt unsafe. We wandered aimlessly, occasionally entering and exiting dead-end streets. Finally, we noticed a sign for kebabs. When we went inside, we found out the owner was Bangladeshi; we had expected a Turk, of course. We decided to eat something and tried a dish called döner panzarotti, which was a mix of Turkish döner and Italian panzarotti. It didn’t taste bad and at least filled us up, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Stick to regular panzarotti.
Last Day
Chatting along the way, we returned to the Venice train station around eleven at night. While returning to Mestre, I still couldn’t shake off the feeling of being enchanted. The next day, we had a bus to Florence. Therefore, we spent only a short time in Venice before setting off for our new destination.
As I left this city, these thoughts were in my mind. The buildings were very irregular. There were dead-end streets everywhere. This would look bad in other cities but gave Venice a unique charm. The architecture reminded me of the Middle Ages. Stone houses stood strong despite the passing years. Venice was neither a natural nor a historical city. It beautifully blended both with its centuries-old culture. There were souvenir shops, the greengrocer, and the carnival. Well-dressed people, the accordion playing in the street, and the sea were right next to you. Many more things I couldn’t describe. There was also regret inside me for not riding a gondola. I felt uncertain about when I might visit this city again.
