Describing Scene

"Describe an unexpected reaction"

Wiping the pigeon’s “little gift” from my forearm with a makeshift baby wipe crafted out of a half used tissue and some hand sanitizer, I squint out over the sea of people lapping against ledge separating the piazza from the body of water to the right. Is it fresh water or salt? It kinda smells like the beach. God the beach sounds great right now… I’m distracted from my musings by a pigeon eyeing me hungrily reminding me where I am. A small breeze washes over us from the coastline. I never imagined I’d be happy here. I prepared myself for a fishy-smelling, mysterious city with spooky canals as a constant reminder of the rising water. But from here, ducked under the shade of a restaurant awning, the rough, slightly cooler concrete scratching the back of my legs, Venice appeared to be a quaint seaside town. Colorful buildings weathered by years of salty sea mist line the edge of the island off of Piazza San Marco. Boarded up windows covered in algae and barnacles are mysterious yes, but not as spooky as I had imagined they would be. Rather, they speak of a tenacious people who continue to live or work here. Every inch of this floating museum boasts its pride. Colorful masks dominate shop windows. Elaborate gondolas periodically glide past on what would be narrow roads. Byzantine style windows peak in a graceful curve, adorned with jewels and mosaics pay homage to the merchants who put this city on the map. Little did they know that hundreds of years later, people from all over the world would still be flocking to its shores to enjoy all they had created. Who knew that Venice itself could convince even this skeptical young lady from Ohio, doubtful that boats are an ideal way to travel and that the city had more to offer than “pigeon gifts” and decaying fish, to fall under her spell?