Venice...

.. is an amazing place for sure, but I was still overwhelmed by the beauty and sheer style of this city "in the sea". I had formed my ideas of how the city would look, after seeing thousands of pictures and TV films about the area - but was totally unprepared for the whole experience that Venice provides

I was fortunate enough to be there in the time of an aqua alta... a high tide that occurs regularly dependent on the moon and the direction of the winds, and this phenomenon graphically demonstrated the peril that Venetians face all of the time. In the early evening as high tide approached, drain covers and cracks in the paving around St Mark's Square began to ooze water, at first trickling slowly across the heat soaked pavements and then gradually becoming a rapidly spreading pool covering many metres in area; slowly the previous busy square becomes emptier as the crowds move to the perimeters, all the time listening to the orchestras playing on in the outdoors cafes and restaurants. It reminded me of the famous scene in Titanic when the string quartet played as the water began lapping around their ankles! Gradually the individual puddles link up and then the whole of the piazza is transformed in to a beautiful reflecting pool which the joyous visitors paddle and splash in....while the moon (the cause of all the troubles!) sails serenely overhead, and the city waits... will this be a tide like the one in November 1966, when the few inches became a few feet and then 2 yards, drowning many beautiful tiles floors and ancient palazzo steps? Venice is living on the edge of disaster - and the Venetians seem to love every minute of their life!