Creative writing: “ Over the holidays, something transported me to another world”

The thing you have to know about Venice is that you won't get lost if you're trying to. All the streets try and push
you back towards the familiar facades the city puts up; every seemingly whimsical passage leads you again and
again to St. Marco, to the Doge's, to the precisely picturesque Rialto. No, you won't find Venice if you're looking
for her.

You'll find Venice when you lose your map and you're trying to find your way back home, trying to leave her.
Suddenly you'll look around you and see that the people in the streets don't have cameras or wide brimmed hats
and sneakers- they have flowers in their hands, and they know exactly where they're going You'll realize then that
Venice has taken you in It happens in a heartbeat, in the space between each breath, in the time it takes for the
ripples from worn rowboats to reach where your feet dangle into Venice's veins from the stone steps off the
cobbled streets. Venice exists in the reflections in the water from the unknown bridges and dead- end alleys that
descend into the water that is her blood and soul. She is the laughter of her people, echoing out from open
windows, from tucked away cafes. Soft Italian with the Venetian lit speaks from all the shadowy corners, from the
barely there doorways to the off balance plazas rich with the quiet murmurs of an old people. You won't get lost in
Venice. Venice will make you lose yourself.

The day won’t go as you planned, the plan is created as your day goes. After breakfast, walking out of the
residence and picking directions at random. Discoveries along the way could be a small church with old vines and
unruly garden, a jewellery shop with antiques mixed with funky neon necklaces, a cobblestone street with cafes
and leather shops and a colourful store of solely ties.