Favorite Moments – Rialto Bridge
I’ve written about travel moments in the past. Very rarely did they have to do with the actual place that I was in, but more with a culmination circumstances. The Duff Brothers could have been performing in any city. It was the bar, the people, and the music that captured the travel moment. The same with the pop band in Chiang Mai. That band could have been playing in any international city. It just so happened that we stumbled across them in Chiang Mai. As goes Starkbierfest in Munich. Toss aside the fact that Munich is a haven for beer and the subsequent festivals. That experience could have taken place at any alcohol festival in the world – grappa in Italy, wine in Napa, etc.
I get annoyed when I read blogs from tourists that are so wrapped up in being there that they aren’t enjoying being there. “OMG! I’m in Paris! Look at me!” Sent on Facebook to the world. Those are the people I wrote about in The Truth About Venice. They rush from attraction to attraction not taking the time to slow down for a Prosecco in an empty square. We laughed at them rushing by from our sidewalk café – the passport collectors. Frommer’s Day by Day Guides, which we swear by, even encourages this behavior with their Favorite Moments section. The guidebook calls out places to visit just to get wrapped up in the place. Not the people, food, drink, or music – but the place. I call bullshit.
That is until I walked across Rialto Bridge. I was completely captured by the place and nothing else. Day or night, it didn’t matter. Whenever we walked across Rialto Bridge, I had to stop. I had to take a picture. I had to pause. I had to watch the life on the Grand Canal – Venice’s lifeblood. I had to stare at the surrounding architecture. I had to become lost in the romance of just being in Venice. I had to be a cheese ball tourist.
It’s not like any of those moments were private moments, either. Whenever we passed over the bridge – first thing in the morning, on the way to dinner, coming back from a late dinner and drinks – it swarmed with tourists and flashes from cameras and smart phones. Much like the Trevi Fountain, we were never alone. Yet, unlike at the Trevi Fountain, we could huddle together along the rail with no other tourists in front of us. Secluding the outside world of obnoxious tourists and even more obnoxious vendors, we would stare out over the Grand Canal and breath in the romance of what Venice once was. I could have lingered for hours.
What spot has mesmerized you in the same way? That the place alone, and nothing else, completely captured you?
I think the closest I’ve had to this would be the main square in Marrakesh, the Djema el-Fna. It is like no other place I’ve been to; the word vibrant doesn’t do it justice – it was positively teeming with life, excitement, the smell of food, and many other things. Truly a magical place.
Marrakesh…very exotic! I like it!
We only had a day and a half in Venice. We never did see the Rialto and I’m not sure how we missed it the first day because we took the public bus/boat right up the Grand Canal but I have no photos of it!
I’m guessing that you definitely saw it but may not have realized it. Either way, you had a ride up the Grand Canal which is quite an amazing experience.
Budapest. Pretty much all of it!
But what part did you like best?
Quite frankly, I’m disappointed you didn’t say Riga.
I remember being a little dumbstruck walking the length of Andrassy Boulevard – and also crossing the bridge between Buda and Pest! Well, Riga is home. Familiarity breeds contempt and all that! Although I did consider moving to Budapest before I came here!
Taking a bite from one of my more recent trips – biking in Bordeaux captured my wanderlust. Spent way too little time there and already dreaming of the next visit. I enjoyed biking the vineyards and climbing the rolling hills. The meal in the small town of Libourne was memorable. And I didn’t even see the “must see” St. Emilion.
I have to agree with your perspective. I have been guilty of doing the “mad dash tour”. Afterwards, I feel cheap and dirty and impulsed to do the walk of shame. I’d rather know a lot about 1 square mile/kilometer than a little of a vast area.
The problem is that we as Americans have very little time off compared to the rest of the world. Thus, our trips turn into more of the mad-dash. But at least we have Nickelback and Obamacare.
Fortunate you, to be able to be there at all…
I only saw the alto adige and tuscany. Would love an opportunity to see the rest of Italy.
My parents were in Rome a few weeks ago… but they felt they had gotten to old to appreciate it. Can you imagine?
I didn’t answer your question earlier, because I needed to think about whether there is a particular place on earth that has captured me. There are too many places I want to linger for hours, to name in a single post. These places deserve a whole book.
Speaking of writer’s block–that’s what happened to me when you asked for the response about special places…. I often get writer’s block if i’m asked to answer a particular question; and sometimes I set myself up for it, by creating expectations I’m not even aware I’m establishing for myself. These days, when I get “blocked” I write something entirely different, or take a break from writing for a while. I’ve come to expect the dry times as part of the journey, and I’ve accepted that sometimes writing just takes a low priority because there are so many other things I have to deal with.