Sorry, that's cherished....

This one, Pam: http://moltogentileitalia.blogspot.com/2008/11/moment-in-time-in-venezia.html. Ciao!

every memory I have of Venice is cherished :)

here are maybe my top 3...

1. the cute little German girl who stared at me eating pizza and drinking red wine from a 1.5 liter water bottle(I bought it at Alla Botte after reading about it Rick's Venice book) on the boat I took back to Punta Sabbioni where I was staying.

2. the gondola ride with my Italian girlfriend who lived over sort of near Jesolo.

3. dancing in St. Mark's Square just before we left the first night I was there. Earlier we had a few pints of Guinness at the Fiddler's Elbow followed by dinner outside at Naranzaria right next to the Grand Canal.

my bella donna are just friends at the moment but the memories are still cherished.

hope you make some wonderful lifetime memories too.

(1) Watching the professional dancers perform outside several cafes late on a rainy Saturday night. Absolutely magical.

(2) Taking the water taxi at 4:30 AM and watching Venice awaken.

(3) Watching and listening to the gondolas cruising by the balcony of our B&B (Al Teatro).

(4) Just exploring and taking it all in, without fear of getting lost....window shopping and exploring walkways off the beaten path.

Getting off on a vaparetto stop in order to "get lost". Sorry, have no idea which one it was because we just chose it randomly. Anyway, we walked up the street and found a little restaurant. My son, who was about 11 at the time, ordered "pasta bianco" - plain pasta. I ordered a ravioli that was stuffed with seafood and in a butter sauce of some kind. It was heaven! He took a bite of mine and loved it so much that we ordered a second dish after we were all finished. Again, have no idea where that was but we still talk about this place with the best ravioli ever.

1 has to be the view of the grand canal while cruising the length in a vaporetto. It's just stunning--the best cheap thrill ride.

2 would be riding in a gondola with my husband at sunset, the best ridiculously expensive thrill ride.

Walking out of the train station and stopping at the top of the stairs. My world was stopped and everything was in motion. Boats and people going every which way. It was everything I expected but nothing I understood. It was really stunning and picturesque. Soon after, I was learning about how to travel on the vaporettos and where things were. It was just that first look that got me.

Mine is a combination of Larry's and Kathleen's. When you walk out of the train station and see the Grand Canal with all of it's water craft, you know you are really in Venice and it isn't just a dream anymore. Then you get on the vaporetto for that first ride on the canal, it's a real goosepimpler (or as they say in England, "chicken skin").

About 22:30 in St. Mark's square, winter, the fog was rolling in. Me and my kids and 2 other tourist (that is it) and a guy in a burgundy tux playing a sax. You can pay for that kind of thrill. Joanne

I loved getting souvenirs from Venice. I bought two true Venetian made masks from a small shop hidden in the alleys, a lace table runner, and Murano bowls and jewelry.

I spent a small fortune there but I have things that truly represent the places I have been, instead of cheap miniature gondola statues and "made in china" tourist trap souvenirs.

uuuuhhhhhhh.... that's impossible to answer!!!!! wandering the alleys as the town's waking up at 7-8 am
standing in Piazza San Marco at night when it's nearly empty and the little orchestras are dueling the tour of the Jewish ghetto, and the guide in one of the little Synagogues saying something like, "I hope you take a little bit of Venice home with you and that you are not just a tourist" which nearly brought me to tears. Being at the Rialto market early in the morning, sampling produce and watching the locals go about their daily business wandering off the tourist streets a few blocks and having a little piazza to myself to ponder life

But I guess the #1 would have to be.... the first time I laid eyes on her. Walked out of that train station into the beautiful bustling city around me and nearly lost my breath.

We were taking a break in a little square in the shade of a church. My daughter was 15 months old, and just walking. She was chaseing the pigons. An Italian couple gave her cookies to feed to the birds. She was in little girl heaven.

Standing over the Rialto, watching the packet supply boats move about with rough trade captains in sweaty tees, smoking cigarettes and cussing at everything. My wife looked at me after a moment of silence and said, "You've found your soul's place to live."

Yup.

Wandering the alleyways during December just before Christmas and hearing a lovely chorus of voices coming from a small church. Upon entering seeing children singing and playing instruments, parents snapping pics, the choral director smiling and nuns clapping along. They were rehearsing for their Christmas program. Everyone was throughly enjoying themselves and I just loved experiencing this Venetian slice of life. Also sitting on a bench on the East end of the island watching all the people out with their dogs. Families were laughing, talking, gesturing, and playing with their pooches. Nary a tourist (but me) in sight. Lastly, the sheer quiet beauty of the canal encased in fog during the wee hours of the morning as I rode the Vaperetto on the Grand Canal to the train station. All cherished memories of the ancient city.

