Becoming A Princess in Venice

There is a magic to the city of Venice. People venture from all over the world to experience the romance that encompasses the floating city. I myself had included it on my bucket list. I wanted to ride a gondola whilst listening to an Italian baritone as we navigated through the canals. When I finally made it to Venice, I had an experience that I could not have imagined better. I became a Venetian Princess.

The adorable little city of Pordenone, where my crew was residing, is located just over an hour from fantastical Venezia. My dear friend, Chrystal, and I decided one morning to hop the train to Venice. It was a complete spur of the moment decision, but we were about to find it was one of the best we had ever made.

The day was not picturesque by any stretch of the imagination. The forecast read rain and a bitter chill. The local news had said the canal ways of Venice were flooded up to the ankles. But we were not to be perturbed. Indeed the entire train ride there we could see nothing from the heavy rain and fog, and still away we went.

There is no real way to describe the scene before you when you emerge from the Venezia Santa Lucia station. The water is a crisp greenish-blue, a marble white bridge is off to your left, and the streets are lined with adorable, multi-colored buildings that scream “Italy.” As we stepped out into the square, the rain suddenly stopped, and every so often, the sun made an appearance. It was an “oh-my-gosh” moment as I was overwhelmed by the shear romantic beauty of the surroundings.

Excited as could be that the weather was looking up, and already in awe of the city; we dashed over the first bridge and made our way through the canals towards San Marcos Square. If you have ever been to Venice, you know how confusing the canals can be. It is a maze of which not even a map can help you with. In fact, it took less than 10 minutes before we finally chucked the map and simply followed our feet.

We had fully planned to do the usual tourist thing. As we made our way to the main square, we snapped pictures and window shopped for masks, an ornament Venice is well known for. Store upon store contained masks and costumes to fit any genre. It was all one could hope for to don a costume and prance about during Carnevale. However, seeing as it was early January, Carnevale was still months away.

As we were not following any distinct path to the Square, we came upon a fork in the road. Yes, I am making this as clichéd as possible. I kid you not when I say the canal to the right was bleak and dark while the other was covered in lights and Christmas décor. Obviously we were drawn by the glamour and went down the left canal.

I am not sure what compelled either Chrystal or I to suddenly stop in the store that we did, but it must have been fate. Number 5009 appeared to be the same as any other mask and costume store in Venice. As we looked around, we engaged in polite conversation with the owner, a petite woman, who was happy to explain this mask and that dress. Her collection was beautiful, but far out of our price range. We decided it was best to leave before she talked us into buying anything we knew we could not afford. However, before we reached the door, she asked us if we would like to wear anything around the city.

Completely caught off guard, we both spun on our heels to face her. I’m sure our jaws touched the floor for she giggled and waved her hands in a very Italian gesture. “Si, amores” She explained, “these costumes are yours to wear out into the city. Costumes, masks, and I will follow you with a camera.”

There was no hesitation. “Yes!”

Within 30 minutes we had each decided on a costume and a mask to match, were suited up, and ready to take on Venice in the guise of Venetian Royalty. It wasn’t another minute before we were bombarded by people wanting to take our picture.

In the blink of an eye, we had become almost famous. Venetian royalty who had decided to take a stroll through the streets to get some fresh air and mingle with the locals and tourists. Everyone and anyone who could grab us, from children to a bachelor party, stopped to pose with us for a picture.

We meandered our way slowly to San Marcos Square where we became models. Posing in front of whatever our little hearts desired. All the while still being swamped by our new found fans. Needless to say, we were living a fairytale.

What had begun as a not so promising day, had become a dream. Chrystal and I had the unique and amazing opportunity to see Venice in this once in a lifetime way. For the price of $50.00 we had our very own Carnevale complete with photo shoot and instant fame. We were able to keep not only all of the pictures of our shoot, compiled onto a thumbnail drive for us, but also our masks.

All I can say is, thank heaven we decided to follow a classic cliché and stop into number 5009 for a look around.

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Rachel is a Native of Dallas, Texas and has been traveling the globe since she was 14. She is currently an international flight attendant by profession, but a traveler and adventurer by heart, always looking out for my next out-of-the-box experience. She can be found on her blog Traveling with a Twist, or on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

#Venice #Europe #Culture