It was when I was playing catch up with my backlog when I saw Os‘ comment politely reminding me to get off my arse and get this done. So once again looking through my photos I began to recall the wonders of Venice…

Warning: Picture intensive post.

Day 2: The wonders of glass, laces and more.

By the time I woke up it was already morning, the second day of my pilgrimage at Venice. I could already feel the fatigue from all that walking during the previous day, but still, I got up and prepared myself because I knew Venice had still got a lot to show me.

This time I headed off to a different direction, away from the Rialto Bridge and the Grand Canal. Walking in the narrow streets of Venice once more, I began my journey again. Very soon, I noticed an ice cream shop to my left, I had heard from a friend about this shop and apparently they are infamous. However, as much as I wanted to try out every single flavour they had, I had to move on since the day was hot and I knew I would be having a lot more ice cream later.

The buildings were so huge and grand, sometimes it’s a little hard to imagine how they built those things, centuries ago without the modern technology which we enjoy today. Even with a wide angle shot and my back against the wall opposite, I could barely get the top. It was weird since most of the time these buildings are so close together that you really loose a sense of size and magnitude, at times even direction because they all looks so familiar. It’s almost like that chapter when Akari and Ai-chan got lost, except I didn’t bump into Cait Sith.

I was getting close to the shore, this part of Venice is a lot quieter and feels much less like a tourist area. It was a calm place and with a slight breeze coming from the ocean it was just about perfect. I remember reading on Amano-sensei’s website that visiting Venice during the non-tourist season is the best since you get everything to yourself and you can really feel the locality of the surrounding area. I guess she was right.

By the time I got to the Vapouretto station one had just arrived, perfect timing. I was about to take a few photos when I realised my memory card was full. I was in a panic because I only had two, one gigabyte SD card with at the time and it looked like I had already filled one of them up to the brim. Not only does that mean I had to be a little reserve for the rest of the pilgrimage in terms of photography but by the time I’ve finished day dreaming, I had already missed the chance to take a photo of Venice along the shore.

An unexpected find! What lied before me looked awfully familiar and when I saw one of the Vapouretto stops, I was sure. The station was called “Cimitero”, sounds a lot like our English word cemetery, right? Unfortunately I had no time to spare, there were places I needed to go so I didn’t get off and take a look. Besides after seeing that episode of Aria, the thought of wondering in that place chills me to the bones, fore I knew if anything did happen Cait Sith would not come to my rescue. Of course, with a nickname like “the island of the dead” who wouldn’t.

Before I knew it, I was already inside a work shop in Murano. As one would expect, a workshop for glass making. Watching the men roll the glass into different shapes made me realise why glass can be so expensive. At first it was just a blob but slowly after heating, blowing and skillful handling, something very beautiful was born. Perhaps what was more admiring was the conditions these men had to work under, I was standing a good ten/twenty meters away from the furnace and I was already sweating like a pig, it’s hard to image what they do is good for their health.

After the demonstration it was time for the shops. Even if I had no intention of buying anything I thought it was courtesy to at least look at what they had on offer, after all the demonstration was free. As I entered the shop the guard told me to put the lid back onto my camera lens since photography was prohibited there, but being the rebel I am, I had to take a few shots. Slyly and secretly of course (hence the dodgy angle). I was beginning to feel like Akari in Aria the Natural, discovering the glassy wonders of Murano.

By then it was already lunch time so I decided to wonder around town for food. Again, unlike San Marco Square or the Rialto bridge as well as many other touristic areas in Venice, Murano felt surprisingly local. Very clam and peaceful.

After my little adventure through some alleys and residential areas I finally found my way back to the main street. Time for some food! Mr Sun was working hard that day and I just wanted to find a place to sit and enjoy some refreshment. So, I popped into the closest store that resembled a restaurant/cafe. There wasn’t a large selection to choose from but what they had were good food. With a bit of toasting the cheese had melted and it was delicious.

Walking through town there were many gigantic glass structures, perhaps it’s a way for the people of Murano to display their pride. Exploring aimlessly, I soon arrived at another Vapouretto station. There were still places I wanted to explore on Murano but since I did not do much preparation (Aria-wise or not) I thought I should head for my next destination, Burano.

While waiting for the transport to arrive, I browsed about the posters and found something rather interesting. It was on Acqua Alta, something I remember reading from Aqua. The content of poster covered the different levels of flooding and the warnings/alarms that corresponds to each one. The general connotation I felt after reading it was that Acqua Alta is just a flood and in most cases, dangerous. It’s amazing how Amano-sensei managed to make it sound so wonderful and even enjoyable.

The sound of churning water once more, the vapouretto powered its way towards Burano. Being the obsessed Aria nut I am, I began to scout around for anything that looked like it was in the series. I guess I’ve only got myself to blame for the lack of preparation and the kind of hobby I got into. Then I saw a building in the middle of nowhere, looked a bit like a house. Wouldn’t it be nice if it was transformed into a hot spring? Wouldn’t it?!

Burano at last, upon arrival I could already see houses in many colours. Dazzling. But first, how could I resist an ice cream now that it was mid day.

Apart from the houses with a wide range of colours, Burano is also famous for it’s lacework. It was almost immediately after I entered town that I saw many garments being sold. Although I don’t know how to tell if the lacework is good or not I assumed it must have been good by looking at the price, or may be it’s just priced like that to trick tourists like myself. Luckily I had no intention of buying anything.

Moving inner into town there were many more vibrant colours in which houses are painted in and there were a lot more trees and greenery than there were in Venice. This gave it a sense of serenity. In amidst the grass and trees there was a house which stood out from the rest, it wasn’t painted in any particular colour nor did it look like it’s meant to be. Again, going off into my crazy Aria thoughts, I thought this could be Anna-senpai’s house. She featured in Aria the Orignation as one of the retired Undines from Aria company.

