Harvey Travel Arts

Venice was unlike any city Brian and I had ever been to. I looked forward to walking around in the auto free zone and not having to dodge crazy driving, but I didn't think about the bridges. We're used to walking; we walk often in the evening, up and down hills in our neighborhood, and we walk a lot on our travels. But the constant up-and-down stairs reminded me that I wasn't accustomed to that type of walking. I felt even worse about my lack of fitness when I realized that the deliveries had to be carted over these steps. In the mornings, we saw a lot of men about, pushing carts of produce, office supplies, etc., over the steps and down the narrow alleys. To get to where they were delivering, they had to find a way to carry it all. In the same way, to get to our tourist destinations, we had to walk across many bridges, some large, some small, some one-right-after-another. It was a beautiful walk, though, and well worth it. There will be bridges in life that have ...

The Basilica at St. Mark's Square in Venice...what a beautiful building. The scaffolding on the exterior was a bit distracting and disappointing for a photo, but it doesn't take away from the obvious magnificence of this structure. You can still see the craftsmanship and the detail that is lacking in most modern construction. Brian and I wound up having to take turns to view the inside of it. When we walked up to the entrance, there was a sign telling us that no backpacks could be brought inside. An official at the entrance told us to walk around to the back to drop off our bags. We walked and walked, but could not see this drop off point. Seems there were others who were having the same difficulty, as there was a cluster of us waiting outside with backpacks for others to come out of the Basilica. It was amazing. I wish that we had photos of the interior, but you'll just have to take my word for it. Some say they get tired of seeing cathedrals in Europe, but I enj...

Normally with my blog, I try to publish at least two photos per entry. Today's entry only has one. Hidden behind these walls is one of only a handful of Jewish synagogues still standing in the Jewish Ghetto in Venice. The story behind the Jewish settlement is not unlike many others across the world. They came to the area during around 500 years ago to seek a new life, one free from the persecution they were enduring. What they found was a city that, while welcoming their services, kept them hidden in their own neighborhood. The Jews were not allowed to own land which kept them from farming. They were, however, allowed to be doctors (dealing with blood and sick bodies was not a welcome profession) and bankers (charging interest was considered a sin to many in that time). They could do these things, so long as they wore their yellow and retired to their quarters by curfew. There were synagogues built on top of existing structures representing different languages from the exi...

This is the view from our room at the hotel Santa Chiara in Venice over our Thanksgiving holiday. Pretty dismal, you might think. Unfortunately for many reviewers of this hotel, this is all they saw. Brian and I had already booked the room here when we started re-examining the reviews. So many people complained about the "noisy bus stop" and how horrible it was. They neglected, I suppose, to realize that there were solid wood shutters on the window, or that the busses shut down overnight. The other thing these individuals did not realize was that their same window likely had a view similar to the one below: You see, both these views are out of the same corner window. The beautiful water, trees, boats, and all that is Venice when looking to the left, and the busses when looking to the right. Sometimes life is like that. We can't see the beauty in our lives because we are too concerned with all the noise. What blessings are you missing out on today?