Dancing with my wife to the orchestras in St. Marks Square on our very first night in Italy.

Seeing the Duomo when lit up inside.

Walking around at night in October when most of the streets are empty.

Arriving by water taxi, as we got closer to the city, the sun was setting and it was getting dark. The city lights became more vivid and we were awestruck. Only my traveling groups of 3 and 1 other person, besides the boat operators, were onboard, so they turned off most of the lights on the boat so that we could see the city more vividly. I think it was the anticipation of Venice and the actual visual/sensory overload that made this moment so remarkable.

Exploring the view by waterway, walking the narrow streets, eating lunch at a restaurant by a canal (where we saw a man ride by in his boat with his dog in front sticking his nose out the window; where we saw someone moving and had their boat packed with furniture, etc. and strapped down with ropes…that was fun. Seeing the Venetians do what exactly what we do; only they do it by boat).

One more...

But my most cherished memory is: My husband and I were sitting at a restaurant in San Marco Square listening to one of the dueling orchestras. It was November, cold, not a lot of tourists sitting outside and the musicians, although they played well, seemed bored. (Throughout their musical set they would engage in casual conversation with one another…but they never missed a beat).

Okay, so it’s their last song before they pack up and go, so of course they have to end with “O Sole Mio” (famously sung by Pavarotti). So they begin a dispassionate, but musically efficient, version of the Aria.

A few measures into the song we hear someone from another group of tables start to sing the song. We look over and it’s this Chinese man with a group of about 6 or 7 others. And you know,he has a great voice. His group coaxes him so he stands up, stays where he’s at, and starts to belt out the song. It’s obvious he is classically trained. So we, and the people around us, wake up, start clapping and people walking by stop to listen to this man who is singing so beautifully. The song goes on, more people gather, and his group encourages him to go to the stage to sing in front of the orchestra. We all clap to encourage him.

So now he’s in front the orchestra and the song is coming to its climax. (While this is going on, the band is smiling, but their smiles are forced because this guy is taking away some of their thunder). The man coordinates briefly with the orchestra and turns around to face the audience (which has now grown to 10 times its size) and finishes the song and, I swear, even hits the high C and the end. It was brilliant! It was magical…exactly the passion I was hoping for when we sat down in the cold to listen to beautiful music in San Marco Square.

On our first trip: walking into Piazza San Marco on New Year's Eve with colored lights playing on the Basilica and Campanile. It took our breath away and rooted us to the spot.

The view from the top of the campanile on a crisp day.

Going to Italy was my very first trip to Europe. Venice in particular, I have very cherished memories of. It was the last city in our adventure and arriving I was awash with relaxation!

1 I think approaching Venice is a once in a lifetime experience - sorta like how you can only have one first kiss. We got off the train at night and I wasn't able to take it all in until we got on the Vaparoatto and headed up the canal. My mouth dropped and I was in heaven. It was gorgeous. In my humble opinion - if you can pull it off, the first time you lay eyes on Venice - it should be at night when it is lit up.

2 After touring Italy for weeks, I thought I had seen enough churches. I was not prepared for the uniquness of St. Marks. Again, mouth open.

3 My husband and I tried to do the RS pub crawl, but we got lost. So we ended up in the Tratorria that we thought we were so cool for having stumbled onto, until we started to see all the little green books in other's hands. But regardless - it was a great place. Finger foods and tiny shot glasses of wine from a barrel that was dirt cheap. It was the first time I had ever had polenta. mmmmmmmmm

Wow! So many great memories!
-The fast water taxi ride from the airport -- my six year old son loved that!
-Taking a run (well, walk, because there was so much to see) in the early morning! No people in St. Marks Square, the boats making deliveries, etc.. .
-The asparagus ravioli at the Osteria San Marco
-Wandering aimlessly through the streets and alleys
Enjoy!

Ah, beautiful Venice, so many memories!

Some favorites:

Walking out of S.Lucia train station and seeing the canal takes my breath away every visit.

Arriving from the airport via water taxi and being delivered to the canal door of the palazzo we were staying at.

Returning to Venice at sunset after visiting Burano and Torcello.

Entering San Marco Basilica for the first time...so divine and magnificent.

Wandering the streets at night, being enveloped in the quiet.

The most beautiful memory is just how wonderful Venice makes me feel, and she draws me back time and time again! Irresistible and intoxicating....

My thanks to all for sharing their memories, what a lovely read. I am inspired and even more grateful for the opportunity to go.