Going deeper into Burano, my immediate surrounds became much more lively. People enjoying tea under the sun, going up and down the canal and shopkeepers trying to sell their goods. Given the surrounds as well, buildings which were not quite modern, narrow streets and water ways without transport, it felt almost primitive. Definitely what Akari described in the first chapter of the Aria manga. But then I guess that will make me the old man….

While browsing around I saw some shops selling glassware, but what was weird was that they were selling Murano glass at a lower price than Murano. Fake or not, they looked just as pretty as the ones I had seen just an hour ago. Of course glass and lacework weren’t the only things on sale, there were Venetian masks as well, some in the shape of a cat others looked like opera masks.

Soon I arrived at, what appeared to be, the high street of Burano. It was like a market, clothes, food, souvenir and much more.

At first I wasn’t sure if this was pasta at all and I wasn’t sure what it said on the packing but judging by the shape, I had a pretty good idea… Honestly, I am too filthy to be an Aria fan.

Holy place of Burano! Why? It’s because this was the only reference photo I could find for the whole day. Thinking back now I was so dumb as to not follow that canal since in the anime Akari and Alicia were heading to Anna’s house and perhaps if I carried on I would have found something interesting. I fail.

It wasn’t long until I reached the shore again, trees and grass populated the shore which gave me shelter from the blazing sun. It was so comfortable sitting there, soon I lost track of time. By the time I returned from Aria land, a good half an hour had gone past. It was getting late, so I began to head back.

Tracing my way back to the vapouretto I thought I would get another ice cream, this time it was mango flavour. On the way back, I took more photos of the ruins because I really thought it would be what inspired the hot spring chapter in Aria.

The route back to Venice was pretty much the same as the route to Burano except for one major, and disappointing, change. Although this vapouretto took the same route back, it did not stop at all the stops that I expected it to. It was some kind of express and fast line back to Venice with only a few stops. This meant that I would miss Cimitero. I did plan on popping in and take a few photos of the grave yards but it was too late, I got onto the wrong boat and there was nothing I could do.

When I got back to Venice I decided to take a look at the churches and other historic buildings. As I had expected, it was huge and the architectural details were beyond my comprehension. As mentioned previously, perhaps its due to my ignorance but I don’t really know how to appreciate these famous buildings and such. However, what I did enjoy while being in there was the fact that everything was made from marble which made the hall very cool. It was almost like they had the air conditioning on, so I decided to stay inside a little longer and pretended to be interested in artifacts on display.

The evening was approaching, so I decided to head back for a quick shower and a change of clothes before hunting for food. Unfortunately I wasn’t allowed to take photos in the restaurant (yes… weird I know… what kind of restaurant prohibits photography). This forced me to use my Murano technique once more. Sneaky, I know.

It was the magic moment again, sunset. Just like the day before the light gave the buildings a tint of every colour. It is truly magically. To compliment this gorgeous time was yet another ice cream, this time it was pistachio flavour.

Taking more shots of the Rialto Bridge and surrounding areas at night before hopping onto the number 2 vapouretto. On board the boat I sat next to an old couple, who started to talk to me upon seeing my camera. It turns out they were too from the UK and it was their second time here at Venice. We talked about how the Venice we had before us was the best at night. They then went on to recommending me to other places in Italy like Florence which was only a few hours away by train. I told them I was actually interested in going there but unfortunately I cannot spare the time this time. Of course I didn’t tell them I wanted to go there because one of my favorite series was set there, Gunslinger girl.

San Marco at last. This time I brought a little helper along to let me fight the darkness, the tripod. Although this is the first time using a tripod, and it was fiddly, it enabled me to take some decent photos (by my standard anyways).

Did a little research on where I should visit for my final day, of course that included Cafe Florian, some reference locations and to solve the mystery behind the revolving door (for those who already knows because other pilgrims have already revealed it, don’t say a word !)

End of Day Two.

Thoughts: Day two of my trip was spent mostly outside of Venice, in Murano and Burano. Although both islands did feature in Aria, the atmosphere in which these islands gave were very different. Both were much quieter than central Venice which came to me as a surprise since I had thought both islands are very touristic. Perhaps it’s due to my aimless and clueless adventures that allowed me to break free from the typical paths a tourist would take and hence allowed me to feel the towns as they are (as i the local atmosphere). So I think I am actually somewhat lucky for not being able to make the preparation that I had originally wanted to. The downside is obviously missing out on all the places that I should have went.

In the last entry I complained about the amount of motor boats around and this time I’ll have to say it again. I think it really ruins the style and atmosphere which the city and towns fought so hard to maintain. As for my Aria reference above about the primitivity, I suggest you go read Aria Vol 1, Navigation 1.

Speaking of buildings, the ones seen at Murano and Burano were very much simple and basic compared to the ones seen at Venice. But to some extent I prefer that since the streets are wider and the whole place feels much less costraphobic. I think, for me, if I wanted to have that “slice of life” feeling, Murano and Burano is much better than Venice itself since it’s just so much more serene there.

The evening was just amazing, although the sky wasn’t as clear as day one, my general experience was better because I had my tripod with me. I know my photography sucks more than anything but at least it enabled to me to take pictures no matter how bad the compositions of them are. Whereas the previous day I couldn’t actually any photos without moving which meant all the photos were blurred.

Look forward to Day three! Apologies to those who have waited ages for this post, hopefully day three won’t take so long since I’ve gotten everything sorted now.