Venice Carnival

For our February holiday, we had been looking to go skiing somewhere in the Alps.  As we worked through the process of how to book, whittled down where to go, and discovered the costs for last minute bookings, we decided to go to Venice! 

Before Lent, Venice celebrates Carnival for approximately two weeks in order to prepare for the fasting that leads up to Easter. This event began in the 11 century and consisted of over two months or revelry, until it fell into decline during the 18th century.  in 1979, the festival was revived, copying the jubilation that existed in the 18th century. This also made a great excuse to don a mask and costume and parade around Venice, listening to live music and enjoying the sights of this sinking city. 

Back in 2005, I had visited Venice on my own and quickly fell in love with this group of islands.  It's a city meant to get lost in, strolling through tiny alleys, meandering over picturesque bridges, until you find a cafe to sip a glass of wine. Not much has changed since my first visit!

How can you not fall in love with this?

Oh Venice, I still love you!

One of our first stops was to see Piazza San Marco with the remarkable Basilica di San Marco. For a church that took over 500 years to build and decorate, every detail is perfectly designed and sculpted to create a feeling of awe. The interior is one of the most impressive of all the churches/basilicas/cathedrals we have visited.  Like most old buildings, you are not allowed to take pictures inside so you will just have to take my word for it!

Shea in front of the Basilica.

The next stop was to visit Palazzo Ducale (the Doges Palace) where doges have resided since the 9th century, then the seat of the republic's government. It also housed a prison. 

The main courtyard of the palace.

A really cool astrological clock inside the palace.

Shea inspecting some of the various weapons and torture devices. 

One of two rooms fully decorated in paintings from the floor up. 

 In order to get to the jail, prisoners would have to cross a bridge over a canal. This bridge became known as the Bridge of Sighs, after the noise prisoners would make as they left the interrogation rooms of the palace and were moved to their cells. It was the last view that prisoners would have of Venice before their imprisonment.

The Bridge of Sighs

One of the windows on the Bridge.

The view of Venice from the bridge.

 A trip to Venice is not complete without a visit to Rialto Bridge. Unfortunately, it is under a bit of restoration right now with scaffolding and sheeting covering most of it.  But there were far better sights to explore.

The Grand Canal.

I made Shea take a lot of pictures with me. 

A holiday in February does not get much better then this!

One of the zillion bridges we came across. Interesting fact: Venice has over 3,000 roads. 

Shea attempting to enjoy the sun without burning. He did pretty good; just a slight red tinge. 

Because it was Carnival, there were events happening everywhere.  We succeeded in attending a ghost tour in the rain (would not recommend; one murder does not a serial killer make), a bar crawl (so amazing; saw new parts of the city we would never have stumbled across) and a masquerade ball (one of the best experiences of my life).

The masquerade required guests to dress up, wear masks and attend a ball in an authentic 15th century palace. During the gala dinner, only candlelight and classical music illuminated the room.  The meal was delicious, the liquor flowed, and the people we met were lovely. We even witnessed a proposal by a lovely couple from Glasgow.  It was a truly magical night.

Me feeling like a princess!

It is not easy sitting in a hoop dress but it forces good posture!

Shea in his 18th century best!

Because we had costumes, we also took some time to wander Venice 18th century style.

We had our picture taken a bunch of times by random strangers.  Creepy at first, but you get used to it!  

Little girls thought I was a princess!  It was so much fun! 

Our costumes did not really compare to the professionals who spend a year designing and sewing perfect pieces of art.  It was odd at first that these people were not asking for money in order for you to be able to take their picture. They just do it for the pure enjoyment of Carnival.

The professionals all seem to wear full masks. 

They also know how to pose for perfect pictures.

And couples always match. 

But we still had a lot of fun!

And then it was back to stupid 21st century dress. 

Another perfect view of the Grand Canal.

 We also got to experience Venice sinking into the water! Our last day had Piazza San Marco under water due to heavy rains overnight.  It also smelt really fishy so it was a great time to leave!

Most of the Square was underwater. 

The water had risen at least two feet overnight.

 Even with the wet conditions, everyone was still in Carnival spirit!

Cats!

One of the most beautiful masks we saw. 

One more elaborate costume. 

I would love to visit Carnival again but I would do a few things differently in regards to the costume.  I would make sure Shea and I match first off.  That seems to be very important.  I would also wear a white wig with lots of feathers.  Finally, I would dress in costume the whole time!  It was an absolute riot and made Carnival more of an experience that we were involved in rather than spectating.

Good thing the promised gondola ride never happened because of the weather so we have an excuse to go back...