The Floating City | Spencer Hollander

After finishing up our study abroad program on Monday, a small group of guys broke off from the rest and headed on a train towards Venice, Italy. Alex, Riley, Daniel, our friend Jake who had flown in from Chicago, and I were now on our own for the next two weeks,

backpacking through Europe. Venice is the first city of five that we are going to visit in the upcoming weeks. I could not wait to finally have some authentic Italian food for the first time! Before the trip, I had no clue what to expect of Venice other than it was a city with no roads. I imagined a small, beachy city next to the ocean with lots of tourists walking around but I was completely wrong. Walking out of the train station after a four-hour train ride, I was hit by a wave of heat that we had not experienced in quite a while being in the high Alps of Germany. Instantly, we come across hundreds of boats racing through these tight canals interlocking one building from the next. It was an unbelievable sight to see. The boats were at least 20 feet long or more and the drivers were whipping them in and around places that looked impossible to do.

Venice was built mostly on wooden piles that were submerged into the sand and mud below the sea. Canals were strategically created between the buildings that acted as roads for anyone in the city to travel through. The canals were around 20 feet wide so only enough space for one boat traveling in both directions was possible. If a resident in the city did not own a boat or want to pay for a water taxi, narrow walking paths between buildings connected everyone to where they wanted to go. There were no cars, bikes, or any form of transportation other than by foot or a boat. Every small walkway in the city is connected to one another like a massive city-wide maze. I initially thought I was going to be lost every turn, but after the first day I finally had an understanding of where our Airbnb was at. Stunning small bridges connected the walkways across each canal through the city and handmade wells were located almost every block for access to provide fresh water in earlier years. Small shops and local restaurants made up the entire 1st level of every building while the 3rd and 4th floors were residential. Anything from a local hand-made leather shop to a Gucci shop with a full-time security guard was available. We of course stopped by the To-Go Pizza shops because they had doner kebabs!

Our Airbnb was located about a mile from the San Marco Square, which is the most famous square in Venice. This is where tourists love to take pictures and see the main channel from. The first time we saw the main channel, we were amazed with the amount of boats passing by and navigating around. It is incredible to see the amount of sophistication needed in order to build this incredible city. Words cannot describe the atmosphere we experienced around the city and the beauty each one portrayed. It is incredible to realize the whole city of Venice is floating essentially on wooden piles.