A Reminder of Reality

Today we took a short trip out to Padova to look at more paintings. Even though the idea of what we were doing, analyzing art from during the transition from medieval to renaissance, was the same, being away from Venice changed how I viewed our day completely. I saw it as a chance to step back into reality for a moment so that upon return to Venice for my final day I could really appreciate the uniqueness of the city.

When I first began preparing for my trip to Venice, I knew one of the most striking differences between Purdue and Venice would be that there aren’t any cars. What I didn’t realize is how much difference not having cars around would make. I already walk a lot on campus unless I take the bus so the fact that I was not traveling in a car didn’t make much of a difference. However even if you aren’t riding in a car they are still heavily involved in your life. First of all the amount of noise they make is unbelievable! But since I have been around it pretty much since birth, I didn’t realize how loud they were until they weren’t present anymore. Walking around Venice you can actually let your mind wander from one thought to the next without much demanding your attention. In Padova however I was reminded of what faced me in reality. Cars and buses in every direction. Each demanding my attention with the noise they make. Being in Venice for the week has allowed me to relax my reflex to check every step I take because I slowly realized there weren’t any cars competing for my space along the tight canal. In Padova the streets were wider than in Venice but we had to share with cars and bikes. It’s weird that even though they were a welcome reminder of home I was also grateful to leave the cars behind in Padova for one last day in Venice.

Another thing that I’ve really gotten used to is the number of tourists that are in Venice. It’s not just that there’s a lot of them. It’s the fact that they move as one mass of people. They all travel along the same paths, stop at the same places, and buy the same things. It’s like they need constant reassurance that they are doing Venice in the right way and they only way they can have that is if there are other tourists around them. In Padova there weren’t as many tourists, however this being the case I couldn’t help but compare our class to the tourists of Venice. After being in Venice for almost a week we can all navigate Venice relatively well and we know how to venture off the beaten path to discover something new. But this was our first and only day in Padova and I could see us reverting back to the tourist mindset of staying with the pack. We did break off and attempt to see a little more of the city but our lack of time in and knowledge of Padova made it a little more difficult than in Venice.

Both of these differences have helped me realize that sometimes you need to spend more time than you would think when you’re visiting in order to really experience your destination. For Venice a week has allowed me to feel comfortable in the city and start shedding my tourist habits. I have one final day tomorrow to make the best of my trip and I can’t wait!