A friend from college found me on facebook recently so I decided to go over to his photo page to see what he's been up to. I was pleasantly surprised to find photos from our group trip to Europe. Even though the photos had been scanned in and were grainy in quality, I was flooded with memories from my first trip out of the country. The event that I recall most fondly from the entire month-long trip is when the group decided to explore Venice without the use of a map...
To us, it was much more of an adventure to discover the city on our own (plus we didn't have to look like tourists wielding a unruly foldout map). Sure, we got lost a few times but overall I found the experience to be both exciting and rewarding. I did the same thing two years ago when I traveled to Barcelona. While I did use a guide and map the first few days, the remainder of the trip was mine to determine. Walking down cobblestone streets and uncovering spots without the help of a map felt empowering. I was surprised to travel overseas only to discover the value of "getting lost."
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Comments (12)
haha! I have news for you, you get lost in Venice even WITH a map. It's a maze, for sure. After an hour, I gave up and just pointed myself in the general direction I wanted to go and kept walking.
I did the same exact thing in Venice. It was kind of scary at first, but I learned quickly that the signs pointing to various landmarks are a fairly good (though not foolproof) way of navigating the central part of the city. I also figured out that, when in doubt, follow a crowd of tourists and I'll end up in a familiar place. If you're lost in Florence, just look up. The Duomo is visible from almost every point in town, so it's easy to navigate your way back to the city center.
I did this for the rest of my stay in Italy. I kept a map with me, but allowed myself to wander around 'lost'. I was able to slow down and savor the experience rather than rushing around to check things off my 'to visit' list. Much less stressful. It's odd how we sometimes treat vacations like work or projects.
^Ditto for parts of London, but you stumble upon all sorts of interesting stuff that way.
I've found the most interesting places and things, met the most fascinating people, while in the process of getting lost. My best travel anecdotes arise from being lost. Something about the road less traveled, I think.
How could anyone get lost in Venice......it is so tiny. All roads eventually lead to the same places anyway.
Almost everyone is Venice is a tourist. Even the Italians are tourists.
Ha. "How could anyone get lost in Venice." Yeah, you get there eventually, it just takes three hours of looping back through seemingly identical squares.
I just had to stop and comment because I took that very photo in Venice. I remember it was the gold sign that initially caught my eye. I guess I wasn't being terribly original. :)
@peachpie You think you're on a path to the Grand Canal and suddenly it ends. So you turn around. Now... was it this piazza or that one that I turned at last? Whoops... Now where am I? Oh! A path! Rats. Dead end. Try again. Oh, it was that narrow, spooky, little nothing alley I wanted. Of course.
That's how you get lost in Venice.
If you give the wife of the pastor of the Venetian Anglican Church ten euros or so, she'll give you a map of all of the St. Georges and dragons in the city. Although you have to find and identify them yourself, with guidance. If you get them all, you get a prize. I didn't get them all; ergo, no prize. A wonderful way to see the city.
Tiamat, I completely agree with you about Venice. From my experience, every map of Venice is different. So good luck finding one that is actually accurate. I think getting lost is part of the Venetian experience.
I did the same thing my first trip out of the country- and it was in Venice, too! My friends and I left our group and our maps one night and wandered around the back alleys for a few hours. It was great!
Barca is the most wonderful city to discover on your own... we went there on our honeymoon and wandered around the Bari Gotic for hours and hours. *sigh* I can smell the jamon and bouquerones right now!
I always bring the map along, but don't pull it out until it's time to find my way back to the hotel or wherever I'm staying. Before then, just wander and explore. It's so much more exciting. That's what I did my whole time in Italy, but especially Florence and Venice. Best way to see a city.