Venice Imagined

In the opening chapter on anticipation, Alain de Botton discusses the mystique of a place we have yet to visit and the sometimes-harsh reality about that place that sets in once we arrive at that place. He argues that we have a tendency to latch on to a romantic vision of a place in such a way that we are confused, if not disappointed, when we arrive in that place to find gas stations among the lush, palm-tree dotted beaches of our imagination, as Botton experienced in his travels to Barbados. As someone who’s already done a fair amount of traveling, this is something I can relate to. In the past, I would often visualize every minute detail of the trip before it started, only to find that the actuality of the place bore nearly no relation to my expectations. Recently, as well as with this trip, I have been making a habit of not trying to fill in details beforehand in preparation for a trip, but rather have a few well thought-out questions in mind and let reality answer them.

Credit: barbados.org

            In the case of Venice, I am most fascinated by the prospect of a major metropolis that can move no faster than a vaporetto. Every city I’ve ever been to before seems defined in part by the frantic rush into the city via cars and commuter trains, then a frantic rush around the city via taxis and subways as people go about their business, following a frantic rush out of the city as commuters return to their homes in suburbs sometimes an hour away. Every day, the modern city seems defined by its fast pace of life. With the lack of cars, do Venetians rush around like other city dwellers, or do they experience a much slower pace of life? Do Venetians live a more grounded lifestyle, staying mostly in their own neighborhoods, because of it? If so, how do those neighborhoods differ than those with a more transient flow of inhabitants? I’ll allow time to answer those questions as I cannot hope to provide nearly as accurate insight by extrapolating.

Credit: city-data.com

        

Credit: worldofstock.com

    Perhaps my best experience traveling this way came on the first couple of days of my road trip last summer in Rocky Mountain National Park. We had decided ahead of time to climb Flattop Mountain and Hallet’s Peak on our second day in the park, a journey that would take us far above the tree line. I had never climbed such a tall mountain, so I didn’t know what to expect about sitting on top of the continental divide. Instead, I went with an open mind, and I feel I was better able to appreciate the incredible silence save the howling of wind you experience when you are so high up the ambient noise of insects and birds has long since subsided, and the feeling Botton would no doubt describe as sublime you have as you look out from the top and see just how vast the world is and how small and isolated you are. I’ve realized than the lush beaches will be there whether you imagine them before or not, and I look forward to discovering all of the things I have not considered upon my arrival in Venice.

Credit: Believe me when I say I earned this photo