The thing about Venice

Venice is sinking or drowning, depending on how you look at it. The unique locale is currently underwater.

If you've never visited Venice, know it's as romantic as you would imagine and more expensive than you could possibly imagine. I visited this summer, in what I fondly refer to as my "Week of Pizza and Gelato." Pizza, it turns out, was the only food I could afford (€3/slice) and different flavors of gelato composed my vegetable and fruit intake. The Week of Pizza and Gelato. That sounds delicious. I know. Even in rosy-retrospect it sounds yummy. But let's just suffice it to say, there isn't enough spinach on those pizzas to fulfill your roughage needs and Gelato's high sucrose content pretty much cancels out the healthy fruit flavors.

How could one go to Venice and not sit down in a stereotypical cafe and eat a stereotypical meal with a stereotypical glass of red? It sounds almost sacrilege! Why not? €20+ euros a pop is why. Let's do the math. This summer, with the dollar-euro exchange fairly unfavorable, you could be spending upwards of $90 daily just feeding yourself. Tack on those obligatory trips on the water buses, the hotel/hostel, a trip to the top of St. Mark's bell tower, a museum entry and a few souvenir postcards and all of the sudden you're spending $200+/day.

If that sounds like pocket change for you, well, you should send some of that love my way.

Anyway, despite the incredible amount of tourists and steep prices, Venice is still fabulous. There are plenty of nooks and crannies to escape into and walking around is free and provides hours of entertainment. My only complaint: it rained everyday I was there. Intense, downpour rain. It would come and go, but then the sun would come out and dry things up. During a particularly intense downpour this summer, in which hail was present and tourists were forced to take cover inside stores and shops, I pondered the flood potential of 300 islands separated by canals lapping at their bases. It seemed inevitable. Indeed, this is the worst flood since 1966 when more than 6 feet of water inundated the islands. Of course in 1966 the city and tourist infrastructure wasn't nearly as developed. Today flooding means a different story.

Sadly, today Venice became fairly unnavigable sans overpriced gondola or waterbus. Five feet of floodwaters threaten 99% of the city, including the beautiful architecture and the Dolce and Gabanna store. I know most people are concerned about the latter. ;)

Let's do a before and after. *Starting in my trip in June:

When the waters are peaceful, they still are (literally) lapping at doorsteps.

A storm passing through in June. The water is already everywhere so flooding seems a logical evil. This tourist was taken out by a killer whale shortly after this photo was shot.

*I know Venice is the most photogenic place second to Iceland and I've demonstrate horrendous examples of this, but alas--they make my point.


Now pictures of Venice today (click here for more pics from Reuters, including D&G flooding):



Sad times in Venice, luckily no one has been hurt. I wonder if there are fish swimming around San Marcos. Does this mean it will be cheaper to visit next summer?...

Check out the pics.