I’ve been to Venice before. Several times, in fact.  For some reason – on this visit – I am stunned into the recognition that I know almost nothing about this watery wonderland.

Several obvious questions have occurred to me, for which I don’t know the answers.  Every guide on every city tour I’ve ever taken would have answered these questions.

First question:  Why?  Why did they construct this city on the water? There is a whole lotta land nearby!

Why build such beauty on the water?

Second question: Stripes & straw hats?  Why do the gondoliers (most of them, anyway) wear stripe shirts (mostly dark blue & white)? And what’s with that hat with the ribbon?

Third question: Does anybody really buy any of that Murano crystal?  I suppose it’s all about taste which is, or course, a relative thing . . . but really? Some of it, admittedly, is exquisite – but much of it is … (IMO) … just plain gaudy!

Fourth question: Getting back to those gondolas … what’s up with them?  The skinniness I understand. They ply very narrow canals so they’ve got to be skinny. But why so l-o-n-g? As you can imagine, they don’t exactly turn on a dime! Why not simple rowboats or canoe-like vessels?

Gondolas . . . sleek, skinny and long … but why??

Fifth question: Do people who live here get sick of it?  All those bloody tourists …. (yeah – THEM!)  The hassle of getting around.  The constant damp.  Do they aspire to some day live in the Arizona desert?

Everything about living and doing business in Venice is complicated … laundry at a hotel, for example …

Sixth question: What’s behind all those doors and windows?  The flooding at high tide is consistent and legendary. The foundations are sodden, obviously. Almost everything at street level is retail or restaurant – but what’s upstairs? Who owns all this real estate? How much does it cost to live here? What do they do with their trash? What must it be like to live here – actually live here?

What’s behind the green door?

I’ll be back here on Sunday with my group and have planned an unusual walking tour of “hidden Venice.” We’ll get off the beaten track . . . and get as far away from all those bloody tourists as we can – and I intend to get some answers!

So I will leave you this week with the questions.  And some photos of the mysterious beauty that is Venice . . .

Love your comments, always … What’s your favorite memory of Venice??