Between the lines and through the lens…
All photographs by Damien B. Donnelly. Venice, Italy, May 2009
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merrildsmith
Beautiful, Damien! I was in Venice years ago with younger daughter. It is such a beautiful city.
deuxiemepeau
Thanks Merril. It is so amazing, so much shadow and light and mystery. I’d been traveling through Europe and had been robbed on an overnight train between Prague and Vienna (although i fought and got everything back, but still, waking up in a private compartment at 3am in a train with three locks in the door, on the inside, and finding someone standing over my bed saying ‘shush’ calmly as he tried to move back towards the door, that wasn’t my best memory of the trip) so when I finally arrived, early in the morning, to Venice, I sat by the grand canal and cried tears of relief and joy! 😢😢🤭🤭
merrildsmith
Oh no, Damien! How awful–and scary! I’m glad you got everything back. Was the person arrested? I hope the rest of your trip is (or was) better. Hugs!
deuxiemepeau
No, he wasn’t arrested and it turned out there were two of them because when one tried to escape I reached out the door and pulled him back in but it turned out to be his thieving partner! Then followed a lot of me bashing the door against his arm and screaming for my things, still in my undies and the darkness. 😶 In the end I seemed to freak them both out and, after a scuffle, they got out the door but then flung it back open and threw all my stuff back into me and off the ran down the carriage! I was too shocked afterwards to do anything but also figured that the train staff might have been involved as they managed to get into my cabin even though I had locked the three locks and only someone with a key could have opened it for them! When the train pulled into Vienna at 7am all I wanted to do was get off and pray to anyone that the following night I would get to Venice uninterrupted! Thankfully I did and the rest of the trip from Venice to Pompeii and Florence and finally Roma was a dream. The nightmare was put to rest and now I tell it at quiet moments at dinner parties as a comedy story! Me and my tiny white undies, a bum bag and a bad ass born 🤭🙀🤺
merrildsmith
🙂
Jane Dougherty
How on earth did you manage to get those shots with no people in them? All I remember about Venice was getting claustrophobic in the crowds. Stunning photos though.
deuxiemepeau
I was staying on the island and most tourists depart for the mainland by early evening so I seemed to have the place to myself. During the day it was indeed crammed including about 5 birds who dived onto my table at piazza san Marco to devour my lunch but I think I was on champagne glass number 3 at the time so didn’t really care! 🤭🤗😂 when the bill arrived I felt a little bewildered 😳
Jane Dougherty
Wow! Did you rob a bank? Drinking champagne on the Piazza San Marco!!! You must have something big to celebrate. Don’t tell me, I’m just being nosy 🙂
deuxiemepeau
As I mentioned to Merril, on the train journey between Prague and Vienna, just before arriving in Venice, a man broke into my train compartment while I was sleeping all cozy and alone and I woke up to find him standing over me and trying to escape with my belongings! Thankfully a white Irish boy in white briefs and a bun bag 😂🤭managed to summon superhuman nerve and I attached him until I got everything back! And then I closed the door and it’s three locks and nearly died of fright but at least i had my things back! So when I got to Venice I was celebrating my victory and newly discovered ‘I’m a kick-ass’ attitude!!! 🍾🍾🍾
Jane Dougherty
Ha ha! I thought you were going to say you overpowered him, he broke down in tears, told you his tragic life story and now you’re best friends. Your story is more exciting 🙂
deuxiemepeau
But yours would make a much better slightly twisted short story my dearest 👏👏🤭🤗 although in my days before being a kick-ass, that is possibly how the tale would have unfolded 😳😂
Jane Dougherty
If you’re travelling alone, being kick-ass has it’s advantages though 🙂
deuxiemepeau
🤞🤞👍 it’s one of my finest moments 🥇🥇🥇
Jane Dougherty
Well, now that you’ve joined the ranks of Spiderman and Batman, I imagine there’ll be many more 🙂
Ms. Liz
Oh, I love you to bits for putting up such wonderful photos of Venice! That’s JUST how I remember it and I’m transported right back there! We were there in December 1991. Being winter it was really quiet and the gondoliers were scary as they were competing for only a few customers and were all over us. We found a really neat guy though who spoke English and gave us a wonderful tour on his gondola. We have beautiful memories of Venice even though it was cold (but they sell superb hot chocolate that’s like a meal in a cup). Did you go to Torchello? If you didn’t go, then you really need to go re-visit Venice! If I had’ve been into poetry then it would’ve provided the source material for many poems. I have to stop myself here because I’m getting carried away and using up so much space on your blog! Big hugs from Lix (when you reblogged me the other day, there was one instance of my name where a typo resulted in me being named “Lix” which I told Nigel I rather liked! Hahaha.. in case you hadn’t noticed I’m in a good mood today 🙂
deuxiemepeau
I love this Liz, or Lix as you now like to be called! Oops! Sorry about that one 🤭 it is truly a wonderful enchanting city. I’ve been twice now, the first time alone on this European train tour and another while visiting a local factory for work- ( my designer and myself basically spent 3 hours sitting in piazza San Marco taking pictures of what we decided to be the best dressed people passing us by for inspiration), one of the great things about going to Italian factories for work is going out to local places for lunches and dinners and finding the local gems that taste delicious and no tourist could ever find!
I haven’t been to Torchello but I will definitely put it on my list for next time.
I love when you get carried away, I bet Venice looks so different in winter, a whole other side to its enchantment unveiled. Wild winds weaving down those tiny little alleyways of shadow and light, catching with the distant sounds of taffeta skirts from ghosts still lingering, once in search of masked balls and now just wanting to be found themselves and remembered!
Hot chocolate when done right is indeed a meal in a cup- love that!
I’m just finishing my poem for tomorrow based on Nigel’s comments from last week’s poem. Will it be okay to mentioned that Nigel’s inspired this?
Have a wonderful day and glad the mood is merry 🤗🤗
Ms. Liz
Oh absolutely! Weaving around those little alleys we found a mask shop and it was enchanting.. the ghosts seemed very real! Nigel’s perfectly happy about a mention – thank you!
deuxiemepeau
Thank you both so much.