Can you travel during a pandemic? This question arose and was clearly answered for us by acting on our own responsibility when we planned our trip in July 2020. The last time life took me to Venice was ten years ago. I accompanied my father on a cruise that my parents wanted to go on together. My mother asked me to take her place and accompany my father before she past away in January 2011 after a short, serious illness. The trip started in Venice and so we spent two days there. Freshly in love with my current husband and with the city, I knew that I wanted to enjoy the warmth of Venice's heart again with Christian. Again and again we planned the trip to the lagoon city and for various reasons it was postponed. 2020 everything should be different, due to the pandemic the cities were deserted and those who were brave enough to start a journey during this time, experienced what had not been possible for a long time.
"Now was the chance to stroll through the alleys of Venice alone and have the Piazza san Marco to yourself."
The city with what is probably the highest tourist frequency had lost a lot of its charm in recent years, as you shared your trip with millions of other tourists.
The years before that, the city was filled with crowds, so that you could barely get ahead and with all the splendor of the city, the beauty did not come into its own as it should be.
"Venice is the most romantic place in the world
but it's even better when there is no one around."
Woody Allen
Our luck began with the planning of the trip, because in July we got a luxurious ambience in an ancient Palazzo for a good price.
Quiet but central, right on the canal, our royal Suite had a wonderful balcony with a wonderful view of the canal.
The view from the four-poster bed was a dream and when I was kissed by the sun in white sheets in the morning, I felt transported back to the time of happy, Italian Films of the sixties. How wonderful to enjoy the gentle wind and the warming rays of the sun on the balcony barefoot in a silky touch of nothing, with a view of the canal and, further ahead, of the open sea.
"O! Venice, Venice! What deep magic is for me in these lagoons."
Franz Liszt
I felt a bit like a cross between Sofia Loren and Grace Kelly.
When packing my suitcase, the flair of Venice was already noticeable, my style was clearly more romantic and playful than usual.
The weather was wonderful and put the imperial crown on our domicile. The smell of delicious breakfast flew in from the café next door and nothing could be nicer at this moment than to be able to have breakfast on this wonderful balcony. At breakfast on the balcony, excursion plans were forged and we first decided to stroll through the town, to stroll from canal bridge to canal bridge through the alleys, let ourselves drift and enjoy the wonderful, Italian flair. This wonderful feeling at fantastic temperatures, clad in an airy dress, to feel the wind in your hair, to discover the winding niches and hidden paths and the gentle rippling of the water that accompanied us everywhere.
"Venice is really perfect and certainly not just for lovers."
We could hardly believe our luck, because sometimes we had the city to ourselves and yet it seemed cheerful, lively and simply enchanting. It was perfect and maybe in a way that you will never be able to experience again later. In any case, this shows the other side of the coin in a positive sense and we were able to forget for a moment what was happening in the world. The wonderful Italian cafes and restaurants were open, invited to linger and relax and so we could enjoy even more. Simply to stroll through the alleys with a delicious Italian ice cream, past beautiful boutiques and hidden backyards, always accompanied by the gentle rippling of the water. In the evening after an eventful day, the romantic and upscale Restaurant La Luna Libre on the opposite side of our palazzo, with jazz sounds, attracted us to dine directly on the canal.
Venetian and Mediterranean cuisine reinterpreted, organic, healthy, delicious, if you are looking for a vegan menu, you will find it here.
"Barefoot in front of the Basilica di San Marco - like in a fairy tale from a thousand and one nights. "
It was enchanting to stroll all alone on Marcus Platz and to use this moment for photo shoots at the same time.
The rising sun was particularly suitable for this, so that apart from pigeons and 2-3 other people who had come up with the same idea, the place was in magical silence. Little by little the city filled up in a very pleasant way, so that the liveliness and the wonderful magic of Venice came into its own.
"Even the vehicle, the black, light, slim gondola and the silent, gentle type of movement has something strange, dreamily beautiful and belongs as an essential factor in the city of idleness, love and music."
Hermann Hesse
The ride in one of the historic gondolas is the absolute highlight - an incomparable, romantic and gentle pleasure and highly recommended.
Our gondola was pompous and beautifully decorated in shades of red and gave us additional insights into hidden corners of Venice.
We were lucky because our gondolier sang for us according to the typical tradition. In the meantime, however, it is more of a rarity, as we were told. We paid € 80 for half an hour of joy and think it was worth every penny.
I will keep our trip to the Lido die Venezia as a particularly fond memory. We actually ended up there by accident, because we got into one of the boats and were surprised where we would get out.
"When I look for another word for music, I always only find the word Venice."
Friedrich Nietzsche
The typical Italian shopping promenade led us to the beach of Lido de Venezia, in a nostalgic, almost deserted beach club that exuded the spirit of the sixties.
At the beginning of the 20th century, bathers discovered the Lido and the first hotels were built. The impressive, sophisticated Hotel Des Bains opened its first season in 1900.
Its special ambience and the romanticism of it had inspired Thomas Mann to write his novel “Death in Venice” in 1911. The beach club is right in front of the historic Des Bains.
We stayed there almost alone, which increased the bizarre effect. I can still hear the rustling of the roofs of dozens of beach loggias, which, decorated with bast fringes, gave me an incomparable, playful summer feeling.
Another highlight was our trip to the islands of Murano and Burano. A colorful explosion of colors for the eyes and mind. The cheerfulness of the colorful houses put us in a world as if from a backdrop of the Brothers Grimm.
It is said that the houses are painted in the brightest colors so that the fishermen could find their house more easily after a strenuous tour.
The color blocking can also be found in the many colorful glass figures that are offered in small, cute shops. It's very sweet in Pic Nic Burano, a small aperitif bar with small delicacies.
As I have heard, Venice is already more frequented this year, but still no comparison to the times before.
Now is the wonderful opportunity to discover domiciles in this world in a very special way. Where will our next trip lead us? I think it's wonderful not to plan everything down to the last detail and just let yourself go. this is exactly what we have in mind for August this year. Where are you going this summer? Write to me, I'm looking forward to you!
Lots of Love,
Yours Nadja
The Happy Style Bar