Every July I am in Venice for about a week. One of my favorite places is a cafe along the Giudecca Canal. I've become friends with one of the staff and it's always interesting to hear how things change or stay the same in Venice from year to year. Last year one of the cruise ships came by on it's way into port. He tells me that the ships pay a lot (can't remember but it's maybe 50,000 euro) to come in. That doesn't come close to repairing the damage that is happening at the bottom of the canal and also damage under the walkways. He says the tourists from the ship have their meals and beds on the ship so the restaurants, bars and hotels get nothing from them (maybe a little at a bar). The ships are either going somewhere else or coming from somewhere else and the passengers are very aware of how much room they have in their suitcases. So, they don't buy much and balk at the shipping costs (they want the Murano glass delivered broken?). His question: what good are they?
For me, Venice is not something I have checked off my to-do list. It is an experience, an environment, a journey back in time. When the wonderful staff at my favorite hotel greet me with: Welcome home Roberto!; and when the housekeeping staff have left a personal greeting on the bathroom mirror (how wild is that!?!); and I sit on the steps going up to Salute, I feel grateful that Venice is here. I also feel sorry for the thousands on each ship that happily put a check mark next to one more thing on their list. I have stories to tell. Not sure what they have.
